NHF calls for more help to keep people living at home

2010-01-26 23:34:40

A new report from the National Housing Federation has revealed that hospital and care home admissions could be cut dramatically if more support was made available to enable older people to live in their own homes. Entitled ‘In your lifetime’, the report highlights the millions of pounds in care costs that the NHS, patients and their families could save if funding was diverted into supporting independent living and providing preventive care services. The NHF estimates that at present, 2.86 million older people in England need help with at least one basic task, such as washing and dressing. As the population continues to age, this figure will rise quickly and more specialised housing and tailored support services will be needed to cope with demand. Simple measures such as home adaptations, regular social care visits and personal alarms will help more people stay in their homes and out of hospital or expensive residential care for longer. NHF chief executive David Orr comments: ‘All too often older people can only access care and support services once they reach crisis point – when they end in hospital or in a care home...Investing more widely in simple preventative measures would ease the burden on the NHS, save the public purse £1.4bn, and most importantly allow people to live where they want to be – in their home.’