Abstract
Shared Lives (adult placement) is a model of community‐based support where an adult who needs support and/or accommodation moves into or regularly visits the home of an approved Shared Lives carer, after they have been matched for compatibility. It is an established but small service which has been used mainly by people with learning disabilities but which has the potential to offer an alternative to traditional services for some older people. However, there is little research on the outcomes for older users of Shared Lives. This paper presents findings from a survey of 150 older people using Shared Lives support across 10 Shared Lives schemes in England, which took place between June 2013 and January 2014. The aim was to identify outcomes for older users of Shared Lives and compare these to outcomes for older users of other social care services. In the absence of an ideal study design involving randomised allocation, statistical matching was used to generate a comparison group from the Adult Social Care Survey from 2011/12, with 121 cases matched to 121 Shared Lives cases. The main outcome measures were Social Care‐Related Quality of Life (measured by the ASCOT) and overall quality of life. Findings indicated that Shared Lives can deliver good outcomes for older people, particularly for overall quality of life. In comparison to the matched group of older people using other forms of support, there was some evidence that Shared Lives may deliver better outcomes in some aspects of quality of life. Limitations to the research mean, however, that more work is needed to fully understand the role Shared Lives could play in supporting older people.
Highlights
At a time of substantial cuts to social care spending and an ageing population, policy makers and practitioners must ascertain how best to provide for the care and support needs of older people
Older people have been identified as among those hard to include in the move to personalisation (Newbronner et al 2011), and concern has been expressed regarding the effectiveness of home care services for delivering personalised care and support for this group (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2011)
The findings reported here draw on a survey of older people using SL support in England
Summary
At a time of substantial cuts to social care spending and an ageing population, policy makers and practitioners must ascertain how best to provide for the care and support needs of older people. It has been noted that as people age quality of life is shaped by the relationships they have and communities they live in (Blood 2013), and that attachment to place and a sense of belonging to the physical and social environment may increase (Lawton 1985, Gilleard et al 2007). In recognition of these factors, practitioners, commissioners, service users and carers need evidence on alternative, community-based service options for older people.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
