Reducing care home admissions: Care & Repair advice and home adaptations
Categories: ADR Wales, Growing old, Housing & communities, Impact, Policy, People
25 November 2024
As part of the ADR UK Annual Report 2023 - 2024, we gathered examples of impactful work from across the ADR UK partnership. This case study describes the real-world impact of ADR Wales research which analysed the effectiveness of a charity programme aiming to help older people live independently. To read more stories of impact, visit the impact section of the annual report.
ADR Wales research showed the effectiveness of a charity programme aiming to help older people live independently. This led to increased government funding to the programme, allowing more people to benefit.
Care & Repair Cymru is a charity consisting of 13 agencies across Wales, which helps older people to live independently in warm, safe, accessible homes. The organisation is funded by a mix of Welsh Government funding; national and local funding applications to local authorities, local health boards; the National Lottery; and partnerships with public organisations.
A team of analysts, including ADR Wales researchers, assessed the risk of care home admissions for people with different frailty levels. They compared this risk for people who received Care & Repair home advice and modification interventions, against a control group who did not.
The study findings indicated that the Care & Repair service helped to prevent care home admissions for moderately and severely frail individuals.
This evidence helped inform the Welsh Government decision to increase funding to Care & Repair agencies in Wales. Capital funding has increased from £1.6 million to £3 million in the last two years, and revenue funding has increased from £4.3 million to £5 million. These funding increases have taken place despite ongoing budgetary pressures.
As a result of the increased funding, Care & Repair agencies across Wales are now able to help more older people to maintain their independence. This alleviates pressure on care home services and provides value for public money. The Welsh Government is also encouraging Regional Partnerships Boards to invest in housing adaptations as a preventative intervention through the Housing with Care Fund.
To find out more about developments across ADR UK this year:
