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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Elderly people: thousands 'left struggling' at home | Elderly people: thousands 'left struggling' at home |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Thousands of older people in England are struggling in their own home with little or no help, research suggests. | Thousands of older people in England are struggling in their own home with little or no help, research suggests. |
| The analysis by the Independent Age charity and Strategic Society Centre think tank indicates more than two million have difficulty with washing, dressing, cooking or eating. | The analysis by the Independent Age charity and Strategic Society Centre think tank indicates more than two million have difficulty with washing, dressing, cooking or eating. |
| And of the 560,000 of these with severe needs, 160,000 receive inadequate help while another 70,000 have none at all. | And of the 560,000 of these with severe needs, 160,000 receive inadequate help while another 70,000 have none at all. |
| Some 850,000 older people have help paid for by themselves or the council. | Some 850,000 older people have help paid for by themselves or the council. |
| But over the years state-funded services have been increasingly rationed. | But over the years state-funded services have been increasingly rationed. |
| Meanwhile, 30,000 older people care for others in situations considered a risk to their health and wellbeing - alone and for at least 20 hours a week. | Meanwhile, 30,000 older people care for others in situations considered a risk to their health and wellbeing - alone and for at least 20 hours a week. |
| Older people and care in numbers | Older people and care in numbers |
| Source: Independent Age and Strategic Society Centre based on 2011 to 2013 data | Source: Independent Age and Strategic Society Centre based on 2011 to 2013 data |
| The two groups looked at: | The two groups looked at: |
| They said the research "highlights alarming gaps" in the system and raised questions that needed addressing ahead of April 2016, when care costs will be capped at £72,000 over a person's lifetime. | They said the research "highlights alarming gaps" in the system and raised questions that needed addressing ahead of April 2016, when care costs will be capped at £72,000 over a person's lifetime. |
| Independent Age policy director Simon Bottery said it "defies belief" how those who did not receive the right care were getting by. | Independent Age policy director Simon Bottery said it "defies belief" how those who did not receive the right care were getting by. |
| Without better support, there would be a knock-on effect on the NHS with more older people seeing their health suffer, he added. | Without better support, there would be a knock-on effect on the NHS with more older people seeing their health suffer, he added. |
| Councillor Izzi Seccombe, of the Local Government Association, said councils were doing their best to prioritise care, but budgets were being squeezed. | |
| "The next government must make sure that [it] puts adult social care on a sustainable financial footing to keep people out of hospital and support them in their homes for as long as possible. | |
| "Failure to do so would mean some services will be tipped into failure and leave the most vulnerable members of communities worried and at risk of losing essential care." | |
| A Department of Health spokesman said the cap along with next year's £5.3bn Better Care Fund - mainly funded by NHS money but earmarked for projects that aid social care - would help improve the situation. | |
| "Councils are ultimately responsible for deciding how to spend their budgets, but with a growing ageing population we know that we all need to work differently." | |
| Are you an older person? Do you feel you are struggling in your own home? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are willing to talk to a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number. | Are you an older person? Do you feel you are struggling in your own home? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are willing to talk to a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number. |
| Have your say | Have your say |