Couples who need care should stay living together for as long as possible, and not be separated by one of them going into a care home.
That’s the view of Sir James Munby, the president of the family division at the High Court, who says separating people against their wishes is “inhumane” and social workers should do more to keep couples together.
His comments back up the commitment of the team here at Kemble at Home to do just that - enable people to stay living in their own homes for longer.
That’s what our live-in care services are all about.
Rather than having to go into a residential care home, our Live-In carers provide one-to-one support completely tailored to an individual’s needs.
What that means is that couples can stay together, in their own home. They can keep their pets, their garden, continue to be part of their local community - all of which helps to maintain their independence.
Research shows that staying in familiar surroundings is particularly important for people with dementia, and live-in care services are especially effective for dementia patients.
Going back to Sir James, he was making a speech to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, and his comments have been widely reported in the national media.
He said he was “personally outraged” at reports of couples being separated after spending their lives together, saying that councils should give more priority to the happiness of people in care rather than budgets and procedures.
He even said separating couples who wanted to stay together was “inhumane”.
We just hope the adult social care directors he was talking to will take his comments on board.
They were certainly music to our ears and reaffirmed our commitment to helping people maintain their independence by staying in their own homes for as long as possible.
Giving people the opportunity to improve their quality of life by connecting with social groups and reducing isolation are big priorities for us, so it was great to hear such a respected figure talking in this way.For more information about Kemble at Home’s live-in services, click here - https://www.kembleathome.co.uk/live-in
