Recent Government figures have shown that the number of places in care homes will need to increase ...
Recent Government figures have shown that the number of places in care homes will need to increase by 65% over the next 30 years, to cope with the demands of an ageing population. Revenues for long term care (LTC) are also going to increase by a staggering 150%, according to research from the London School of Economics and the University of Kent.
However, Chris Ellicott, technical manager at Age Concern Financial Partnerships, disagrees that more care home places are needed as more people will remain in their own home due to technological advances.
He said: 'Technology will enable people to stay at home as new devices such as alert systems which show if someone has not stepped out of bed and alarm cords are introduced.
'The majority of people would prefer to stay in their own home. While the number of older people increases, we will see more people wanting to remain in their home. Any growth in the care home sector will eventually affect this. Just because there are more older people, it will not necessarily mean that more care homes are needed.'
Ellicott believes such advances would spell good news for the LTC industry as people resent paying for LTC to provide for a nursing home and would rather pay a premium if they knew they could use it in their own home.
'If there is technology and a will to stay at home, there will be less resentment in paying for long term care. The whole ethos of long term care is about staying at home and more people buying it, will send out a positive message,' added Ellicott.
