Behind the headlines

Once again, a case of alleged neglect in a care home has hit the headlines. The story of 94-year-old Molly Darby was carried by most of the national dailies today.

It is alleged that within four weeks of going into the Beeches Residential Care Home in Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, Mrs Darby went from being in relatively good physical health to arriving at hospital with a chest infection, pneumonia, septicaemia, a urinary infection, a bad ear infection and pressure sores.

Unsurprisingly, the newspapers carried this in some depth, some with a more sensational slant than others. The Daily Mail’s headline in particular caught the eye; ‘Care home left my mother looking like a concentration camp victim’.

For an older person, who might be getting frail, reading stories like this will make the thought of moving into a residential home terrifying.

Indeed, two thirds of older people are already “frightened” of the prospect of ending up in a care home, according to a recent ICM survey.

But a little perspective is needed here. While there are some shocking examples of neglect and abuse in care homes these are very much in the minority.

Obviously newspapers pick up on these stories because bad news sells – it makes a better headline than ‘Older person has really nice time in care home shocker’. But these stories do distort the public perception of care homes and the industry.

In reality, many people in care homes are very happy – the story of Peggy Hughes (http://www.bettercaring.com/editorial/article3.aspx?id=792) is typical of what we hear.

For some people, going into a care home can give them a whole new lease of life. Rather than worrying about looking after the house, washing or cooking, they can focus on their own interests. Others make a whole new network of friends, instead of being isolated in their own homes because they are too frail to go out.

I’m not saying newspapers should not highlight cases of neglect or abuse – they should because such cases need to be highlighted, stamped out and the perpetrators dealt with. But more stories about the other side of the care home industry could stop misconceptions growing among the public and help people see that moving into a care home is not a last resort.