Care homes may struggle to fill places and are expensive to set up, properly staff and run and for the user. They can also be isolating and isolated bleak waiting rooms for death. In the future we may well need fewer homes as demographics and health outcomes change. The challenge is to better integrate homes and residents into communities; increase homecare and social opportunities allowing people to stay independent where they can with friends and family around them; increase community based health care (cottage hospitals could make a come back) and to organise the system so that it us easy to navigate and maintains contact with the client.
1531-1