Many families have very reluctantly had to let their loved ones who lived with them be admitted to residential/care homes as the home was not ideal for the particular needs of the elderly person. The risk of infection in institutions is ever present and elderly people being more vulnerable are better placed with loving family members.
Admission to institutional care can be for home problems that are not insurmountable that can be fixed such as rearranging shower facilities on the ground floor or installing a lock on the front door to stop wandering. Even stair lifts can be installed to help maintain some degree of independence.
The government could assist with these domestic changes once patients have been assessed as able to live, as before, with their families.
As we know it is much cheaper for older people to live at home with willing family members. Such simple strategies could allow elderly people to return from institutional care back to their families who want them at home.
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