Older people who pay for their own care remain almost invisible in policy and practice. Little is known about the ways in which they navigate and negotiate buying care in a complex and fragmented care system.
Six Myths about paying for care
In this briefing, we highlight some of the ‘myths’ about self-funding drawn from the lived experiences of older people who took part in the research. Myths such as:
• Only really well-off people need to pay for care
• If you pay for care you get more choice
• The more you pay for care the better the quality
The lack of lack of understanding the realities means misplaced assumptions are often made about self-funders which can work against them getting the support they need.
Self-funders, the invisible lynchpin of social care
People who pay for their care tend to pay more than people getting publicly funded care, sometimes ‘cross-subsidising’ publicly funded care. In fact, they make important financial contributions which function as lynchpins that help to sustain a social care system characterised by fragile care markets and insufficient public funding. But if people run out of funds their value to the care market changes and they become a potential financial liability to the local authority. In this briefing we highlight crucial questions about equity, fairness and the uncertain and shifting line between private and public responsibilities
Catastrophic costs for care at home for self-funders
We usually think about the ‘catastrophic costs’ of care in relation to older people who live in residential care and nursing homes, but costs can also be ‘catastrophic’ for older people who have limited means and are receiving care at home. This briefing highlights their financial concerns and their position within the care market, and reveals the excessive financial burden that older people may have to bear when they are paying for care in their own homes.
Care ... What do you need to know? 