With the gradual increase of population every year in India, rapid swelling of caregiving burden is also a noticeable concern. The number of care facility residential homes is also going on increasing day by day. Surveys and research at different locations around the world have shown that chiefly the elderly persons after a certain age of around 60 – 65 years old are sent to the care facility homes by their family. From 5.6 per cent in 1961 to 8.6 per cent in 2011, the percentage has risen steadily. The percentage has risen to 10.1 per cent in 2021, and also is expected to rise to 13.1 per cent in 2031. Males had a significantly lower rate of 8.2 per cent, while females had a higher rate of 9.0 per cent. Multiple physicals, as well as, psychological issues remain attached to getting older a person. In the majority of cases, it has been seen that these care facility homes face troubles in managing and assessing the co-morbidities.
Prabhdyal Singh Sodhi Abbey Healthcare former Director stated that residents’ requirements are complicated and multifaceted, necessitating a multifaceted approach to addressing them rather than focusing on a single health issue. There is a scarcity of information about the prevalence of co-morbidities treatment and care in Indian care facility homes for the elderly. Prabhdyal Singh Sodhi demonstrated some of the troubles faced by the inhabitants in a care facility home. They are:
Issues regarding adjustment:
‘Aging’ is a very complex issue in our everyone’s life when we started to feel several critical changes like- an increase in health issues, losing the life partner or beloved family members’ loneliness. Generally, those who are sent to the care facility centres have no one to take care of in their families during their time of need; either their children are indulged in the rat race of the competitive world or they stay out of stations. When the elderly people first come to the care facility homes the first impediment is ‘adjustment issues’, they feel inconvenience is adjusting to the ‘current state of knowledge in care homes. Their systematic literature starts to look for recouping the knowing face- knowing smell- knowing places. They crave meeting and staying with their family-friends-neighbours.
Sense of loss of self-identity:
In the opinion of Prabhdyal Singh Sodhi former Director of Abbey Healthcare , people who shift to care centres go through a variety of upheavals, several of which are distressing to them to varying degrees. Generally, the new social standing, feeling the stress of autonomy in the rules and regulations of the institutions/homes, changes in the regular social contacts, lack of feelings of homely comfort-zone or calling the knowing homely people and diminution of their regular activities jeopardise the people’s previous identities. Moving into a care centre is a unique kind of experience that takes six months or even one or two years to adjust to. Many a time the residents also face humiliating and obsessive situations in the care homes. To get along with the normative of the care facilitated homes, they have to maintain orders of the employee, which often they have to do against their desire.
These are the root cause of their psychological distresses too like- depression, insomnia etc. People who live in the care centres fear losing their autonomy since they are reliant on nursing care on a routine basis. Looking for assistance and support may also feel a sense of powerlessness. Besides the boundaries between one’s public and private life also get fainted when one moves from his/her domestic environment to the caring centres. These also make many elderly people uncomfortable. Lack of friends or communication circle also causes trouble and trauma to many people. Surveys revealed that stroke, dementia, or another neurological condition affected more than half of the residents of care centres. Approximately 76% of residents need assistance for mobility purposes, 71% are chronically ill-stricken, 24% reported immobility, disorientation, or diarrhoea on repeated occasions. Only 40% of the residents can freely move from one place to another on their own.
How these troubles can be resolved? What are the ways a care facility centre can make oneself feel the same and comfortable?
It can be seen that in maximum cases, the residents are shifted to care centres for their various health issues as well as, others like- family troubles, financial troubles etc. And there are many instances where it has been seen that they are ill-treated in care centres, for that they started to feel like a ‘loss of self-identity. But, these issues can be resolved through the implementation of proper regulations. In the policies of the care centres ‘, relational autonomy’ resolutions must be brought into action. Quality of care needs to be improved through regular assessments/ check-ups, proper staffing, taking scientific medical measures of managing the psychological stresses and symptoms like- dementia etc. The quality of physical environments surrounding the centres should be enhanced through greeneries. Prabhdyal Singh Sodhi recommended that different social programmes or functions need to be organised by the authorities so that they can bring solidarity among the residents of the care centres.
Thus, it can be jot down from the above contextual discussions that regulations that can be implemented by state-mandated authority bodies can mould the care facilitated centres into a better place for the residents. There should be a proper system of reporting unexpected humiliating incidents by the residents about the authority body. All the caretakers or nursing staff should be well-trained in taking care of the residents. Going to stay in a care facilitated clinic is definitely a tough thing for many residents, but it is the care clinics that take care of them as well.