Age Concern: Care home funding gap being filled by families
Care home
13th November 2008
Families in the UK are being forced to plug a £1 billion care home funding gap left by local authorities, a charity has claimed.
According to Age Concern, families are having to fork out additional cash to make up the cost of residential care for elderly relatives.
Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern England, said the situation was immoral and called for the government to provide emergency funding in its next budget.
"If a relative is chipping in to help pay for a care home place it should be because they feel their family member deserves the best - not because there is a gaping hole in the care budget," he commented.
Age Concern is the largest charity representing older people in the UK. Among its corporate priorities are preventing poverty and maximising income for people in retirement.
