Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...
Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...
Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...
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Council Commentsand Recommendations<strong>Quality</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Life</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Long</strong>-<strong>Stay</strong> <strong>Care</strong>The quality <strong>of</strong> life <strong>of</strong> older people <strong>in</strong> all care sett<strong>in</strong>gs is a primary concern <strong>of</strong> theNational Council on Age<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>Older</strong> <strong>People</strong> (NCAOP); a concern echoed by theNational Economic and Social Forum (NESF) <strong>in</strong> its recent report <strong>Care</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Older</strong><strong>People</strong> <strong>in</strong> which it stated that ‘enhanc<strong>in</strong>g quality <strong>of</strong> life <strong>of</strong> older people <strong>in</strong> differentsett<strong>in</strong>gs should be a key policy priority’ (NESF, 2005).14In recent years, the Council has been at pa<strong>in</strong>s to establish older people’s viewsand preferences on a range <strong>of</strong> issues central to their well-be<strong>in</strong>g and their quality<strong>of</strong> life. Given the relative absence <strong>of</strong> a def<strong>in</strong>itive description <strong>of</strong> the factors thatenhance quality <strong>of</strong> life <strong>in</strong> long-stay care <strong>in</strong> an Irish context (O’Shea et al., 1991), theCouncil believes that the present study which seeks to explore the objective andsubjective dimensions <strong>of</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> life <strong>of</strong> older people liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> long-stay care is <strong>of</strong>critical importance. The study identifies, <strong>for</strong> the first time, the factors that contributeto good quality <strong>of</strong> life <strong>in</strong> public, private and voluntary long-stay facilities <strong>in</strong> Ireland fromthe perspectives <strong>of</strong> residents, their relatives and staff. Furthermore, the researchpresents up-to-date data regard<strong>in</strong>g the demographics <strong>of</strong> long-stay care services<strong>in</strong> Ireland and, as such, is a useful tool <strong>for</strong> service plann<strong>in</strong>g and development.The Council believes that while ‘quality <strong>of</strong> care is a key determ<strong>in</strong>ant <strong>of</strong> quality <strong>of</strong>life’ (NESF, 2005), long-stay care services should also enable residents to achievetheir fullest possible physical, mental, emotional and social potential. A coreobjective <strong>of</strong> long-stay care service delivery must, there<strong>for</strong>e, be rehabilitation andthe enhancement <strong>of</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> life. In this regard, the Council recommends thatall future legislation, policy documents and service statements relat<strong>in</strong>g tolong-stay care services <strong>for</strong> older people, whether public, private or voluntary,at a local, regional and national level, assert that a core objective <strong>of</strong> theseservices is promotion <strong>of</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> life and rehabilitation.<strong>Improv<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Quality</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Life</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Older</strong> <strong>People</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Long</strong>-<strong>Stay</strong> <strong>Care</strong> Sett<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> Ireland
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