No family should be forced to dip into their life savings to pay for care in their old age if their assets are ever below £100,000 campaigners announced in a mass rally at Parliament in March this year.
Currently anyone with assets of more than £23,250 must pay for their residential care costs – thus making thousands of elderly have to sell their homes.
Age UK is calling for this means-test level to be increased to £100,000 allowing pensioners who have saved long and hard to protect their homes and pass on an inheritance to their children and family.
The rally was organised by the Care and Support Alliance, which represents more than 60 charities and organisations.
Put simply, people are living longer, both with illness and disability, yet social care budgets across England fell by an estimated £1billion in 2011.
Fortunately Age UK is raising the specific issue of the means test for residential care fees, which means people have to continue dipping into their life savings until they havejust £23,250 remaining. Age UK wants the limit to be increased to £100,000. At least 20,000 pensioners a year sell their homes to pay for their care home fees.
Dr Ros Altmann, director general of over-50s organisation Saga, recently said: “The lives of millions of older people and the future of the NHS is at stake.
“Politicians in all parties have a historic opportunity to change the way care is funded in future, to help people stay in their own homes if they can, which is what they overwhelmingly want, and to save money for the NHS by caring for them outside the most expensive hospital settings.”
Elderly people in England currently receive free care if they have savings of less than £13,000. Above that, they have to contribute to the cost of help with washing, dressing or eating. Anyone with savings of £23,250 must pay the full cost and many have had to sell their homes.
Scotland provides free personal care for over-65s but it does not cover housework or shopping.
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