While improvements to adult social care have been on the political agenda for many years now, the current state of the British economy has meant that the funding available to bolster an increasingly elderly population has been put into jeopardy.

The new legislation has taken into account economic obstacles and developed a plan to revise the way in which care and support is funded. Through the introduction of a £75,000 cap the government has drawn a strict line for people paying for their own care. This marks a clear step forward in advancing the empowerment of the elderly, as it creates for the first time a universal legal right to personal care.

Although, the Department of Communities and Local Government, the body responsible for the delivery of most social care services has budget allotted for care and support this has not been safeguarded. One of these services is preventative care, a way to help older people avoid reliance on the NHS.

There is a strong case for the Department of Communities and Local Government prioritising preventative care. It has the potential to show the strength of taking proactive action in remedying the social care problem. Ring-fencing budget for preventative care services like in-home adaption solutions that focus on upgrading the accessibility of homes can help people both physically and financially.

In fact, independent research carried out in 2012 by the London School of Economics’ Personal Social Services Research Unit in conjunction with Stannah helped identify the savings that could be made if the government were to choose spending money on adaptive technologies rather than placing people into care homes.

For every £1 spent on adaptive technologies there could be a net saving to the taxpayer of £1.10, which compares to a potential annual saving of £1,100 per person. Such examples demonstrate the strong case for personal and more independent care for Britain’s ageing population is getting stronger.

This was given the royal seal of approval last week when the Queen announced the government’s pledge to help the elderly. Hopefully, through strategic budget allocation, the government will chose to help them retain their independence and enjoy the comforts of home for a little while longer.

At some time most companies will have telephone conversations with people who find it difficult to make an informed decision about the choices offered to them – choices such as changing a utility supplier, selecting a product, general customer enquiries or making a charitable donation. This may be those who have a diagnosed condition like dementia; those who have an undiagnosed or temporary mental health condition such as severe anxiety; those with learning difficulties or literacy issues; or those who have problems understanding the language.

Ofcom research has found that disabled people have difficulty dealing with call centres. Under the Equality Act 2010 (formally the Disability Discrimination Act) it is illegal to discriminate. This means that when a call centre identifies that a consumer has a disability they must make reasonable adjustments to accommodate them – for example, proactively suggesting solutions that may help these consumers make informed choices, and taking steps to ensure that they fully understand key documents such as the quotation, the contract and the guarantee. Good service makes good business sense.

Contacting consumers by phone to sell, upsell, cross sell products or offer new tariffs is important for both parties. The company wants to promote its products, and the consumer wants to benefit from any improved offers. It is important that vulnerable consumers are not ‘locked out’ of these dialogues.

Normally in a commercial transaction there is the assumption that the buyer knows what they want and can make an informed choice about the most appropriate product or service. However, vulnerable consumers can be trusting and believe that a sales representative (whose motivation is to sell) is acting in their best interests in an advisory capacity – this leaves them at risk of being manipulated by unscrupulous operators.

The Silver Marque partners are especially aware of the vulnerable nature of some customers and meet regularly to share best practice in marketing and customer service and a common work ethic in treating the customer fairly.

Source: DMA

Residential care can be costly and much of the recent discussion around the health and social care bill has been around the topic of funding. Stannah’s Silver Census, a recently conducted research study among 1000 British seniors, revealed that 73% of over 65s think that they will have to fund any long term care out of their own pockets. To build up the necessary funds to pay for their care costs, 24% put aside some savings over the years whereas 23% see selling their home as a sad necessity to secure their future.

Improving access around the home though can delay the need for residential care or even remove the need altogether. Some people decide to improve the accessibility of their houses by installing stairlifts, steplifts or other mobility aids so they can keep their independence and ultimately continue living in their homes. The costs involved in these installations seem high to some people but they are only marginal compared to the £75,000 care bill cap set by the government.

