Crippling care costs must be examined

The cost of staying in a residential care home is truly staggering. New research revealed today shows the average stay in a residential home could swallow up as much as half of the value of your home.

Costs in England are substantially higher than those north of the border, but even still bills for an average stay are likely to total tens of thousands of pounds.

In Scotland there are various initiatives to lessen the burden on hard-pressed families, but the statistics will nevertheless terrify many people.

Against the backdrop of an ageing population, more and more people are likely to spend time in residential care homes, causing financial headaches for not only the individuals involved but also their loved ones who, in many cases, will be forced to foot the eye-watering bills.

Those behind the new study have found evidence of a “postcode lottery” associated with residential care costs, adding an unwelcome element of unpredictability to an already distressing situation.

It is to be hoped the research acts as a reminder to those in government – both north and south of the border – to carefully consider care costs and how they can be offset in the future.

The problem is likely to worsen in the years to come and only by taking action now will the future burden be mitigated.