Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Costs of Care - How to get the most out of your care provision

Stephanie Rose looks at the cost of care at home

and how to cut costs.

The news from Sheffield signals the fact that local authorities across the country are to pass on the cost of home care to those being cared for in the community. The days when councils would subsidise to any extent are clearly numbered. Now, every provision comes with a price tag, and that, it seems, can be quite steep.

Even at the higher rate of £350 per week (£50 per day), care in the community is substantially lower than that in a care home - although when you take into account the associated costs of food, heating, electricity the difference is less marked.

So, how do you get the most out of home care provision?

The first and most important step is to ensure that your carers provide a 'home care plan'. At Stephanie's Bespoke Care Service your 'personal care plan' is provided free of charge. This should include a detailed assessment of your needs and how they can be met. For example, the provision of a lunch-time visit may be a luxury. Whilst many clients enjoy three visits a day, the simple step of opting for a pre-prepared lunch-time meal may reduce costs by up to £3,500 per year. For some, this may not be an option - but for others it may be an answer to those care bills.

More importantly, by getting the right assessment at the outset, clients can save substantially on the costs of additional care, for example by combining appointments and by ensuring that other home visits are coordinated. Some clients opt for a weekly supermarket delivery rather than a bespoke shop. Whilst this may take away an element of daily choice, the weekly budget will take a noticeable dip.

But, at the end of the day, the issue is 'what is the value in quality of life to remain in my own home'? Almost without exception, we find that clients' principal wish is to keep their independence for as long as possible. As one client said "To enjoy a midnight snack and be able to listen to the BBC World Service throughout the night is a major plus - I wouldn't be able to do that in a care home".

The ideas here are the personal ideas of the author and may not be reproduced without permission and attribution to Stephanie's Bespoke Care Services.

Sheffield Council to Increase fees for elderly care

Hundreds of pensioners in Sheffield could see the cost of their care increase three-fold.

Sheffield Council has recommended that maximum weekly contributions to home help care in the city rise from £114.69 to £350 a week, a 205% increase.

More than 200 people with savings of more than £23,250 could see the maximum increase and have to pay more.

The report says support costs could rise from 70% to 100% depending on an individual's assets and savings.

An additional 1,000 could also be affected by the changes, but to what extent is unknown and will depend on individual circumstances. Two thirds of people would not see any change at all.

The non-residential care, which more than 5,000 people in the city use, includes help to enable people to stay in their homes and remain independent and assistance with domestic and everyday duties.

Labour, which took control of Sheffield Council in May, said the budget savings were originally put forward by the Liberal Democrat administration in March when saving measures were introduced.

Labour council leader Ms Lea said: "This year we've had to cut £15m from the social services budget.

"If we reversed the decision we would have had to make changes and reductions to front-line services."

The report states that the majority of people who use the social care service are aged over 60.

Proposal 'appalling'

Jackie Milner, from the Sheffield Pensioners Action Group, said the proposal was "appalling".

Ms Milner suggested the council look at "alternative" plans which could include "small amounts of money being taken from everybody instead of continually hitting the old and the vulnerable".

The council ran a consultation earlier this year where it asked 5,401 existing customers who receive non-residential support about potential increases.

In the questionnaire, 61% of the people who replied to the survey said they did not want to see an increase in maximum contributions.

Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in Sheffield, said the council had ignored the results of the consultation, adding that Labour needed to "take responsibility" for its decisions.

The council report states that if the recommendation was implemented the changes would result in an additional income over the course of one year of £2.19m to Sheffield Council.

The report, which is due to be discussed in a cabinet meeting on 24 August, outlines plans to implement the change in weekly contributions for adults in non-residential care from 24 October, if the plans are approved.

Friday, 12 August 2011

Bus Cuts

Bus cuts have left elderly stranded say MPs

by Jason Beattie, Daily Mirror 11/08/2011

(Pic: Getty Images)

CUTS to bus services have left huge numbers of old people stranded, say MPs.

They highlight how £300million of funding cutbacks have meant rural, evening and weekend services heavily hit with thousands unable to get to doctors and visit sick relatives.

The Transport select committee added: “We were given examples of younger people changing employment due to service reductions or no longer able to socialise, play sports or access educational facilities in neighbouring towns.”

Money councils got from central government was cut by 28%, while bus operators had subsidies slashed by 20%. Support for concessionary travel has been reduced.

The MPs say in today’s report these changes have forced 70% of councils in England to cut funds for services. Labour MP Louise Ellman said: “Whole sections of the network have been scaled back with little or no proper consultation.”

Antidepressants 'could increase risks to elderly'

Elderly people who take recently-developed antidepressants could be more likely to develop a string of health problems as a result, according to a new report published this week.

Researchers at universities in Nottingham and East Anglia found that over-65s prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had a death rate of 10.1 per cent, as opposed to 8.1 per cent among those on tricyclic antidepressants.

The study, printed in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal, examined data relating to 60,000 patients from that particular age group collected between 1996 and 2007. Risks were highest within the first 28 days, the scientists claimed.

"Given the potential harms, the decision to prescribe for an older person with depression should not be taken lightly," the University of Sydney's Professor Ian Hickie observed in an accompanying editorial article.

A separate investigation published in the Lancet last week suggested that dementia sufferers feel little benefit from antidepressants including mirtazapine and sertraline.

Stephanie's Bespoke Care Service © - Providing Care at Home