The Liberal democrats have finally come forward with their care for the elderly plan and they appear to be suggesting what most people believe to be sensible – older people should not have to sell their home to pay for later in life care home fees or use their lifetime savings. However, this is the one party that looks the least likely to be in government in the near future so what’s the future of the plan?
New leader Nick Clegg uses words like “scandalous injustice” concerning the spending of life savings on health care and nursing homes and “care guarantee” to ensure the elderly can keep their own funds and property.
He continued by saying “We are the first party with serious plans to end the punishing poverty which afflicts the many elderly people forced to pay for their personal care entirely out of their own pockets.”
Their plans are based upon the need for care rather than the ability to be able to pay. He proposed giving patients more control over their own care, with the extension of direct payments and individual budgets to help people with chronic, long-term conditions, mental health problems and learning disabilities.
Both Labour and the Conservatives have recently said they need to review the NHS and how it operates both in financial and actual terms.
In the meanwhile, in the real world, local authorities are still taking homes; although they call it asking the patient to fund their own care which means selling their own homes and/or using up their lifetime savings.
With care and nursing homes costing £500- £800 per week depending upon location and need, how many people have a spare £30,000+ a year available?
Meanwhile the way that a couple owns their property is the most important fact if you want to try to keep ownership of your home or at least some of it so you can pass it down to your children. Seek professional advice from consultants like those at LSUK to help you prepare for those ‘elderly years.’
It would be excellent if the main political parties - or rather, more likely to form a government parties - could progress with some workable ideas for this issue. However, is legislation what we should be relying on? Perhaps there needs to be a larger shift in the attitudes of families and communities when it comes to taking responsibility for the provision of high-quality care, be it at home or in residential homes. It is not the care homes that are to blame, rather a lack of foresight on the parts of families and local government.
I don’t believe most people blame care homes; it’s a comment I’ve never actually heard although you probably have in your line of work. It’s the notion that provision was exepected in the past and now it is not. If you don’t bother saving during your life you get provision for free. If you save well, you could lose it all.
The government should perhaps create a party that would generate funding for the elderly’ care plan rather than the latter spend or sell what is left important to them. A government charity foundation for the elderly should be propagated.