Show your support for older people’s care

Add your name to a petition to boost older people’s social care funding, says Caroline Abrahams.

Despite the tremendous contribution older people have made over many years to our society as citizens, workers, parents and grandparents, when they in turn come to need extra support, many are effectively being abandoned by a social care system that is unable to cope.
 
More than one million older people in England are currently abandoned by the care system. This means they have difficulty with at least one of the basic daily tasks, such as washing, eating, getting out of bed, dressing and going to the toilet. Astonishingly, nearly one in three of the entire 80-plus population have some element of unmet need for care.
 
People failed by the system often end up in crisis and then need help from acute NHS services, which is more expensive than the care they actually need. As physiotherapists, you know all too well the vicious cycle that emerges when people struggle to get initial care and support. 
 
The care system is currently leaving people unsafe and alone. It’s also leaving carers at breaking point and families at a loss as to what to do. It damages our health and care services by having to provide an increased level of emergency support.
 
The government has made a commitment to set out proposals to fix funding for the social care system ‘once and for all’ but they haven’t published them yet. 
 
We are campaigning to ensure that the government brings forward proposals soon. 
 
We need your support to make sure the government produces a meaningful consultation that results in a sustainable solution for everyone who needs care.
 
  • Caroline Abrahams, charity director, Age UK

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Caroline Abrahams, charity director, Age UK

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