Live-in care at home is still ‘being overlooked' as a realistic option for elderly people who need long-term care, according to Symponia.
The national professional body for care fees planning advisers held a care funding conference in London last week, where The Good Care Group highlighted the advantages of home care.
Symponia has claimed that negative reports about state funded care at home are clouding people's views and adding to the confusion.
Janet Davies, joint managing director of Symponia said: "A huge chasm exists between this inadequate and sad state of affairs and the standard of home care enjoyed by people who are not relying solely on state funding but paying privately for home visits or live-in care out of the family purse.
"There is even a way that people who are relying on state funding can potentially benefit from using a home care provider who employs its carers; by making sure that they get their care allowance paid directly to them.
"Sadly, even with direct payments, in many cases, the funding probably won't be enough to pay for a full care package and until the Local Authority start to cover the true cost of care - and not their deemed levels which can often fall woefully short - this unfair two-tier system will perpetuate."
Davies concluded: "There are times when a care home setting will be the better solution, but including care at home as an option ensures all decisions are truly informed ones. As ever, we would urge families to seek specialist advice from an experienced elderly care financial adviser and/or solicitor."
