Rural Scotland People, Prosperity and Partnership
COMMUNITY CAREOne of the key principles behind the Government's community care policy is that, where practicable, vulnerable people should be enabled to live in their own homes. In rural areas, where hospitals, residential care homes and nursing homes may be distant, home-based support may be the only way of assisting people to remain in the areas with which they are familiar. There are practical problems with supporting people in their own homes where family and friends may not be close by and other community services may not be conveniently accessible. Innovative solutions can help meet the need. For example, the employment of local people, including neighbours, as home helps can support vulnerable people while bringing employment to others. Mobile units can allow a local hall or community centre to be converted into a day centre reducing travel costs and time. The Day Access Rural Tayside mobile day centre is one of a number of projects which assist people with mental health problems and living in rural areas which are funded through the Mental Illness Specific Grant. This grant also supports a Hospital at Home project in Shetland which offers emergency, terminal and long-tern care services to people in their own homes. Another example is the Rural South Lanarkshire Corridor, managed by the Lanarkshire Association of Mental Health, which operates a number of advice and contact drop-in points, as well as outreach and home support services to assist people with mental health problems to integrate into the community. Housing authorities should work closely with other housing bodies, and health and social work agencies, to ensure that housing and support services delivered to community care users is suited to local circumstances, particularly in sparsely populated areas. For instance, providing sheltered housing with in-house wardens only in the larger towns has the disadvantage of taking elderly people away from family and friends who provide informal support, and elderly people may therefore be reluctant to move to such accommodation. Housing bodies should explore the options for more local provision, for example amenity housing for the elderly, linked to social work facilities rather than sheltered housing. Similar approaches may be appropriate for other community care client groups, including the provision of day care and other services in existing community facilities, and transport to them where this is cost effective.
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