2000 ‘Requests for Care’, turned down every day!
The latest Age UK report highlights that over 50%, about 700,000, of older people’s requests for care were unsuccessful in 2019. 23% were found not to meet the councils’ eligibility criteria set for the social care system and that was the end of it! The others were then referred onto other services like Age UK in the hope that they could assist.
It is very difficult now to qualify for adult social care. The total spending has fallen by £86 million between 2011 and 2019. It is very worrying, that due to local authorities being so stretched, so many older people who are asking for help are being turned away.
Age UK points out that there are now 1.5 million over 65 in England going without the help they need to carry out at least one essential daily activity creating a growing army who are soldiering on unsupported, despite having a need for care assistance.
Our Social Care System is under siege
The Social Care system is now woefully inadequate for the job required. Councils do their best with the resources they have but there are simply not enough to go around. There are heart-rending stories of older people who are being comprehensively let down, and nightmarish situations created for them and their families. Real suffering is going on, with older people’s lives being diminished and, in some cases, being cut short!
Are you battling to get homecare?
A vast number of applications are either rejected or it takes ages for an assessment, continually blocking beds in the hospitals. Apparently nearly 35,000 people called Age UK last year for help with personal care.
We experience this a lot, and many of our daily clients are admitted to hospital for long periods of time. We usually manage to get them all home again albeit they may need additional care such as a live-in carer or 4 calls a day from one of our daily carers.
The Prime Minister has promised to fix Social Care. Tragically for some, it is already too late!
Fix Dementia Care
“People affected by dementia typically spend £100,000 on their own care due to a system that is unfair, unsustainable and in need of an urgent overhaul.”
If you’d like to show your support for the ‘Fix Dementia Care’ campaign, you can find out more information here.
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Age UK
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