Overseas care workers vital - Editor's Comment

Editor’s Comment by Amanda McSorley

My father was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease aged 57 – just two years after he retired from the RAF.

As his conditioned worsened it became increasingly apparent he could not be cared for at home, but the facilities available for someone with dementia aged under 65 were few and far between.

My investigations into somewhere that would take him, and we were happy to place him, were heartbreaking. 

Then I came across the former Eagle Nursing Home run by Mrs Basu and staffed, at the time, exclusively by care workers from a range of nationalities, mainly Asiatic, she had recruited.

At first I was suspicious – not about the quality of care as the kindness and commitment of the staff was immediately apparent. But I did wonder if they were being exploited as cheap labour so questioned the owner.

She explained the difficulties in recruiting staff here with the necessary qualifications and disposition to deal demanding patients and the range of opportunities they had at Eagle.

Over the years I turned up at Eagle several times a week at different times and unannounced and always felt Dad was in the best possible place. I saw the nationalities of the staff as a positive attribute of the home rather than detrimental - their cultures respected and venerated the elderly.

So, I wholeheartedly back Melanie Weatherley’s warning about the ban on recruiting oversees care workers adding pressure to an overburdened sector. 

In fact, I would go one further and suggest a door should be kept open to recruitment, with the right safeguards, as I can’t foresee a time when we’ll have enough homegrown staff to ensure the safe and compassionate running of our social care system. 

* My dad died in December 2008 and I believe Mrs Basu succumbed to cancer around the same time – Eagle Nursing Home declined and has been closed for some time.