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It’s not something you really want to think about. None of us do. But the reality is that every year, the number of people requiring care in the UK is rising. According to My Care Consultant we currently have 3m people over the age of 85, and this number is expected to increase to 5m by 2030. Over 85s are the fastest growing age cohort in the UK.
This means that more of us are living longer, so we should be planning to fund retirement for longer – and we need to face up to the fact that most of us will have to fund long-term care at some point.
Many people don’t realise there’s a difference between health care and social care. Health care is free (paid for by the NHS) but social care is the responsibility of the local authority and is means tested.
You don’t have to be particularly wealthy to have to pay for your own social care, and for the majority of us, it’s social care that we are most likely to need (that is help with day to day tasks like washing, dressing, and getting ourselves around etc). Health care relates to needs which have to be administered by a registered nurse. It’s provided and funded by the NHS.
Our UK care system is complex and can be confusing, in fact it’s a bit of a maze to navigate! Sourcing suitable care can be time consuming, and often costly.
According to a survey referred to in The Times Newspaper (14 Nov 2017), fees for residential care homes had risen by 9.6% in the previous 12 months. Based on a comparison of fees charged by 124 residential homes, the survey found that the average fees across Britain had reached £33,094 a year, £2,978 higher than a year earlier.
However, the cost of a care home, either residential or nursing, varies considerably by region and the level of services and facilities available.
The cost of being cared for in your own home can also vary hugely depending upon where you live. It will also depend on what sort of care is needed, how many hours of care, what times of the day and days of the week.
But whether in a care home, or in your own home, care is expensive, and if you find yourself trying to organize care for yourself or a relative, finding the answers to the questions you have can be difficult, frustrating and stressful.
We’re passionate about ensuring that our clients can access relevant advice and help when they need it most.
If you or a loved one needs long term care, we can help you to find quick, accurate answers to these and many other questions that can arise.
If you would like to learn more about how we might be able to help you or a loved one, please get in touch with us.