Care homes will be an inevitability for most people. It’s true to say that once you reach a certain age, you may not be able to live independently anymore. Care homes are typically the solution, particularly if you can not afford live in care. However, there is alarming evidence that suggests care homes may not provide the level of support that elderly residents need. New reports have emerged that suggest care homes are falling short where it counts.

When you admit an elderly loved one into a care home, there are often two types of care available: respite and nursing care. While one provides complete support, the other operates more as a basic level of care for residents. Many elderly patients are physically able. This means that they do not need constant support and attention. Instead, they can move freely through the care home which is useful, particularly in more deluxe locations where there are facilities like cinema rooms.

Nursing provides a more intense level of care with constant support, treatment, and aid every hour of the day.

The issue? It’s in the care home’s best interest to mark most residents as eligible for respite care. This means lower costs and a lower level of employees are needed. It could be a way to keep a budget in check, even if it does leave someone vulnerable. That’s exactly what can happen with residents suffering injuries when they should have been monitored.

Reports have also revealed that staff numbers in even the best care homes are often limited. This again impacts the overall quality of service and means that patients can be neglected in a variety of ways. You might find that your elderly parent is suffering from bedsores which a care home will tell you is perfectly normal. However, this can be avoided if an elderly patient is moved regularly and readjusted. Many employees won’t bother or won’t have the time to do this, particularly if the care home is understaffed.

Of course, you also might find that staff will refuse to go the extra mile for residents. Particularly, if they are booked in for respite care. Even medical health issues may go unchecked until a relative notices.

There are plenty of residents in care homes who are unable to communicate due to medical conditions such as a stroke or dementia. If a patient is unable to communicate, then this can leave them vulnerable and at risk of neglect and abuse. Since a patient can not communicate effectively, these issues also go unnoticed and unreported. It’s a dangerous situation and neglect or abuse in care homes is a serious problem. These days, it’s common for care homes to have CCTV throughout the premises to ensure that any issues like this can be caught.

It seems then there are a wide range of issues currently plaguing the care industry. However, with live in care often being too expensive and a growing elderly population there isn’t a solution on the horizon.

Depression is the biggest creator of negativity in life. You don’t have to be diagnosed as depressed to suffer from the negativity that depression brings. Being stuck in a terrible situation and experiencing the symptoms of depression is enough to trap you into a cycle that feels unbreakable. It can lead you to fail at meeting the responsibilities that you have in life, make you feel like you’re not enough and that you’re not strong enough to handle the things that life is going to throw at you. Your mind wandering is a dangerous thing, because it can lead you down paths that are too scary to deal with and that you just don’t want to.

The worse you think about yourself, the bigger the cycle of negativity gets. You can go from thinking about not feeling enough to believing the world would be better off without you. This can lead to feeling guiltier and guiltier about your own existence. If you are in a situation in your life that makes you feel vulnerable, whether that’s being unemployed and struggling or a domestic violence victim trying to get out, you’re going to spiral. This cycle of negativity is exceptionally hard to break and while you’re so exhausted by your own emotions, you can feel numb to anything that constitutes moving forward with your life. So, how do you even begin to break that cycle?

Living by a schedule and in a solid routine can really help you. The people who suffer with depression are not the best at making decisions, because really, they just don’t care. They’re not trying to feel depressed, but they do better with a routine in place. A visual routine chart can make a huge difference to the day, so creating a schedule with alarms alongside it and sticking to it is going to make all the difference to your life. Committing yourself to this schedule is so important for you to be able to break out of the depression that you feel. You’ve got to keep it as simple as possible and your routine should be very basic, very much surrounding your eating, exercise and your daily responsibilities. You need to eat, even when you don’t feel like you can, because food gives you energy to keep going through your day.

Energy is the biggest thing that depletes when you are dealing with depression, so it can be extremely difficult to want to do anything relating to movement or food; because it just seems like too much. You have to hold yourself accountable for your feelings and your actions, because if you don’t, you’re not going to survive it. Own yourself, own your schedule and make it feel right. Once you feel more secure, you can break free from those negative feelings dragging you right down. Set small and manageable goals, and you will be able to hit your achievements far better and far faster. Remind yourself that you CAN do this, and then go and do it.