Social care is an employment sector that just keeps getting busier. Longer life expectancy means the number of older people in society has reached record highs.
While many are fit and active – like Granny Ina and her speed walking club – there will always be some who need additional help.
There has been lots of talk on the news over recent months about the need for extra social care funding, but while the politicians continue to debate the figures, we thought we’d take a look at how the numbers stack up right now.
So how much does it cost to look after people in their own homes?
Well at the latest reckoning it worked out Scotland’s 32 local authorities spend around £3.1 billion every year. That money goes to help more than 300,000 individuals, the majority of whom are 65 or older.
On top of that there’s the social work departments’ services for vulnerable children and more than 17,000 are currently being looked after by local authorities or appear on child protection registers.
This figure has risen sharply and with the number of retired people in the population set to grow by almost one third in the next 30 years, there’s no doubt changes will have to be made in the way social care is funded.
Increases in budget, better use of existing funds and more integrated services are all solutions being put forward.
There are drives too to persuade people to stay fit and active so they are better able to care for themselves and here the research shows it’s never too late to get moving.
Even taking up exercise in your 90s can have considerable health benefits and increasingly GPs are turning to activity prescribing – sending patients for a course of work-outs at a local gym instead of to the nearest pharmacy for pills.
Yet whatever the health outcomes, there will still be those for whom living at home will only be possible if carers provide daily help.
And it takes a special person to provide this. You have to be caring and considerate, have patience with people for whom every task is difficult and possess sufficient common sense to be able to assess a situation and know when to call for additional help.
If you think you have all those qualities, there are employers on s1jobs who are waiting to hear from you right now.
For all the latest Social Services, Housing and Childcare vacancies visit s1jobs.com