Tag Archives: Older care

Nationwide care threshold 'will exclude hundreds of thousands in need'

July 1, 2013   Carers, disability, DOH, Older care, Social care

Charities warn plans to introduce threshold at ‘substantial needs’ would “perpetuate unfair system”, but ministers point to improved support for people without eligible needs.

Mithran Samuel
Friday 28 June 2013 14:11

Councils would be obliged to provide care for people with ‘substantial’ eligible needs and carers who meet a defined threshold, under government plans issued today.

The proposals would end the ability of local authorities to set their own threshold – unless it were more generous than the national minimum – and would create a new eligibility framework for social workers carrying out assessments to operate.

Read More

Best Tablets For Older People

June 29, 2013   Carers, internet

1 in 4 grandparents now own a laptop or tablet.

Often the older generation get the nickname of being technophobes. However let’s be fair as the internet service providers around the world really didn’t emerge until the 80s and so the older generation were not brought up surrounded by the technology that we have today. While in the past the older generation have not been some of the best customers for tablets, this has started to change.

Read More

Older people miss out on support under new rules

June 29, 2013   Carers, Older care, Social care, ukcuts

28 June 2013 Last updated at 19:22

Social care rules aim to end ‘postcode lottery’

 Local councils provide home help services and assess who they will fund

The government is attempting to end the “postcode lottery” over care for elderly and disabled people in England.

Under new draft rules all councils in England would have to fund services for those judged to have “substantial” needs, from 2015.

Charities say that threshold is too high and would exclude many people who need help with everyday tasks.

And councils say they want assurances that any extra costs incurred will be fully funded.

Local authorities run social care services, such as home help with washing, eating and dressing or residential care, and decide who they will provide them to and whether they will pay for them.

Little consistencyCouncils can assess people as having “critical”, “substantial”, “moderate” or “low” needs. Only four councils provide care for people in all four categories – 16 councils fund those with “moderate” needs while most, 130, only fund those with “substantial” or “critical” needs.

Read More