Care Costs and the Number of Elderly People Who Need Care

Submitted by tonyplant on December 22, 2006 - 11:21.

Interesting story in The Herald about a rethink on how councils assess assets when estimating liability for care costs: Care cost left pensioner on the brink of bankruptcy. Apart from the story itself which is relevant to many people, the item contained the following observations:

The local authority went on to argue that, as he was 79 when the home changed hands, he was at an age when future care cost becomes an issue for most people. But Professor Alice Brown, the ombudsman, argued only 4% of the population are in care homes or long-stay hospitals at that age. When the man needed to go into a home aged 88 the ombudsman argued only 19% of over-85s live in a care home.

The story well expresses the chaos surrounding funding for care in the UK. It is miserable that the worries about care are marring the enjoyment of so many people.

However, despite all the negative publicity about the state of care in the UK, I find the estimates of how few elderly people are in residential care to be quite cheering and much less than the typical media comments imply.

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