The Choice Care Gap – Report Calls For Greater Awareness Of Options
A newly published report The Care Choice Gap is calling on individuals, commissioners and the government to take greater responsibility with respect to elderly care funding to help avoid a care crisis.
This move is backed by champion of the elderly, Esther Rantzen, Katherine Murphy, CEO of the Patients Association, and by Ros Altman, the Government’s Older Workers’ Business Champion. The report identifies the care choice gap that exists between the type of care people want and the care they think they may end up receiving in their old age. The report recommends:
- Awareness – people should know more about the choices available including the option of live-in, 24/7 care in their own homes on a one-to-one basis
- Planning – individuals and families need to take responsibility for their own long-term care, as the support the state is able to provide is already stretched. Exploring the financial options available early on can facilitate a person’s ideal care choice before a crisis situation develops
- Commissioning – NHS commissioners need to think about the individuals they are providing care for and how best to meet their needs and wants.
The Care Choice Gapreport, commissioned by Consultus Care & Nursing, is based on a survey of over 2000 adults conducted by independent pollster, One Poll.
It has revealed that despite most people over 75 years wanting to be cared for in their own homes, only 54% think this could be a reality and 23% said they didn’t know what would happen to them in their old age. Just 3% said they would like to be cared for in a residential home; whilst 86% of people surveyed have never discussed their wishes for care with loved ones. Individuals need to make their wishes known so that family can support and help with accessing the care they want.
