Sheltered housing, care domains, ADLs, telecare and wardens

Shelter is a basic human need, one rendered acute when people are forced to flee their homeland. On a rather different level in the UK there is currently quite a debate about sheltered housing and the withdrawal of live-in wardens. This 'debate' has even progressed to judicial review.

I've visited many clients when the warden has appeared at the window or door to check that things are aok? Such has been the time keeping and client's faith in their clock that on occasion it could have been Kant walking by. It is often helpful to invest some time and get to know the warden, too see what they know not just about 'care of older adults', but about their residents many of whom become friends. We need to remember what a difference an individual can make in these situations. The clue is in the title 'sheltered housing' which in Hodges' model spans the interpersonal and sociology care domains. I've illustrated this below:

Suddenly, the advent of telecare, video and mobile comms and resulting benefits raise the possibility of service 'duplication' at a time when cost savings are sought in social care. Alternately, we might ask if some overlaps in service provision are good insurance? For the people in sheltered housing and their relatives what did sheltered mean to them when they first viewed the facility, what does it mean now? As is the case with day care centre managers, the more dynamic wardens really do make a difference to these communities of individuals. As Peter Sellers showed us sometimes for a gardener - or a warden - just Being There is reassurance enough.

Hodges' model can be used as a reflective device for this real-world bricks and mortar example of a clash between the humanistic and mechanistic care domains.

Additional link: International Human Rights Day 2009

Original dwelling image from: http://www.cherokeemedicineman.com/dwelling.html

Film image source IMDb