Elderly denied care because they ‘are not frail enough’

THE number of elderly people in need of help with everyday tasks, but shut out of the care system because they are not yet deemed frail enough or poor enough, has grown by almost half in the past six years, according to new figures.

Analysis published by Age UK concludes that almost 1.2 million older people in England who struggle with basic tasks such as washing and dressing receive no state support.

That represents an increase of 18 per cent in a single year and a 48 per cent rise on the number in 2010, when the programme of austerity cuts began.

Almost 700,000 of those currently without state support also do not have any help at all, either from paid carers or through family and friends, Age UK estimates.

Local councils, which run social care, have seen their budgets slashed by around 40 per cent since 2010.

Caroline Abrahams, director of the charity Age UK, said: “It is shameful that more than one in every eight older people in this country are now living with some level of unmet need for care, and we are extremely worried about the quarter of a million older people with multiple unmet care needs, struggling alone.

“How many of them are constantly in and out of hospital because they are unable to cope at home?”

She added: “It would be far more cost effective, as well as infinitely more humane, to give these older people the care and support they need.”