Jenny (not her real name), an 84 year old woman ,lives in a house worth £175,000. She has had dementia for a number of years and now her daughter wishes for her to spend the time she has left in a residential care home.
But under the current social care system in England, Jenny would have to pay for her living cost and care bills until she died. This is often hugely expensive and would most likely result in her selling her home and spending more than half of that money on a health bill.
Jenny’s case is not uncommon, the issues surrounding social care have been a concern to many. And a majority want the system changed. A YouGov survey found that out of the 1700 adults questioned, 75 per cent believed the Government should change the way it supports the elderly.
Supporters of change say the current system has cost society, family and the economy huge amounts. Families have had to opt out of work to give assistance to their aged parents or disabled children; businesses have lost staff members to the carer community; and hospital beds are increasingly occupied by the aged or disabled who lack people to take care of them at home.
The issue of social care prompted the Government to set up the Dilnot Commission to conduct an independent review of the funding of care and support in England. The Commission delivered its report on 4 July 2011.
The report was well received by stakeholders. Speaking at the health select committee, Emily Holzhausen, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, said she “strongly supports the report of the Dilnot Commission and urges the Government to adopt the recommendations in the proposed social care white paper in spring 2012.”
The Dilnot Commission proposes three basic recommendations that “set out how Government could dramatically improve the system and make it one we can be proud of,” according to Andrew Dilnot who led the inquiry.
The first recommendation proposes that no individual should pay more than £35,000 for their own social care – currently, there is no limit. After this sum, they would be eligible to receive full support for their care by the state.
This would help the elderly like Jenny retain their assets. Under current regulations they are losing 30percent on average. Holzhausen said, “It would give families the ability to plan for care arrangements and costs and invest in care and support early on.”
“It is going to be better for carers and the person they care for,” said Liz Fenton, Chief Executive of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers during the Select Committee meeting.
The second recommendation states that the mean-tested limit should be increased from £23,250 to £100,000. This would mean everyone who owns a property worth more than £100,00, rather than the lower sum, would be responsible for their full care.
The third and final recommendation states that there should be standardised assessments for the support required by both carers and those being cared for. This would help to eradicate situations where people have differing access to services depending on where they live.
Issues at hand now
A cross-party talks began on 17 January which looked at social care. When completed, this will determine the fate of the changes suggested by the Commission.
Similar discussions of changes to the social care system occurred in 2010 under the Labour Government, but broke down because the parties involved were not able to reach a consensus.
Many hope the present government is able to achieve a change in social care. In an interview with the BBC, Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of Aged UK, said, “We want this government to be the one that shows the vision and drive to sort out the care system once and for all.”
Another issue facing government as it considers the proposals is money. The reform might be quite expensive. The Dilnot Commission estimated it would cost the state around £1.7bn. At a time of economic recession, there is fierce competition for scarce resources, and it remains to be seen whether the government judges the recommendations worthwhile.
Compared to other countries
In many countries, the traditional way of care been provided by the family is actually fading out because of decrease in family size and the dispersion of families. In USA, most services are publicly owned and run for profit. In Canada, Northern Ireland and Wales the social service is like England where elderly pays for their care.
Image courtesy of Jamelah on flickr