In fact, huge savings could be made if more focus went on financing home adaptions. Independent research conducted by the London School of Economics (LSE) in conjunction with Stannah showed that for every £1 spent on adaptive technologies there could be a net benefit to the taxpayer of £1.10 in comparison to the expenses related to treating falls, covering hospitalisation and funding operations.

Given the results of both these studies, it is clear that the most sustainable, long term and happy solutions are where people are empowered, socially and financially, to keep living in the home they love, for as long as possible.

Although foreclosure rates for older borrowers are lower than those for younger ones, arrears rates are 1.2 times higher, according to the report released by Moody’s Investors’ Service.

However, Moody’s said the systemic risks presented by these loans was limited, with less than a fifth of those buying with a mortgage aged 55 or over, and just 3.9 per cent aged 65 and over.

Elderly borrowers, who are considered “vulnerable” by regulators, are likely to be treated more leniently to avoid the bad publicity that would accompany evictions. Moody’s research concludes that in general, the value of outstanding loans issued to this group are likely to be relatively low, compared to the value of the property.

“Over the next two years, older borrowers will manage to avoid repossessions due to a mix of lender forbearance and manageable affordability,” Moody’s said, noting that recent regulatory guidance is forcing banks to scrutinise their interest-only loan books, with a particular focus on those that are nearing maturity.

“For those that are unable to repay at maturity, lenders are using forbearance to extend the maturity of the loan, often in combination with a requirement to switch to a repayment loan,” the report said.

Moody’s analysis is based on its review of UK residential mortgage-backed securities, which are generally representative of loans remaining on bank balance sheets.

In earlier analysis, Moody’s concluded that interest-only loans did not necessarily have a higher default rate than other types of loans. However, other characteristics more closely associated with default are much more common among older borrowers. For example, 40.2 per cent of older borrowers are classified as self-employed, compared to only 18.2 per cent of younger borrowers. Loans that are remortgages account for 62.1 per cent of all loans to older borrowers, compared with 42.3 per cent for younger ones.

And while loans to older borrowers have lower loan-to-value ratios – 52.1 per cent compared with 74.0 per cent for younger borrowers – older adults score more highly when other risk factors are measured. For example, they are more likely to have self-certified their income, and are also more likely to be reliant on a single income.

In recent years, the Financial Services Authority has expressed concern about therising number of older borrowers seeking mortgages, and rising levels of indebtedness among older age groups generally. Although new rules for lenders do not set maximum ages for borrowing, they do require that likely changes to a borrower’s income over the term of the mortgage be taken into account, a change which can often come in retirement. It also bars lenders from relying on a sale of the property at the mortgage’s maturity for repayment.

Source: www.ft.com

A study of reviews left on feedback website the Good Care Guide showed that many people viewed elderly care as needing improvement, with nearly three quarters (71%) of negative reviews on the site directed towards care provided by homecare agencies and care homes.

The Good Care Guide, launched a year ago, works like TripAdvisor, allowing people to find, rate and review care providers.

An analysis of more than 2,000 reviews – which grouped those with 0-3 stars as negative, and those with 4-5 as positive – revealed concerns for the care elderly people receive.

Almost a quarter (23%) of those left for homecare agencies rated them as having substandard care, with care homes close behind at 15%.

The biggest concern for more than 84% of people choosing a care home was cost and quality of care or specialist care, the reviews suggested. In contrast, the quality of care children receive was rated highly, despite being expensive, with 90% of those who wrote on the site about childcare leaving positive reviews.

But childcare providers were rated low for value for money – 8% of childcare reviews were negative specifically about the value for money, with comments including “horrendously expensive”, “costs most of my salary”, and “can’t afford full time childcare”.

Good Care Guide director Denise Burke said: “There are several interesting issues that arise from an analysis of the first 2,000-plus reviews left on Good Care Guide.

“Whilst childcare has consistently been better rated than eldercare, comparing childcare and eldercare is of course a bit like apples and pears – 24/7 care for older people, many with severe dementia, is quite different from nursery care whether it’s for 15 hours or 40 hours a week.

