1.4m elderly living in ‘care deserts’

A damning report from Age UK has found that over around 1.4m elderly people are living in “care deserts” covering nearly a third of the country where it is impossible to find care home places for vulnerable older people. In many cases, elderly people are forced to live in care homes miles from friends or family, or face shortages of beds so severe that the only available beds are in homes rated inadequate by regulators. The report found that poor areas are worst hit, as most care home residents in such areas have their fees paid by councils who have restricted funding and are able to use their bulk-buying powers to push down fees. Age UK’s director, Caroline Abrahams, said the research showed the market for care had become “chaotic and broken” as a result of underfunding, warning that “if the awful situation set out in this report does not persuade our government to finally get a grip and take action, I don’t know what will.”
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