Brexit-obsessed Britain is no country for old men in need of social care

There are nearly 12 million men and women between the the age of 65 and 75 today. Over the next ten years, death will inevitably reduce their number by about 5 million and most of them will be in England and not Scotland, Wales and Northern Island, by virtue of its larger population, but also by virtue of the fact that, if present Government inertia continues, they would have died through lack of social care. Research by Age UK, confirms that at least 74,000 old people in England have died waiting for care between the 2017 and 2019 Brexit-driven general elections. A total of 81 old men and women are needlessly dying every day, equating to three an hour, through want of social care.

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Age UK’s Director, Caroline Abrahams said : “No-one knows how many of these older people, if any, might have lived longer had they received care in time. But at the very least their final days would probably have been more comfortable and their families and friends would have felt better supported. The truth is that our political system has completely failed when it comes to the reform and funding of social care and older and disabled people are being badly let down. This general election is the latest in a long list of opportunities to put things right and we fervently hope that this time it’s different.”

In addition : In the 18 months between the last election and the forthcoming one in December, 1,725,000 unanswered calls for help for care and support will have been made by old people. This, said Age UK , was the equivalent of 2,000 futile appeals a day, or 78 an hour.

Caroline said that "this huge number of requests for help did not lead to any support actually being given for three main reasons " :
Either because the old people died or will die before services were provided.
Or because their local authority had decided that they were not eligible for social care.
Or because their local authority had signposted them to some other kind of help than a care service.

A Government Green Paper is the device to trigger action, but in Bexit-obsessed Britain, none has been produced. Caroline said : “Unfortunately, we have effectively wasted the last 18 months, waiting for the social care green paper that never was. No one knows how many of these older people, if any, might have lived longer had they received care in time, but at the very least their final days would probably have been more comfortable and their families and friends would have felt better supported. Social care is not some kind of nice-to-have optional extra – it’s a fundamental service on which millions of older and disabled people depend every day. It is appalling that one and a half million older people in our country now have some unmet need for care – one in seven of the entire older population.”

Julie Ogley, President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), welcomed the Age UK Report, saying : “Social care enables so many of us to get the care and support we need to live good lives and die good deaths. But too many of us continue to struggle to get the care and support we need. These figures show why the next Government must prioritise adult social care. Successive governments have promised, but ultimately failed to deliver, the change we all need. The millions of us who rely on adult social care cannot afford another missed opportunity. That is why we are calling on each of the parties to set out their positive plans for the future of social care.”

'Why call it Social Care when nobody cares ?' : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBck4ZjwefE