Dozens of care homes for older people in Cumbria are set to benefit from a cash-boost.
Last year, the government allocated Cumbria County Council £770,000 to help improve the physical environment of residential and nursing homes in the county.
Homes have submitted bids to the county council for a share of the funding which is the Cumbria's allocation from £67 million which Ministers announced last year to help improve the standard of care homes across England.
Seventy-one care homes in Cumbria are set to benefit from the county's share of this money, which has been allocated to independent, local authority and voluntary sector homes.
The homes, which together care for more than 2,000 older people, will use individual grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 to carry out a range of improvements including laying of non-slip flooring in bathrooms, fitting of new lifting hoists and laying of new carpeting. Under the terms of the government grant, the money for improvements must be spent during the 2007/08 financial year.
Alongside these improvements, the county council is currently conducting a wide-ranging review on how older people in Cumbria can be helped to maintain their independence for longer. Last year, the county council commissioned a series of local working groups to look at how support for older people can be provided in future years.
More attention is expected to be focused on supporting people in their own homes, modern residential facilities and extra-care housing schemes. Extra-care combines the advantages of sheltered housing with the round-the-clock care provided in residential homes. People still have their own front door and are supported by an on-site care and support team.
Research shows that given the choice, older people prefer to live independently for as long as possible and alongside extra-care housing, ways to provide more specialist support to help people live in their own homes for longer is also being examined.
The working groups are expected to report back before the end of the year with suggestions on how more choice and independence can be provided for older people.
Councillor Oliver Pearson, cabinet member responsible for Adult Social and Health in Cumbria, said: "This one-off government grant will help fund improvements that will undoubtedly make a real difference to lives of thousands of older people in care homes across Cumbria."
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