1:15pm Monday 13th October 2008
By Peter Law
HAMPSHIRE’S pensioners are being urged to come out in force to help shape the future of long-term care in Britain.
It is hoped the Great Hall in Winchester will be packed out for the Age Concern Hampshire annual conference tomorrow.
The conference falls on the final day of the consultation period prior to the Government’s long-awaited Green Paper on long-term care.
The Government’s head of social care strategy Alexandra Norrish – the person responsible for drafting the Green Paper – will be the keynote speaker.
“It is imperative that the Great Hall is full in order to convey the strength of feeling on this issue,”
said Age Concern Hampshire director Chris Perry.
Under the current financing system, an estimated 40,000 elderly people a year are forced to sell their homes to pay for their costly long-term care.
Mr Perry called on the Government to scrap the system and said a staterun insurance scheme – funded by all taxpayers – was the ideal solution.
However, it has been rumoured the Government is favouring an equity release scheme that would introduce similar charging for home care to that for residential care – exactly the opposite of what Age Concern is trying to achieve.
“We’re not against equity release if it is to enhance a person’s quality of life, but if it’s to pay the local authorities to provide services that most people should have anyway it is unacceptable,” Mr Perry added.
“It’s a cheap option for the Government and it is paramount the well-being of older people is put ahead of trying to save money.”
Presided over by former Saints manager Lawrie McMenemy, other speakers at the conference include Cllr Ken Thornber, leader of Hampshire County Council, Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern England, Carl Petrokofsky, of the Government Office of the South-East, Dr John Beer, executive director of Adult Social Care for the City of Southampton.
The conference starts at 10.30am and admission is free.
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