EXPERT VIEW

Government must rise to the challenge and act now

OUR country’s care crisis is getting deeper by the day. The latest shocking figures, showing the sharp rise in care home costs last year, are further proof of the ever-increasing burden on those who need looking after in old age.

Many families are already stretched and struggling.

Older people who own their home face losing almost all its worth if they have no other savings to fund long-term care. Most people believe the NHS will care for them if they are too ill to look after themselves. This is not the case.

Government after government has failed to rise to this challenge.

The costs involved are enormous and no money at all has been earmarked to help pay for care.

Unlike National Insurance State Pensions, there is no basic statefunded care, until you have used up almost all your savings.

Time and again, politicians have kicked this issue into the long grass, while trying to hide the reality from the population.

There are no incentives to save for care. Nothing to encourage you to keep ISAS, or some of your pensions, for much later in life, just in case. This crisis will keep getting worse until the Government introduces proper reform.

Rather than another Green or White Paper, urgent measures should be introduced in this Budget. The longer we leave it, the more elderly citizens and their families will suffer.

Let’s not wait any longer – the time to act is now.