Families turn to ‘granny nannies’ to fill care gap
WITH a growing elderly population, the cost of caring for ageing parents and grandparents is placing an increasing financial burden on families.
But now the so-called “sandwich generation” – working people who need to find care for both their children and their parents – is turning to “granny minders” to ease the strain.
A new “nannies for grannies” service says it will significantly reduce the cost of looking after grandparents, while at the same time guaranteeing a good standard of care.
It has been set up by Like Minders, a leading childcare company, with the ambitious aim of helping to solve the elderly care crisis in the UK.
The service aims to offer the same flexibility that many parents expect for their children.
While placing an elderly person in a care home costs an average of £30,000 a year, Like Minders charges £430 a week for a daily half-day – around £20,000 a year – or £25 for a minimum of two hours’ care.
Carers can be employed to take people to the doctors or dentist or even to just have a cup of tea and chat with them.
Georgie Jones, a director of Like Minders, said: “We found it astounding that care for the elderly is so inaccessible compared with childcare in the UK, at a time when the country is suffering such a crisis in looking after the older generation. Our nannies for grannies service aims to bridge the huge void for non-medical care in the UK.”
She added: “Through our research we found that one of the biggest problems elderly people face in our society is loneliness.
“We hope that by putting people in touch with local companions we hope they can build up friendships and local contacts.”
The service comes at a time when the number of people aged 65 and over is projected to rise by over 40 per cent in the next 17 years to more than 16 million.
Whitehall spending on social care in England has fallen by £770 million since 2010, meaning that 1.2 million elderly people in need of care do not receive any formal support. This represents a rise of 48 per cent over the same period. Changes to welfare rules mean there is no longer free care for anyone who is not ill and has assets of more than £23,500.
Companies which provide full-time live-in carers say they are experiencing a rise in demand in the wake of scandals about standards in care homes and soaring fees.
‘Our nannies for grannies service aims to bridge the huge void for nonmedical care in the UK’