My Home Life, a charitable venture supported by the recently merged Age Concern and Help the Aged, City University London and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, aims to celebrate existing best practice and develop and promote care homes as a positive option for older people.

Developed with 60 academic researchers and working in partnership with the care home sector, My Home Life gathered evidence looking at ‘What residents want?’ and ‘What practices work?’ which led to the development of eight themes offering a vision of future best practise in care homes:

• Managing transitions: Enabling residents to make a smooth, trouble-free transition into a care home, and helping to ease pressure on family members.
• Maintaining identity: Helping residents to retain their sense of identity through creative approaches, person-centred care and staff education and support.
• Creating communities: Creating a sense of community through developing relationships – in and outside the care home – and thinking about the built environment (communal rooms, etc).
• Sharing decision-making: Recognising the importance of involving residents in decision-making and ensuring residents feel they are having an influence.
• Improving health and healthcare: Ensuring residents have the same access to health care as they would if they were in their own home and encouraging residents to take part in activities.
• Promoting good end of life: Supporting residents, relatives and staff at times of loss and bereavement.
• Keeping the workforce fit for purpose: Ensuring staff have access to learning and development opportunities and encouraging care homes to become good learning environments.
• Promoting positive culture: Creating care which is person-centred, relationship-centred, evidence-based and continually effective.

Director of My Home Life, Tom Owen, said: “My Home Life is a social movement which celebrates the positive contribution that care homes make in supporting our most vulnerable citizens. We are delighted to be working with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in supporting the sector to share the best of what they do in order to improve the quality of life of those living, dying, visiting and working in care homes across the UK.”

Philippa Hare, Policy and Research Manager for JRF, added: “The ethos behind My Home Life fits perfectly with our own focus on using an evidence-base to influence change. Their positive approach of encouraging and supporting good practice rather than criticising the sector also falls in line with our own aims.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Housing Trust to build on our understanding of how to further improve older people’s quality of life in existing residential and care home settings. We hope to be able to use the partnership to make clear recommendations for change and influence policy and practice.”

The initiative kickstarted its partnership with JRHT at a launch event held this week in York. As well as learning more about the aims and national achievements of My Home Life and finding out how the initiative will work within JRHT care homes, visitors were also asked for their views on, and expectations of, the initiative.

Cath Hollingsworth, Head of Older People Services for JRF, said: “Working with My Home Life will provide us with more direct contact with other care home providers, managers and staff, which will enable us to share knowledge and demonstrate best practice.

This is also a great opportunity for our care home staff to develop their skills further and take forward a positive culture change in the Trust’s care homes.”