‘Shocking’: Over a million older people struggle to cope with zero care

The number of older people who have difficulty with basic tasks such as getting out of bed, washing and dressing but who get no help has now soared to over one million according to shocking new analysis by Age UK.

This means that each and every day over one million older people who need care are left to the stark reality of battling on alone – over 100,000 more than last year. 

These figures reveal the extent to which older people are being left stranded, with nearly a third (31.1 per cent) of all of those who have difficulty in carrying out one or more essential activities of daily life not receiving any formal or informal help.

At a time when the size of the older population is growing at an increasing rate, our system for keeping them fit and well at home has become much weaker.

All of this is having a knock on effect on the NHS as numbers of unplanned ‘emergency’ hospital admissions have increased from 1,810,531 in 2005/06 to 2,211,228 in 2012/13 amongst those aged 65 and over.

Over the past 10 years spending on social care services for older people has plunged by almost a third (32.6 per cent) from £8.1bn in 2005/06 to £5.46bn in 2014/15. Community care services have been hardest hit with a huge cut of 24.9 per cent (£560m) since 2010/11 alone. These figures take account of budget transfers from the NHS to social care.

Last month ADASS (the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services) chiefs warned that a further £1.1bn will be taken out of social care budgets. These figures factor in additional funding provided from the Government for the implementation of the Care Act and the Better Care Fund.

Commenting on the figures, Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:

“These new figures mean that for the first time in this country, more than a million older people with a social care need are being left to cope on their own. Not only are they without help from the social care system, they are also not getting it from family, friends or neighbours either. To have to struggle alone is unfair on these older people and also unacceptable in a civilised society.

Last week Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, called on the UK to take more personal responsibility for older people. Age UK backs the initiative, but Abrahams says there are other factors at play:

"The immediate problem we face is that at the same time as the older population is growing, the Government has cut social care funding to such an extent that the numbers of older people needing help and not getting it are rising exponentially. And there are other damaging consequences from these cuts too: for example, as they work through the system the pressures on care providers intensify and it becomes ever harder to recruit and retain care staff.

"This downward spiral in social care and support for older people can't go on. The Budget on July 8th offers a great opportunity for the Government to begin to address it and a million older people need them to take urgent action."