Tag Archives: Older care
Loneliness and periods of crisis ‘affect many in UK
Many people feared not being able to get around easily
20 January 2014 Last updated at 01:45
By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter
As many as a third of British adults feel they have no-one to turn to in a crisis, a survey has suggested.Nearly three-quarters of those questioned online for the Red Cross said they had already been through a period of crisis in their lives.
And 37% thought they could suffer one again within the next five years.
The main worries for people as they get older were cited as being the loss of independence and not being able to cope on their own.
About a quarter of the 2,043 people surveyed were concerned they would not be able to get around in the same way, and would be lonely and isolated.
‘Lasting impact’
A significant minority, about one in eight, said they felt those in the UK did not suffer crises in the same way as people in other countries.
The charity, which offers help and support in the UK as well as abroad, said support for the elderly would become “more vital” with an ageing population, shrinking budgets and health and social care services “struggling to meet demand”.
Leicester City Council seeks foster carers for elderly people
A fostering scheme where families will be paid to take elderly people into their homes is to be tried in Leicester.
Carers will be paid £224 a week and Leicester City Council will pay for modifications to their homes.
Age UK warned that potentially vulnerable people could be placed in homes with strangers.
But the council said carers would be vetted before being approved, and care would be closely monitored.
In October, the council confirmed plans to close or sell off eight of its care homes.
NHS care at home for elderly and disabled quietly slashed by a third
Huge pressure on family carers
The number of frail elderly and disabled people receiving care at home has been slashed by a third in just five years as councils have reined in spending because of pressure from budget cuts, a new study shows.
The squeeze in overall numbers receiving care in England comes at a time when the numbers of older people has been growing almost twice as fast as the general population.
