Whilst some may not still believe it, yes, we do sometimes have elderly Muslims going into a carehome in the UK. This may be to stay permanantly or for short term stay by way of rehabilitation. Either way, on both occasions, we have heard that it is usually because they are elderly and either have no children, or no children close by to look after them.
We were keen to understand the view from within a Carehome and were grateful to speak to one Muslim Carer who has been working within the carehome industry for the last 10 years. This individual has asked to remain annonymous due to workplace confidentiality.
She explained, "in my time here, I have seen a handful of elderly Muslim men and women come through the doors often to utilise the rehabilitation services following a fall at home. They usually do not have a choice, as they need rehabilitation and their elderly spouse cannot look after them. These are often from the 'older generation' so usually 60 plus years old.
At first I found it quite difficult to cope. I had a job to do which was outside the scope of actually caring - it was more about managing and paperwork. However, as soon as the elders saw me, or knew I was Muslim, they would start to rely on me heavily to look after them. As they put it, the elders would prefer their own to touch them, bathe them, care for them and even to serve them their food. They were concerned that those that were non Muslim would be handling un-halaal food and worse still pork/bacon which were also served in the Carehome to others.
Some elders felt they could not even eat the food in the Carehome as it couldn't be guaranteed halaal, despite me confirming this to them....hence relied on eating toast and other basic food for their 8 week stay. Others did not wish to use the plates and utensils as most often they would have been used previously to deal with un-halaal food. Whilst these utensils would have been washed, from the elders point of view they would still not be clean.
Caring for some was quite difficult, as there was a language barrier. Once, an elder Muslim lady tried to explain all day what her concerns were to others by way of gestures. It was only when I started my nightshift, when a manager approached me and asked me to translate....fortunately the elders concern was easy to rectify once everyone knew what she meant.
I often noticed that the elder Muslim women were reluctant to leave their room as there were men folk in the common rooms, and they were not used to mixing. The elder Muslim men seemed fine, as there were other men folk for them to speak to regardless of there being women present too.
A lot of the time as english was not their first language, they would feel socially isolated not being able to speak to the carers or even to other residents there. The tv wouldn't have the asian channels, there were no books and magazines for them to read in their own language, no volunteers of their culture coming to visit either. Mind you, there is no requirement for a Carehome to provide the latter facilities either.
On one occasion, I watched a Muslim elder keep watching his watch. I asked him if he was ok, and if he was expecting anyone. He said no I have to pray. I told him, he could pray in his room but he was reluctant to....once again his thought being that the area was not clean enough.
Whilst the elders went through these limitations, their resolve to get better and leave the Carehome was clear - back to what they knew and what they liked and were used to. I cannot blame them as everyone is used to living in their own way, and that's exactly what the elder Muslims were doing. Living in the way they knew how."
Listening to this amazing Carer, we thought, we totally understand where the elders are coming from as often our parents or grandparents are of that 'older generation' and that is how they do things. However, the first, second and even third generation of British Muslims are different - we are able to mix, we are able to eat food from outside, we are able to communicate. However, we wondered, when we get old and helpless, how will we be?. Only time will tell!
Thank you Carer X for your honesty and generosity in sharing :-)
We were keen to understand the view from within a Carehome and were grateful to speak to one Muslim Carer who has been working within the carehome industry for the last 10 years. This individual has asked to remain annonymous due to workplace confidentiality.
She explained, "in my time here, I have seen a handful of elderly Muslim men and women come through the doors often to utilise the rehabilitation services following a fall at home. They usually do not have a choice, as they need rehabilitation and their elderly spouse cannot look after them. These are often from the 'older generation' so usually 60 plus years old.
At first I found it quite difficult to cope. I had a job to do which was outside the scope of actually caring - it was more about managing and paperwork. However, as soon as the elders saw me, or knew I was Muslim, they would start to rely on me heavily to look after them. As they put it, the elders would prefer their own to touch them, bathe them, care for them and even to serve them their food. They were concerned that those that were non Muslim would be handling un-halaal food and worse still pork/bacon which were also served in the Carehome to others.
Some elders felt they could not even eat the food in the Carehome as it couldn't be guaranteed halaal, despite me confirming this to them....hence relied on eating toast and other basic food for their 8 week stay. Others did not wish to use the plates and utensils as most often they would have been used previously to deal with un-halaal food. Whilst these utensils would have been washed, from the elders point of view they would still not be clean.
Caring for some was quite difficult, as there was a language barrier. Once, an elder Muslim lady tried to explain all day what her concerns were to others by way of gestures. It was only when I started my nightshift, when a manager approached me and asked me to translate....fortunately the elders concern was easy to rectify once everyone knew what she meant.
I often noticed that the elder Muslim women were reluctant to leave their room as there were men folk in the common rooms, and they were not used to mixing. The elder Muslim men seemed fine, as there were other men folk for them to speak to regardless of there being women present too.
A lot of the time as english was not their first language, they would feel socially isolated not being able to speak to the carers or even to other residents there. The tv wouldn't have the asian channels, there were no books and magazines for them to read in their own language, no volunteers of their culture coming to visit either. Mind you, there is no requirement for a Carehome to provide the latter facilities either.
On one occasion, I watched a Muslim elder keep watching his watch. I asked him if he was ok, and if he was expecting anyone. He said no I have to pray. I told him, he could pray in his room but he was reluctant to....once again his thought being that the area was not clean enough.
Whilst the elders went through these limitations, their resolve to get better and leave the Carehome was clear - back to what they knew and what they liked and were used to. I cannot blame them as everyone is used to living in their own way, and that's exactly what the elder Muslims were doing. Living in the way they knew how."
Listening to this amazing Carer, we thought, we totally understand where the elders are coming from as often our parents or grandparents are of that 'older generation' and that is how they do things. However, the first, second and even third generation of British Muslims are different - we are able to mix, we are able to eat food from outside, we are able to communicate. However, we wondered, when we get old and helpless, how will we be?. Only time will tell!
Thank you Carer X for your honesty and generosity in sharing :-)