Care and Health

Informal care market in US: $196bn per annum (The Economic Value Of Informal Caregiving)

A study in the UK projected that by 2017 demand for informal care will exceed supply. By 2041 the gap between the numbers of people projected to provide informal care and the numbers needed to provide care if projected demand is to be met amounts to nearly 250 thousand care-providers (Informal Care for Older People Provided by Their Adult Children: Projections of Supply and Demand to 2041 in England)

By the 2020s the number of older people relying on community care services will rise by nearly 40 per cent to more than two million. At the same time, the ratio of the working-age population to retired people will halve over the next 40 years. (The New Old Age_The Lab)

“Informal carers are unpaid and save the UK £87 billion per year!” (http://www.carersinformation.org.uk/)

UK: ‘Over-60 contribute to 18 million hours per week and approximately 792 million hours per annum. At the UK’s current minimum wage of £5.35 per hour, their work is worth £4.2 billion each year’ (Harper 2009: 16; in The New Old Age_The Lab)

UK: 1.5 million ‘informal’ unpaid carers aged 60 or more (Brindle 2009: 6; in The New Old Age_The Lab)

Some people qualify for support through disability benefits. But, until now, the state has provided social care only to people on low incomes who cannot afford to pay for themselves. Those who can pay for themselves have been expected to do so with no support from the state, sometimes having to use up their savings, and the value of their house, to pay for care until they only have £23,000 left. (UK Grenn Paper on Care)

By 2026, we expect there to be 1.7 million more adults who need care and support. (UK Grenn Paper on Care)

Twenty per cent of people will need care that costs less than £1,000 – but 20 per cent will need care that costs more than £50,000. And someone who is in a care home for years could have costs of more than £100,000. (UK Grenn Paper on Care)

“In Britain today we have three almost entirely separate debates going on with regard to social care: the first is about how we fund longterm care for older people; the second is about how we support carers; and the third is about promoting independent living for disabled people… These three debates should be one debate, one question. Namely: How do we deliver a support system where people’s human rights are enshrined and everyone’s life chances are equally valued and supported?” Baroness Jane Campbell (2008) ‘Fighting for a slice, or for a bigger cake?’, lecture at St John’s College, University of Cambridge. (UK Grenn Paper on Care)

In England there are more than 3,600 private care agencies providing care in people’s homes and 13,000 private care homes. Third sector organisations also have a vital role. They run more than 3,000 care homes and almost 400 home care agencies. (UK Grenn Paper on Care)

The 2001 Census suggested that there are around 5.2 million carers in England and Wales – one in ten of the population. (UK Grenn Paper on Care)

A typical 65-year-old can expect to need care costing £30,000 throughout their lives. But that average masks a huge range. For about a fifth of people, the figure is less than a £1,000; for another fifth, it's in excess of £50,000. And for those with complex, long term needs - such as dementia - the costs can rise above £200,000. (UK Grenn Paper on Care)