A million elderly left with no home help or family support

MORE than a million elderly people have been left to look after themselves without home help or care from family and friends, a study shows.

They are forced to struggle on their own with getting out of bed, washing and preparing meals, even though they desperately need support.

The charity Age UK said the situation was unacceptable and led to rising numbers ending up in hospital because they just could not cope.

Only last week Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged families to stay in touch with ageing relatives, warning that too many were not even aware when their relations died.

Age UK said 1,004,000 people over 65 who have difficulty with basic tasks have to soldier on without help. The figure has risen by 100,000 in a year and will go up further as the population ages.

The charity blames cuts to council funding, which have left dependent elderly people without vital home help. It said this made it imperative that family, friends and neighbours look out for these indi- viduals and try to step in where they can. Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director, said: ‘For the first time in this country, more than a million older people with a social care need are being left to cope on their own. To have to struggle alone is unfair on these older people and also unacceptable in a civilised society.’

The survey of 10,600 people over 65 showed that 580,000 struggle on their own with washing or taking a bath, while 180,000 need help eating and 230,000 with remembering to take the correct dose of medication.

Age UK is urging the Government not to cut social care funding, warning that it will only cause more elderly people to end up in casualty,

There were more than 2.2million emergency admissions to A&E involving the over-65s in 201213, a rise of 22 per cent in seven years.