UK consumers confused about care
One in five people in the UK will become a carer for a loved one at some point in their lives, but worryingly, only eight per cent of these would know where to turn for help and support. This is according to new research published by Housing Plus to mark the launch of its new care business, Care Plus.
Over the last 25 years, the number of people aged 65 and over in the UK has increased by 1.5 million and, by 2033, a staggering 23 per cent of the population will be classed as elderly, compared to just 16 per cent today. Although we could find ourselves caring for a loved one of any age, the estimated increase in the over 65s bracket will inevitably mean that even more people in the UK will be faced with difficult decisions about the care provision for themselves and family friends or family.
The research, carried out by, Housing Plus, quite worryingly, also revealed that 40 per cent of respondents perceived care services in general in the UK to be poor or very poor and, as a result, a similar amount, 42 per cent, would rather sacrifice their career to provide full time care than commission a professional care provider for a loved one.
Debbie Griffiths, Chief Executive of Housing Plus, comments: “We undertook this research to support the launch of our new Care Plus business. Through our experience in the supported living sector we identified a gap in the market for a care provider that’s whole business ethos was around making everyday amazing for customers rather than simply providing care and support duties.
"The Care Plus vision works by putting the individual at the heart of everything we do; making sure our tailored care, wellbeing and support packages fit in with their current lifestyle and work together to make them feel fabulous. Essentially, it’s about people not seeing professional care or assisted living schemes as the last choice, or as an admission or defeat, but more about a positive step towards a new stage in their lives.”
When asked what would be important to them if they did choose the professional care route, quality of care was understandably top of the list of priorities of the YouGov respondents. Interestingly however, independence and freedom was ranked as the second most important requirement, before cost and quality of accommodation. This supports the Care Plus philosophy that people want to live every day to its maximum potential, no matter what their age or circumstances.
Debbie continues: “Care Plus wants to deliver a culture where decision making sits with the customer. Care services have traditionally imposed choices on their customers that limit their freedom and quality of life to wrap them in cotton wool.
“At Care Plus we accept that for someone to have quality of life and independence they need to make their own choices and our job is to advise and support them. Our staff are trained to not care for a individual to their own standard or make decisions for that customer; instead they accept that everyone is different, with different needs and lifestyles and they are there to support that person to live life to the full.
“I can sum it up neatly by saying no one tells a 40 year old what to do, so why should we have the right to do this to an 80 year old just because they need some assistance with personal care?”
Bill Martin OBE, Chair of Care Plus added: “Our research highlighted that only two per cent of those questioned consider care services as excellent. We strive to turn this around by changing the approach to care and offering people a real and positive choice for their future and the future of their loved ones.”