“Worst rated by families on Good Care Guide has been homecare. These services have perhaps been squeezed most by local authority spending cuts. Many complain about 15-minute appointments, about different carers turning up or carers who are poorly trained and paid.”

*express.co.uk

If you should ever be in the unfortunate position of not being able to look after your own affairs, and there is no document in place that allows a trusted person to make these decisions for you, your family or friends may have to go to court to gain the authority required to act on your behalf. This can be a complicated and lengthy process and even then, full control may not be granted.

Consider the case of the Batemans a few years back. When Heather’s husband was incapacitated in an accident, and without a Power of Attorney in place, she was not legally able to access any of his money. She had to apply to the Court of Protection, and even when she finally got permission to manage her husband’s finances, there were very strict conditions applied, such as not being able to write a cheque for more than £500 which made it very difficult for her to even pay for their daughter’s university fees.

Equally important as having a Power of Attorney in place is deciding who your attorney should be. Some feel that it makes sense that there should be more than one so that the one attorney checks the other. And since in this day and age, you cannot be too careful, it might be a good idea to nominate a replacement attorney in case your originally chosen one is unable to act for you.

Deciding who your attorney should be is not a decision to be taken lightly. When thinking about the person you want to nominate, ask yourself questions like, ‘How well does this person look after their own affairs?’ and ‘Do I trust them to make decisions that will be in my best interests?’  Think about how well you know them and make sure that your positive perception of this person is based on factual information that you know and is not anecdotal. Choosing someone because they ‘seem to be a good guy’ could prove to be disastrous. It was only this past February that a Kidderminster clergyman was found guilty of siphoning off £60,000 from his ill friend after he had been entrusted to act as his Power of Attorney. This was only discovered after his ill friend passed away and solicitors scrutinised the deceased’s estate during the probate process. Lastly, before you choose somebody, make sure that they actually want to act as your Power of Attorney should the need ever arise.

As ever in life, it pays to be prepared.

But while they might have been spared the worst, British seniors still feel deeply disconnected from the government and do not believe that it has their best interest at heart, as Stannah’s latest Silver Census reveals.
The survey paints the picture of a generation that is disenfranchised with government policies – and very conscious of the need for bolstered State support in the latter years of their retirement.

68% of those aged 65+ questioned by Stannah think that the government doesn’t have their best interests at heart or is disconnected from their generation, but when questioned, a majority of them expect the State to be their chief source of funding for future elderly care, far ahead of family, pensions or savings.
Respondents were dubious about government measures already introduced to ease the financial strain, with one in ten going so far as to say existing government policies are irrelevant to them.

The new flat rate pension scheme, due to be introduced in 2017, represents the biggest overhaul of the pension system for decades, but almost half questioned by Stannah believe it will have no impact, with one in five claiming this move will actually leave them worse off.

Overall, almost 40% of the over 65s fear they will not have enough money to live on in the latter years of their retirement, despite widespread efforts to make retirement planning easier. The recent Budget does not scratch the surface of managing these fundamental issues.

It becomes clear that even though the elderly might not have been hit as hard in the Budget as they may have expected, a lot more needs to be done to get this growing demographic engaged and more reassured about their future.

But now I don’t trust numbers so much. Why is it that I can get into a size 10 in one shop but need a 12 in another? Surely 10 is 10 and 12 is 12. And then we hear that the current Marks and Spencers size 10 is the equivalent of the 12 of a few years ago. So what is it?

And when numbers relate to time it is even worse. My doubts started when I was a child. The six weeks summer holiday lasted five minutes and Christmas Eve was never, ever only 24 hours long – whatever anyone tells you. It is no better today. A five minute job takes 20. The 20 minute trip to work lasts an hour and my husband’s hour in the pub lasts an evening.

