Why we are in danger of sleep-walking into an ageing crisis

Why we are in danger of sleep-walking into an ageing crisis

 

By Paul Roberts

www.caringforyourbusiness.co.uk

 

The great debate on the future of social care has produced some disturbing, if not wholly surprising, revelations in the past week – and cast serious doubt on the chances of bringing about radical reform.

New research has highlighted:

·         A distinct lack of planning for future care needs

·         A reluctance among many to care for elderly relatives

·         Misconceptions on social care funding

·         A widespread ignorance of means testing

In a nutshell, it means that there are many millions of people in Britain who have no idea what social care is and how it affects them.

It’s a sad indictment of the times we live in and leaves us in danger of sleep-walking into a deepening ageing crisis.

The ‘ticking time bomb’ is revealed in a report published on the eve of the publication of the Government’s Green Paper on Social Care.

The report, seeking to generate public debate, has been drawn up by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

A survey of 2,000 people showed that:

·         More than 50% feel they should not be compelled to pay for the care of relatives

·         Almost half of people would prefer professional staff, not family members, to provide their own care

·         Only 22% are taking any steps to provide for their own care

·         Fewer than 50% of people are aware care provision is means tested

·         Only 19% are in favour of the means testing approach to care funding

·         Most are in favour of free care services based on need (although many accept state funding should be complemented by individual contributions)

However, the report clearly indicates a strong desire for more information and a national debate on the future of social care.

Both IPPR and PwC are recommending that an independent panel be established by the Government and tasked with fulfilling this need.

They suggest that the panel should include a cross-section of wider society – future carers, people from different communities, of different ages and living in different parts of the UK.  

Whether this will be enough to close the huge gap between public expectations and the realities of social care is open to question.

But, as Carey Oppenheim, of IPPR, says, the Government urgently needs to ‘address this disconnect before it brings forward policy proposals that seek to fundamentally reform the social contract between the state and its citizens’.

In the run up to the launch of the Green Paper on social care, three words remain critical to hopes of bringing about substantial change: education, education, education!

Major reform can only happen if people truly understand why change is necessary – and the consequences of doing nothing.

The research has made it crystal clear that social care is not a priority for millions of Britons, particularly in a time for recession.

For many, it only becomes important when an elderly relative needs care – or when they are unable to look after themselves.

That way of thinking has to change if we are to have any chance of avoiding a crisis of monumental proportions.

Paul Roberts

www.caringforyourbusiness.co.uk

Roberts Consultants, specialists in developing care businesses