Older adults 'do not want to manage care budgets'

Older adults may not necessarily want to be given the chance to manage their own care budgets, it has been pointed out.

Guardian columnist Michele Hanson explained that she believes the Conservative-Liberal Democrat alliance's plan is complicated, describing the personalised care scheme as "sort-it-out-yourselves-you're-nearly-dead-anyway-what-do-we-care?"

She noted she is going to be given a weekly budget by the local council, which she can then spend on paying a carer or the cost of going to a daycare centre.

Ms Hanson pointed out that if she elects to pay a carer to come into her home, that would make her an employer and she would have to pay National Insurance on that as a result.

The writer gave the example of the Great Croft day centre in Camden, which has employed a seven-hour-a-week coordinator in order to manage the training of 70 volunteers/befrienders who help local older adults.

Findings from the Local Government Information Unit recently showed some older adults may have to sell their home to pay for their care.

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