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Mrs M “My family has been to hell and back. The care my mother received in a home has disgusted us. She was dirty‚ neglected and ill-treated by staff who deprived her of water and served her packet soup without noticing that she had the wrong cutlery to eat it with.”

A new report‚ launched today by SPAIN*‚ a powerful coalition of charities‚ exposes the budget rationing and age discrimination that continues to starve older people of the care they need. 

During a week in which the Government closes its consultation on the Adult Social Care Green Paper‚ ‘What Price Care in Old Age?’ – compiled by charities‚ including Age Concern and Help the Aged - reveals the financial context that has led to the large-scale neglect of thousands of vulnerable older people.

Though older people make up 62% of social services’ clients‚ they only see 47% of the budget because funds are ‘creamed off’ to pay for other adults’ services.* And local authorities are still paying lower rates for older people’s residential care than for other groups – in 2004 local authorities were only prepared to pay an average of £377 for older people‚ while younger adults were offered £447 to £734.*

Funding shortages mean that crucial services for older people are being cut or diminished. Cleaning and housework services‚ respite‚ transport and mobility aids can make or break an older person’s independence‚ but these are being severed across the country. The number of households receiving home care has gone down by a quarter since 1997.*

Home care services and mobility equipment are crucial for helping to prevent older people from needing expensive hospital stays or moving into a care home. For the want of a grab rail costing around £25 or a ramp costing £150 ramp‚ an older person may suffer falls that require a stay on an acute ward costing approximately £1‚285.*

The SPAIN charities hear from many older people who are distressed about living in dirty housing‚ waiting months for a bath or being trapped at home because they have no access to a basic wheelchair ramp or grab rail. Many 24-hour carers are forced to go without a break for months because there isn’t enough funding for respite. Older people also say the help they receive at home is rushed and they are not told when the visits will be. 

Margaret Cracknell’s story is one of thousands like it. Her husband has cerebral palsy and needs 24-hour care to prevent him from falling. She was desperate for a break and her stress had led to clinical depression. She contacted social services. Three months later‚ when a social worker came‚ she gave Margaret a detailed form asking her about her feelings. She says that she and her husband were then left to wait in confusion again. And it was only when her husband had an accident and she had a nervous break down that respite was organised.

Margaret said: “Social services don’t seem to listen. And no one helped us to get the help we needed. All they said was that my husband didn’t want to spend any time in a home so he shouldn’t have to go in. But no-one took my feelings into account. I’m his carer – if I can’t cope‚ he can’t cope. Health professionals have told me that it’s down to the money. There’s not enough to go round so they keep you waiting in the system‚ hoping you’ll go away.  And that has happened to me.”

Annie Stevenson‚ chair of the SPAIN coalition said:

“Older people everywhere are paying for inadequate social care funding with their own mental health‚ physical health and dignity. Rationing social care funding for older people is making later life a misery for thousands. The Social Care Green Paper says it will offer people control and choice over their care‚ but these promises are destined to be broken unless we see more funding to meet the needs of the ageing population.”

The SPAIN report recommends:

A new settlement for social care in the next spending review
Enough money in the system to prevent Local Authorities from shifting funds away from older people’s services to serve younger client groups
Putting more resources and services in place to meet older people’s needs and cut long waiting lists:  eg. speeding up the Occupational Therapy assessments‚ and cutting the waiting time for basic mobility equipment.

A long-term strategy for commissioning for older people for improved quality and choice of care - to combat staff shortages‚ care home shortages‚ staff retention problems and provide crucial services in the home. 

Notes to editors

SPAIN spokespeople and case studies are available. These are older people‚ families and carers who have received inadequate social care. 

SPAIN is a coalition‚ which stands for The Social Policy on Ageing Information Network.

The charities in SPAIN include: Age Concern England‚ Help the Aged‚ Alzheimer’s Society‚ Abbeyfield Society‚ Anchor Trust‚ Arthritis Care‚ Association of Charity Officers‚ Association of Retired Persons Over 50‚ Beth Johnson Foundation‚ Carers UK‚ Centre for Policy on Ageing‚ Action on Elder Abuse‚ Counsel and Care‚ Fawcett Society‚ Greater London Forum for the Elderly‚ Hanover Housing Association‚ Health and Older People‚ Hill Homes‚ Jewish Care‚ MHA Care Group‚ National Association of Citizen Advice Bureaux‚ National Pensioners Convention‚ Parkinsons Disease Society‚ RADAR‚ Relatives and Residents Association‚ Senior Citizens Forums Network‚ The Leveson Centre‚ VOICES

*Average cost of a stay on an acute ward:  £1‚285 per case
Source: "Average Unit cost by category of care 1991/2 - 2001/2

*All further statistics are from the report‚ ‘What Price Care in Old Age?’‚ the follow up report‚ looking at progress three years on from SPAIN’s first report ‘Under funding of social care’.

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