Demographic Shifts and Care Home Demand: How Achieve together Homes Support Older Adults

Advances in healthcare mean that many people now live longer than ever before. Human life expectancy rises every year: The current life expectancy for people in the UK[1] is 81.77 years. That’s around 13 years older than the life expectancy in 1950, which was 68.69.

The longer we live, the more likely we are to need health and social care support. This is especially true for adults who have learning disabilities, autism and associated complex and/or mental health needs. For these individuals, specialist residential and or supported living support may be crucial.

As older people’s needs become increasingly complex, the demand for formal care rather than family care[2] may increase. This reliance on formal care, combined with a longer life expectancy, is likely to increase demand for care homes[3] .

Across more than 450 Achieve together care homes in England and Wales, adults receive exceptional care and support from dedicated team members.

This is how Achieve together care homes support older adults with specialist support, facilities, and expertise.

Achieve Together Care Homes for Older Adults

[4] Achieve together, which has more than two decades of expertise in the care sector, supports adults, including some considered elderly, with:

• Profound and multiple learning disabilities.
• Autism spectrum conditions.
• Behaviours that may challenge.
• Mental health conditions.
• Deafness or blindness.
• Hearing loss.

Achieve together offers residential support for young people, adults, and older persons. The organisation’s care homes provide a specialist support, living with others, that’s a more homely option for older people than day services or supported living, with around-the-clock care.

Achieve together care homes often accommodate several individuals of varying ages, though some homes have a minimum age restriction. For example, one home only accepts adults aged 50 and over[5] . Individuals each have a private bedroom, and they may share communal areas or bathroom facilities.

The 24/7 support provided in Achieve together care homes doesn’t mean limited independence. Team members encourage everyone the organisation supports to achieve their potential and take part in a wide variety of meaningful activities and opportunities.

Individualised Care and Support for Older Adults

[6] Achieve together’s wealth of expertise and experience sets the organisation apart in helping families and older adults navigate the health and social care environment. The wider Achieve together team includes:

• Positive behavioural support practitioners.
• Psychologists.
• Mental health support workers.
• Sensory support experts.
• Language therapists.

Achieve together care home teams provide elderly individuals with specialist support through a person-centred plan that addresses and meets each person’s needs.

Achieve together’s homes also work with many local and national partners to create personalised teams of dedicated professionals to support individuals. For the older people the organisation supports, this might include accessing help from dementia experts or end-of-life support.

Individualised care plans may become more important as the proportion of people aged 85 and over living with long-term conditions[7] continues to increase.

Alongside support from expert team members and third parties, Achieve together’s homes offer and source the latest equipment to ensure individuals live comfortably.

This equipment might include hoists, ceiling tracking, hydrotherapy options and equipment that enables accessible bathrooms. Some Achieve together care homes also have on-site swimming pools and sensory gardens.

Achieve together care home team members support people access their community and local activities and services for older adults, such as social clubs.

According to Age UK, social connections can aid brain health for older people[8] . Research suggests that taking part in meaningful social activities can help individuals maintain their thinking skills to slow down cognitive decline.

Achieve together Care Homes: Exceptional Support for Older People

As demand for care homes will likely increase for our ageing population, the need for care homes and teams that can handle the progressively complex needs of older adults will likely increase, too.

Families and older people choosing an Achieve together care home can rest assured they’re in safe hands.

Driven by a passion to empower every individual, Achieve together will continue to provide expert care and support to the older people the organisation supports.

Learn more about Achieve together care homes for older adults.

About Achieve together: Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary People

[9] Achieve together is one of the UK’s chief providers of support for people with learning disabilities, autism and associated complex needs. The organisation supports more than 2,300 young people and adults across England and Wales. Achieve together’s 6,000+ team members empower individuals to live healthy, happy and fulfilling lives.

Achieve together is a consistent leader in best practices for the UK care industry. The organisation is on a mission to inspire a generation to provide high-quality support. As a result, Achieve together helps its compassionate, dedicated team members develop their careers and leads by example, driving quality across the sector.

Achieve together places people it supports and their families at the centre of everything the organisation does. The organisation’s core values are:

• Being brave. Through confidence and creativity, Achieve together empowers people it supports and its teams to achieve amazing things.
• Having fun. Achieve together values getting the most out of every day and celebrating achievements and success.
• Making things happen. Achieve together gives people the tools needed to achieve together. The organisation’s team members have the passion, energy and resilience to overcome challenges.
• Valuing everyone. Achieve together values the unique talents of every individual. Its team members work together to help everyone achieve their potential.

In addition, Achieve together believes in building meaningful partnerships with families and local and national communities to create positive change. The organisation is helping shape the future of the care sector through insight, investment and technology.