Dutch students can live in care homes for free ...

Excellent idea, assuming the students are vetted.

Isn't there some charity scheme in the UK that matches students and older people living alone. The student lodges with the older person and does chores, shopping and provides company rather than paying rent?

That would have suited DS, he has some strange gene that makes him talk to people of all ages and sexes without any shyness. There are many teens however, to whom anyone outside their age group is invisible.

The problem with this as I see it is the costings. Care homes have to provide a certain number of beds to make them cost effective i.e. small numbers don't work financially and these need usually to be running at 95- 100% occupancy. Any additional rooms would add to the overall costs as would the hotel costs - lighting, heating, food etc so how would that be financed? We have enough trouble financing homes here anyway.

There are 160 residents and 6 students so it's only a small proportion of beds being allocated. That's a huge amount of residents.

There are never free beds in this area.

So where are they sleeping, on the floor?

One out. One in.
I presumed it was the same everywhere, but am learning that it isnt.

It isnt a case so much of which home you would like. It becomes a choice of which home has a vacancy.

It has been like that for years.

Certainly the case in this area soontobe

But this is Holland S2B not all countries are as parsimonious or uncaring towards their old folks are the UK.

are as

6 beds could make a huge difference to the income stream its often the last few beds which make the profit. I don't know if you have constructed care home budgets Anya but I have done many so I do know what I'm talking about and if shareholders are involved which they often are they wont go for it.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with frugality or uncaring.
I agree with Teetime.

Great if is can be done in Holland and elsewhere. Or even places in the UK.

No haven't done that Teetime but it seems to me there is a return on this investment which cannot be measured in financial terms.

I'm not even sure if Dutch care homes are privately or state run or both.

Do others know perhaps?

If you mean shareholders in this country I totally agree though.

Apparently the Dutch have an advanced Health Care for the Elderly system, which is state run

Page 11 sums up the philosophy, which is that everyone pays into a public long care insurance plan (since 1968) and the state bears the responsibility for long term care.

This is why such a scheme would work in the Netherlands but not here.

anya I've skimmed the Dutch document. They seem to have things sorted.

I have to confess I am a bit puzzled by the system here, it does seem rather cold (for want of a better word) and perhaps impersonal. I'm awaiting the CQC Director's Q&A replies with interest.

Here there is a different system which I mentioned before (and go pilloried for (sp?) - where students are matched up with older people, who will provide a room at a low rate in exchange for compagnionship and a bit of help with shopping, simple housework, maintenance or gardening, sharing meals, etc. I first mentioned it asa possible solution, for some who would choose it instead of having to pay- to the 'bedroom' tax. I personally think it is brilliant- but many totally disagreed with me (and certainly let me know!). We had lodgers for many many years when our kids were at home- it paid for holidays and later for our daughter's accom and cost when at Uni- and we gained so much from it. Something I'd be very happy to do again if ever I was left on my own- and the security of it being run as a supervised scheme, so any difficulty/abuse can be dealt with- would be great.

There would be just no room or bed available in OAP homes- as pressure on places is great. As far as I am concerned, any solution that would allow me to stay in my own home instead of going into a home, gets my vote.

Like everything Jura it will work for some but not for others. There is a tendency perhaps to look for stumbling blocks rather than stepping stones. Rather than looking for a 'one size fits all' solution, we should be considering ALL the different ways that the problem of long term care can be resolved.

granjura I think it's a brilliant idea too. My mother - who raised 3 children on her own - often had "paying guests" in the house when I was a schoolgirl, to keep the pot on the boil and once my sister left home and there was a spare room.