Welcome moves to keep elderly couples together

By Jayne Warren - 02/06/2008

The Government has issued new guidance concerning the cruel practice of separating elderly couples when placing them in care.

Concerns for older people in care have been well documented, from evictions from care homes and physical or financial abuse to the heartrending stories of lifelong married couples being separated when entering care - a practice which strangely echoes the days of the dreaded workhouse.

 

The most recent high-profile case concerned a Mr. and Mrs. Bashford, who met during WW2 and were looking forward to celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary - until social service officials informed them that, while Mr. Bashford may be moved to a care home, his blind and dependent wife would remain in their sheltered housing complex.

However, as part of their overall plan to enshrine a patient's right to dignity within the NHS constitution, the Government is issuing  guidance to local authorities restricting them from splitting married elder couples when placing them in care.

The move has been welcomed by Action on Elder Abuse, (AEA) the leading specialist charity focussing upon the abuse of older people. Gary FitzGerald, Chief Executive, said: "For many older people, the experience of giving up their own homes to go into a care home is a difficult and traumatic one. But it can be made totally intolerable if they are also forced to part from their loved partner. In today's Britain this should not be an option.

"By issuing this guidance the Government has sent a clear message that meeting the care needs of older people is more than about simply finding them a care home or care service. It must include ensuring that their marital status - including civil partnerships - is protected and maintained. We have seen too many situations where very old and very frail people who have lived together for decades, have been parted in the last years of their lives. This is plain wrong."

For more information on Action on Elder Abuse call their national freephone helpline Monday to Friday (9.00am and 5.00pm) on 080 8808 8141 or visit the website linked below.