Mature Times - Care & Healthcare

Many older care home residents "being stung" for fees

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:15:14 +0000

New research by the charity Age Concern has shown that vulnerable older people needing residential care and their families are being unfairly stung for fees costing thousands of pounds per year. Their findings also reveal that local authorities in most regions are not paying the market rate for care home places - thereby forcing older people and their families to plug a funding gap totalling some half a billion per year.

Pensioners 'being forced to rely on home equity to pay for care'

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:27:14 +0000

According to a new poll, the biggest financial priority for a quarter of respondents aged 60+ (24.44%) is ensuring they have enough funds to pay for long term care should they need it.

New care home guide from Age Concern

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:40:02 +0100

Age Concern's new book "Find the Right Care Home" can help older people, family or carers to consider all the options to weigh up when considering a move into a care home.

Council faces legal challenge on home care for elderly and disabled

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:57:32 +0100

Hammersmith and Fulham council, one of a handful of local councils that still offer free home care to disabled and older people, faces a judicial review from residents over its decision to start charging for such services. Hundreds of older and disabled people are now facing fees of at least £10 an hour for home care - with no maximum limit - and they are determined to fight back.

"Golden-Oldies" - brightening up everyone's life

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:34:43 +0100

To coincide with Elder Care Week, the Golden-Oldies Charity are reminding people how music can really brighten up the lives of those living sheltered housing - with free sing-song sessions to golden hits of the 1960s '70s and '80s. And they now have a DVD to prove it!

Scotland leads way in abolishing NHS car parking charges

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:25:12 +0100

Scotland has taken the lead in halting the "tax" on people attending hospital - by abolishing parking charges in all of its hospitals

New "one stop" care advice service launched

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:46:38 +0100

A new service, called FirstStop, has been launched for older people, their families and carers seeking advice on care, housing and finance - just as recent research shows that older people find accessing information about social care difficult and confusing.

Sandwich generation 'confused' by funding choices

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:39:08 +0100

New findings by www.elderlyparents.org.uk show that 72% of the 'sandwich generation' who are helping elderly relatives could not find suitable information, and when they did, over three quarters felt the information was unclear and ambiguous.

"State of emergency" declared for UK's carers

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:22:53 +0100

The National Carers Forum, in conjunction with Carer Watch and Justice For Carers, have declared a state of Carer Emergency. They are asking for immediate financial help of at least the £1000 - as suggested by the Task Force - payable to all carers eligible for Carer’s Allowance, and carers with the under lying entitlement.

It's Eldercare Week!

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:12:24 +0100

Today (Monday 1st September) is start of the second annual ElderCare Week, organised by Counsel and Care, which aims to highlight care issues facing older people and how they and their families can get good advice and plan ahead.

Cost cutting puts thousands of elderly at risk

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:58:03 +0100

Mature Times has discovered that many thousands of vulnerable people around the country are being put at risk because of cut backs in the service to provide them with flu vaccinations in their sheltered housing complexes and care homes. Jayne Warren investigates.

Older people "being denied help for depression"

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:15:45 +0100

Some two million older people in the UK have symptoms of depression - and with good cause: isolation, poor health, bereavement and financial worries can all combine to make life difficult. But people over 65 with depression are more likely to be denied help by their GP and the NHS - according to a shocking new report by Age Concern.

"Self-funders" - alone and neglected by the care system

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:32:04 +0100

A new report from the The Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) has shown that many older people are frequently neglected when seeking help and advice from their local councils on self-funding when thinking of moving into the care system.

Hospital parking – a stealth tax too far

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:13:46 +0100

I empathise with Peter Nassan (MT June), and I am sure with thousands of others regarding the disgraceful parking charges levied on the sick and their relatives by NHS hospitals.

Care fees: who should be paying the bills?

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:48:49 +0100

Every year tens of thousands of people are forced to sell their homes to pay for care fees. But should they really be paying at all when their needs are primarily medical? In the first of a series of articles for Mature Times, John Harrison - a specialist lawyer with 23 years’ experience in the field of asset protection - shares his knowledge of “the system”. We’ll hear about the ploys that some less than scrupulous local authorities use to persuade people to part with their money. The names have been changed, but the cases are real.