Adult Social Care - Councils urged to provide financial advice now

A REPORT ON FUNDING THE COSTS OF SOCIAL CARE FOR THE ELDERLY will ignite a political row when it is published next week. But while the politics will dominate the news, the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) has suggested that Councils act now to ensure that people receive appropriate advice about how they can fund their future care.

The biggest area of spend for local authorities is caring for the elderly. The population in the UK and the East Riding are living longer and the number of older people is growing. The costs of social care for an aging population will increase.

A new Government commissioned report by Andrew Dilnot published on Monday will say that there should be government investment in social care of up to £3bn and that people should pay between £35,000 and £50,000 towards the costs of their care before the state steps in. Insurance companies should make products available to cover an individual’s costs up to the cap and also any potential extra accommodation costs that may be incurred.

The Local Government Information Unit has issued an early suggestion in advance of the report. They argue that councils could do more to signpost people to independent financial advice that could help them make decisions and avoid depleting their funds by taking out insurance or using their assets more effectively.

Jonathan Carr-West, LGiU, director,said:
“Dilnot’s recommendations are sure to be important but rather than waiting for government to respond to them councils can and should act now to mitigate their exposure to increased care costs by ensuring that citizens receive appropriately qualified advice about how they can fund their care”.

Whilst the political fallout from the Dilnot Commission is likely to dominate the headlines next week, local people need to read between the lines and think carefully about how the proposals might affect them and their loved ones - and crucially what they can do about this.

Perhaps this is something that the East Riding LINk could take up?