Ministers warned over elderly care uncertainty

Research for the Local Government Association has found more than one in four people would consider selling their homes to pay for old-age care or spending the money they had each put aside to be inherited by their family.

Almost one in five said they would consider moving in with their children so they could act as their carer. Two in three people said they were worried about having to pay for care as they get older and more than half said they were worried about becoming a burden on their families.

Council leaders yesterday warned the continued failure by Ministers to set out how care will be funded and how much it will cost individuals is leaving older people and their families in financial limbo, unable to plan for the future and faced with having to make unacceptable financial sacrifices that could be avoided.

Councillor David Rogers, chairman of the association’s community wellbeing board, said: “We need to see reform of the system so that it provides peace of mind for older people and their families and allows them to properly prepare for the very real cost of care. It’s a scandal that people currently face the prospect of dipping into hard-earned savings or losing their homes because of soaring care bills.

“The reality is that the current care system is in danger of collapsing. Unless we see urgent action the growing funding crisis threatens our ability to provide basic daily services that older people rely on such as help with washing, getting out of bed, and meals on wheels.”