Elderly care in a state of ‘crisis’ says charity
27th January 2012
An increasing number of elderly Brits have little or no care support at home, AGE UK has revealed.
Spending cuts across a range of services mean that elderly people in the UK face a ‘crisis’ in social care.
Research from the Kings Fund revealed the number of people over 50 who require significant care and support but fail to receive it is expected to hit 900,000 over the next 12 months, rising to 1 million by 2015.
This could put a serious strain on the National Health Service (NHS) as deterioration could see more people through hospital doors on a regular basis.
Director of Age UK, Michelle Mitchell claimed that “care is in crisis and it is getting worse.”
Local authorities have cut facilities for elderly care by 4.5% over the course of 2011 and this year could see yet more.
The Kings Fund report suggests that under the current system costs could double over the next 15 years without much improvement being made.
The report stated that “Radical reform would improve outcomes that are not just about the costs of the system, but also about the numbers of people receiving help.”
Many elderly people who are unable to dress themselves are put to bed at 5pm because many care workers can only stay until then and would not be back until 10 am the following day, Mrs Mitchell said.
According to Age UK statistics, 1.8 million pensioners live beneath the poverty line and 1 million of them live in ‘severe poverty.’
The rising costs of living for the elderly mean that fuel poverty is another serious issue for pensioners to contend with.
If you are concerned about how your family might cope financially after you die, over 50s life insurance could reduce some of the burden.
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