The need for long term care advice has been highlighted by a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundat...
The need for long term care advice has been highlighted by a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It states that as many as one in 10 employees are caring for other adults in an informal capacity, with many carers having multiple caring roles, with children, a job and elderly dependants.
Owain Wright, head of the Care Funding Bureau, said: 'Our experience is that a lot of people who have been cared for at home are not receiving the care they want, and those doing the caring are often elderly or over-burdened. The point is that people who are being cared for at home need to take advice on what their options are.'
The Government is unlikely to ease the situation for carers. Wright said: 'Alan Milburn, the secretary of state for health, announced in his recent spending review, that he wanted to keep more people in their own homes. This is fine if that is what the patient wants but Milburn is saying this because it is cheaper. Advice can ensure there is access to the correct level of benefits. Of course, long term care insurance would be one of those options.'
The study revealed very few of the family friendly policies implemented in the studied work organisations were routinely used. The report highlights that circumstances tend to obscure accurate statistics as carers often use workplace policies that do not identify them as needing extra help.
