Connections in a Crisis
Social care is frequently literal, as carers maintain and support their service users ability to remain a part of our society. It is incredibly common for carers to develop deep personal connections with their service users through this process as well. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted these connections, shattering many and compounding the isolation this virus necessitates. Rebuilding these connections as we slowly reduce lockdown measures will define the future of social care, and what will become the ‘new care normal’. We spoke to Scottish Care CEO Dr Donald Macaskill about social care’s present crisis, and what it means for the future.
A Northern Outlook
Dr Macaskill, like so many others in social care, has been barely stopped in the past two months. “I think for anybody involved in the care sector this has been an intense period of time,” he says. “As the head of a representative body, especially around care homes and care at home and particularly because of the fact our members support older people, the impact of COVID has been immense.”Headline News
Along with the immense pressure, there has been increased public interest in social care. The specifics of what social care providers do and the realities on its frontlines have become daily news stories. Though this long-sought publicity has not necessarily come in the form the sector would have liked. Especially considering the evidence indicating social care is yet to pass its own infection peak. However, as the ever enterprising Phineas T. Barnum would say: ‘there is no such thing as bad publicity.’ The empathy, dignity and commitment of care workers during the pandemic has writ their cause large in the British consciousness. Dr Mackaskill says: “There has been an astonishing degree of interest from the media on the care sector. Some of it informed and intelligent, others sensationalist and ignorant. The vast majority of the general public have limited experience of social care. I think what this virus has done is to help people understand that social care is intrinsically important to health, wellbeing and [has a] societal benefit.”Managing Expectations
This is something we have heard expressed by many other industry figures such as Dr Townson of UKHCA and Karolina Gerlich of the Care Workers Charity. Social care is not something everyone will experience as frequently as they would the NHS. As a result of this virus, and social care’s response, attention and awareness have massively increased over the last two months. “The optimist hopes [the increased attention] will carry through into a continued collective awareness,” Macaskill says. “While the pessimist might suggest that people might fall back into their usual ruts of ignorance or disinterest which has been the problem in years past.”Understanding Social Care
This increased focus on social care has led to some calling for a centralised body to be created. The idea being that if social care ran more like the NHS it wouldn’t suffer from as many funding or organisational issues. However, ensuring that choice, control and social connections remain for service users would be paramount. As Dr Macaskill points out, ‘we’re not an emergency service: social care is about life, potential choice, and the exercising of that choice.’Choice and Connections
The coronavirus has already severely restricted the choice available to social care recipients. Not to mention the life those choices provide. “[Coronavirus] has virtually removed the independence of people in care homes. The whole process of social distancing [and] self-isolation has basically removed it. The sense of independence, freedom, choice and control,” says Dr Macaskill. “That’s one of my main concerns at the moment. How do we reconnect people? Because people are being given life and being sustained in living. But there is a difference between existence and living. Living is about relationships, it’s about connections, it’s about purpose and value. I think that’s what we’ve lost significantly and that’s what we urgently need to start to rebuild.”![](https://i0.wp.com/www.care-planner.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/scottish-care-logo.jpg?resize=632%2C209&ssl=1)