And as for age! When I was eight I was very specific. I was eight years and four months. By the time I got to fourteen I was ‘nearly 16′ and when I finally got to 16 I was most definitely 18. Now I am in my mid-twenties (29) I have a lot of friends in their thirties – some of whom have been there for 18 years to my knowledge. There was some interesting research done for Liverpool Victoria that showed that three quarters of 50 year olds only felt 75% of their age.

So 50 is the new 40. A few years back we were told we would all retire by 62 at the latest and preferably before that this would be ‘good for the country’. Today, apparently, it would be good for the country if we all worked until we are 70. We also must plan for our future but of course that could be when we are 60, 70 or 80 when our bodies will look 40,50 or 60 but we will act like we are 30, 40 or 50 and expect to live for another 10, 20 or 30 years. And I thought Doctor Who was the only Time Lord! Lucky Doctor – he has his Tardis to live in. No mortgage on that I bet. If there was I don’t suppose it was over a 25 year term. 25 thousand more like! Yet when you applied for your first mortgage you were probably told you had to pay it back in 25 years. If the average first time buyer is 25 then I wonder how many 50 year olds own their home with no mortgage. It is more likely that the term has been extended and extended following house moves and the odd home improvement additional borrowing to pay for the conservatory, decking or enhance the driveway by putting a new car on it.

When you finish paying off your mortgage how will you blow all that extra cash every month? Before you start looking at the holiday brochures cast an eye over the income you will need in retirement (at least £12,000 a year apparently) then look at how much your existing pension arrangements will give you. So I should start putting that spare money in a pension pot – and even then it may not be enough. If it is not then you may need to consider resurrecting your friendship with your local building society. The advent of the ‘lifetime mortgage’ suggests that people in their silver or golden years (I have lost all trust in numbers now) may need to use their home as capital to provide them with an income later in life. Instead of you paying your lender every month your lender pays you!

I must make a very serious point here. This is a big step to take and it will mean that your children will not inherit the full value of your house – so it is not something that should be done lightly.

So perhaps you should ask your lender if they will still love you when you are old and grey.

Will they still need you; will they still feed you, when you’re 64?

Thousands of men and women who had been looking forward to retirement have recently discovered the goal posts have moved due to government pension reforms.

For many years the age at which you can claim your state pension benefits has been 65 for men and 60 for women. But thanks to longer life expectancies costs have shot up for the Treasury, due to it paying some pensioners for more years in retirement than they spent paying National Insurance as workers.

To combat the issue, the previous Labour government set out plans to steadily increase the state pension age to 68 for both sexes. As a result, many men and women will qualify for the state pension at different ages over the coming years, but at the moment it’s specifically women who are being affected by the reforms. In fact, the last women to receive their state pension from 60 have already done so; between now and 2016 the qualifying age for women will rise to around 63; then between 2016 and 2018 it will rise to 65.

A shock to the system

Whilst understandable that the government needs to bring the state pension age more in line with today’s increased life expectancies, it does leave thousands of people having to re-evaluate

They are having to find alternative means of getting by until they reach their new state pension age. With a basic state pension currently bringing in £107 a week, it amounts to a loss of £5,587 a year for those who have been deferred.

Paul Wilson, Managing Director of Key Retirement Solutions, said: “Money is already tight for many people who are of, or approaching, retirement age. The delay in qualifying for a state pension could have a disastrous affect on people’s finances, which could take years for them to recoup.”

One concern is that people could be forced to turn to unsecured loans or credit cards to tide them over. Unlike younger generations, who can get a job or negotiate a pay rise to help pay off their debts, not all older people have this option. And with the average 55 – 64 year old still owing £55,804 on their mortgage*, the countdown to retirement could be significantly more stressful for some than others.

*Aviva Real Retirement Report Dec 2012

Dr Marilyn Glenville, author of ‘Osteoporosis: How To Prevent, Treat and Reverse It’ (Kyle Cathie) says, “Bones change constantly, being broken down and rebuilt.  Problems arise when the rate of renewal doesn’t keep up with the rate of breakdown – the result being bone loss. When this occurs over years, osteoporosis occurs.”

