The Strain on Social Care

As the demand for social care grow, so does the strain on those involved. So much so that care services for the elderly and disabled are at ‘breaking point’ according to the Local Government Association. Official figures show that the number of people over the age of 85 increased by a 30% between a 2005 and 2014 and the number of people over 65 has increased by 1.4 million; together this means a huge number of extra people need to be cared for. Combine this with the various, wide-sweeping, continuing cuts and the up-coming introduction of the National Living Wage and it’s no wonder the local governments are struggling to cover the costs.

Social care covers many service areas such as:

• Residential Care
• Helping people to eat
• Washing, dressing, getting in and out of bed
• Day centres

Ninety percent of councils are expecting to increase their council tax bills by 2% from April to provide a boost to social care funding, but it’s thought that this won’t be enough. According to a BBC 5 Live ComRes survey of over 900 adults, 74% of people in England and Wales want to protect social care services for the elderly and would be happy to pay more to subsidise the National Living Wage increases, which come into effect from April.

Councils will be trying their best to main their services but they are undoubtedly thin on the ground and as the population gets older, will continue to get thinner. This has a knock on effect on the quality of care, which could possible subsidise as the strain gets worse.

Caring for the Elderly Event – Tuesday 1^st March

Tomorrow – Tuesday 1^st March – we are hosting an all-day event from our central Stockport offices for carers and those wishing to plan for their future. It will be your chance to hear to local expert organisations in the care sector discuss the issues many face, but also provide solutions to those problems. There will also be plenty of chance to ask specific questions and discuss your future with the people and organisations who can help.

With the sector at crisis point, we’re expecting this event to be extremely useful in letting people know what care is out there and how they can access it.

The day will run from 10am to 3:30pm and will cover various topics from community and practical care to financial and budget planning, making Wills and Powers of Attorney.