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| Elderly care funding report due | Elderly care funding report due |
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| Proposals are to be laid out by the Welsh Assembly Government on how care for elderly people could be financed. | Proposals are to be laid out by the Welsh Assembly Government on how care for elderly people could be financed. |
| It comes amid warnings that the current system is unsustainable. | It comes amid warnings that the current system is unsustainable. |
| UK ministers have said they want to see a debate on a compulsory state-run savings scheme or a private insurance in case people need care in later life. | UK ministers have said they want to see a debate on a compulsory state-run savings scheme or a private insurance in case people need care in later life. |
| A "green paper" launched by Deputy Social Services Minister Gwenda Thomas will feed into a similar paper from the UK government. | A "green paper" launched by Deputy Social Services Minister Gwenda Thomas will feed into a similar paper from the UK government. |
| No changes are expected to be made before 2011 at the earliest. | No changes are expected to be made before 2011 at the earliest. |
| In November last year the assembly government launched a consultation on how care services in Wales should be funded. | In November last year the assembly government launched a consultation on how care services in Wales should be funded. |
| Marco Ferdenzi from Pontyclun, near Llantrisant, south Wales had to move his mother Margaret into a home last year. The family was initially told she did not qualify for financial assistance but he later found out that she did. Mr Ferdenzi said: "My mother suffers with dementia and we had a situation where we needed to find her a home very quickly. We managed to find a place for my mother in a home and we didn't really look into the financial side of things in any great depth. It then became aware to us that due to my mother's financial circumstances, she didn't qualify for any funding whatsoever. So I was faced with a care bill of approximately £1,800 a month. My mother's funds basically weren't adequate to pay for her care for any length of time. I would then have to be faced with selling the property which we didn't really want to do because we felt then that the benefits of the property would be going to the council in a sense. So I was a little bit worried about that, a little bit stressed out because obviously financially that would have been crippling. On the advice of a few friends I decided to go to a solicitor and seek professional help. We found that there was a situation where we did qualify for a certain amount of funding. We approached the social services with the particular regulations and we managed to win the case. So the initial bill was £1,800 a month and after my solicitor had taken on the case we managed to get it down to £500 a month." | |
| Wales has a larger elderly population in proportion to the rest of the UK. | Wales has a larger elderly population in proportion to the rest of the UK. |
| The consultation, run in parallel with one in England, was prompted by predictions that services will face a £6bn funding gap across the UK in 20 years. | The consultation, run in parallel with one in England, was prompted by predictions that services will face a £6bn funding gap across the UK in 20 years. |
| Sarah Stone, deputy Older People's Commissioner for Wales, welcomed the debate. | |
| She said that older people need a system which is "fairer, more consistent and which addresses the longer-term financial issues as well". | |
| Ms Stone said one suggestion already recommended was that people should pay in a system which they contributed to according to their need over their working life so that care would be free at the point of delivery | |
| Ageing population | |
| She said: "We need to listen to what people say as part of this consultation and look at what consensus comes through and take steps forward as this result. | |
| "We have some concerns as a commission about proposals around future claims, claimants for attendance allowance which we think needs to stay as a benefit which benefits a lot of older people directly so we need to get involved in Wales in the UK consultation as well." | |
| Figures show that about a third of men and half of women will, upon reaching the age of 65, need long-term care and support. | Figures show that about a third of men and half of women will, upon reaching the age of 65, need long-term care and support. |
| It is expected that nearly 96,000 people over 65 in Wales will need the support of social care services by 2031. | It is expected that nearly 96,000 people over 65 in Wales will need the support of social care services by 2031. |
| Wales also has an ageing population, and statistics indicate that in the next 20 years, the number of people aged over 85 in Wales will double to 137,000, and those aged over 100 will increase fourfold to more than 2,000. | Wales also has an ageing population, and statistics indicate that in the next 20 years, the number of people aged over 85 in Wales will double to 137,000, and those aged over 100 will increase fourfold to more than 2,000. |
| The proportion of people aged over 65 to those aged 20-64 in Wales is projected to increase from 40% to 64% by 2031. | The proportion of people aged over 65 to those aged 20-64 in Wales is projected to increase from 40% to 64% by 2031. |