Fortunately, however, there are lots of things we can do to help strengthen our bones.

Eat Well

Everyone should aim for a healthy balanced diet. The four food groups should be included:  fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates, dairy products and protein.

Research reveals that almost half (45%) of adults are unaware that bread contains calcium, essential for healthy bones. Other calcium-rich  foods include yoghurt ,cheese , milk, canned salmon, tofu , dried fruit, flour and water.  Calcium helps to improve bone density which reduces the risk of factors and people should aim for the recommended 700mg daily.

Now that you know how to get your calcium your body needs vitamin D to help absorb it.  Get this from oily fish, liver, fortified spreads, cereals and egg yolks, while the body makes its own vitamin D when exposed to sunshine.  The body stores vitamin D for around 60 days and deficiency signs may be highlighted by slight aches and pains in the body. Zinc helps vitamin D boost calcium absorption and is required from the proper formulation of osteoblasts, one of the cells necessary for bone renewal.  Foods high in zinc include shellfish, brown rice, wholegrains and meat.

Magnesium can also help keep bones healthy. Sources include Brazil nuts, seeds, almonds, bananas and green vegetables like spinach and kidney beans.  Researchers have also found that high levels of vitamin C may help strengthen bones and prevent fractures.  Get your daily dose of this vitamin from oranges, kiwi fruits, tomatoes and berries or take a supplement.

TV doctor Dr Hilary Jones says: “It seems the British obsession with dieting could have a detrimental effect on our nutritional intake, as many people lose sight of what constitutes a healthy balanced diet.”

Danger Areas

• Dieting too much, not eating enough calcium, being stressed and lack of exercise are linked to thinning bones.
• Some foods which may reduce the absorption of calcium necessary for bone strength include phosphoric acid which is used to improve the flavour of some fizzy drinks so consider switching to water or fruit juice.
• Salt may speed up the body’s loss of calcium, so avoid adding extra salt to your food and read food labels to help you cut down. Crisps and processed foods including pies and pizza are all high in salt.
• Smoking may inhibit the activity of bone forming cells and may also increase the risk of hip fractures.
• Excessive caffeine could reduce your calcium levels from your bones, as it is secreted through the urine.  So try to limit the amount of coffee you drink.

Exercise

Professor Dawn Skelton, an authority on issues surrounding ageing and bone health, says that as a nation we sit too much and that the more hours we spend on our feet, the less bone breakages we can expect in later life.

People of all ages should increase the amount of exercise they do each week. Scientific studies show exercise is a great way of increasing bone mineral density.  Dancing, keep-fit classes, a game of tennis or weight training are good – though be careful not to overdo it. Those who don’t go to the gym can substitute baked beans tins or bottles of water for weights.  If you feel those activities are too full on, then carrying shopping, gardening, tai chi and golf can also benefit.  Brisk walking for 20-30 minutes each day is excellent for bone health and even housework counts!

Non weight bearing activities like cycling, swimming or using a cross-trainer are excellent for toning muscles and as a cardiovascular workout but won’t help to strengthen bones in the same way.  However, don’t dismiss these activities, because simply being active does help reduce the chance of fractures.

Natural remedies

Fish oil containing EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and GLA (gamma linolenic acid) are not only believed to be effective safeguards against osteoporosis, but also help improve skin and brain function. GLA is also found in supplements of evening primrose oil.

In traditional Chinese medicine, osteoporosis is linked to a deficiency of kidney energy and the production of blood to nourish the bones. Kidney energy declines as we age. TCM treatment often utilises herbal therapy (including dong quai) and acupuncture.

Homeopathic practitioners may prescribe calcarea carbonica to treat osteoporosis, particularly if individuals tire easily or suffer from restless behaviour.

Tip

If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, it is a good idea to talk to your GP or health specialist before you embark on new exercise activity, to make sure it is right for you.

Article source: Savista Magazine