Report dictating what we should drink at 65 is nothing short of ridiculous, says Saga’s Emma Soames

EMMA SOAMES

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

SAGA MAGAZINE

PRESS RELEASE

June 22, 2011.

Report dictating what we should drink at 65 is nothing short of ridiculous, says Saga’s Emma Soames

Responding to the report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists relating to over-65s and drinking,, Emma Soames, editor- at- large for Saga Magazine, said:

“This will absolutely infuriate older people.  Eating and drinking is one of the last great pleasures for the elderly.  Raising awareness of the issue to the very few  who drink heavily is one thing, but dictating half a glass of white wine and half a glass of beer, to people who have drunk safely all their lives is nothing short of ridiculous. 

“I don’t think anybody fell over and seriously injured themselves through drinking just a couple of glasses of wine.

“For older people who live on their own, looking forward to a drink in the evening or a trip to the pub is one of their few pleasures and chances to socialise.  

“There are thousands of older people who enjoy a drink, probably more than the new suggested limits, who surely cannot be described as heavy or antisocial drinkers.”


Ends.

Lisa Harris
Saga Group Communications
Saga Group Ltd
01303 776504
07515 496321

EHRC HOME CARE STANDARDS AND DIGNITY REPORT: MORE EMBARRASSMENT FOR GOVERNMENT CARE PROVISION.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

June 16, 2011.

EHRC HOME CARE STANDARDS AND DIGNITY REPORT: MORE EMBARRASSMENT FOR GOVERNMENT CARE PROVISION.

Commenting on the findings of the inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of Saga, the over-50s organisation, said:

“The EHRC report draws attention, once again, to the consequences of a lack of adequate funding for care in the UK. We have not taken care seriously enough in this country and it has not received the attention - or the money - that has been devoted to the NHS, even though a lack of adequate care can be just as harmful to people's lives as a lack of adequate health services.

“The view of millions of Saga customers - and of experts in the field - is that home care is a better and more cost-effective route to providing support and dignity to the elderly and most vulnerable than relying on a hospital stay, and much preferred to care homes.

“The vast majority of older people receive excellent care and value highly the care worker who cares for them. But money is time - and cuts mean visit duration and frequency are coming under pressure. If local authority budgets for care continue to be squeezed, the outcomes for older people will also be damaged.

“Cutting funding for care is a false economy: good, fully-funded, home care can prevent people needing urgent care in hospital or staying in hospital longer than necessary and would save huge amounts for the NHS.

“While the Health and Social Care Bill focuses mostly on the Health Service, we believe it is important to increase emphasis on the Social Care side of the debate.

“There is simply not enough money being set aside for care - event the £2billion that the Government said it would allocate to care has not been ring-fenced, so it may be diverted to other uses. There is a great variation across the UK in who qualifies for care, what level of care they qualify for – the extent and type of visit - and how much funding the local authority provides.

“It is vital that high standards - including training – are maintained. But the tremendous work carried out by carers and family carers needs to be recognised. They are under incredible time and emotional pressure – particularly those working to enforced local authority budgets and hence time allocations. Unless we allocate more resource, we fear further negative headlines - they could be avoided by a more joined-up approach to health and social care for vulnerable older people in our ageing society.”

Ends

Further information:
Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
www.saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Ros Altmann
Director General
Saga Group Ltd
Mobile: 07545 504 513
Web: www.saga.co.uk

SOUTHERN CROSS TALKS: THEY’RE OVERLOOKING THE KEY ISSUE – WELLBEING AND CERTAINTY FOR CARE HOME RESIDENTS.

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

June 15, 2011.

SOUTHERN CROSS TALKS: THEY’RE OVERLOOKING THE KEY ISSUE – WELLBEING AND CERTAINTY FOR CARE HOME RESIDENTS.

Commenting on the Southern Cross care homes crisis, Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of Saga, the over-50s organisation, said:

“There are lots of discussions today about Southern Cross, but the vast majority of talk is about money-related issues – but they’re missing the most important point: the primary issues are the wellbeing of the residents, their families - and workers, who are also crucial to the wellbeing process.

“Giving false reassurances to families and key workers is unacceptable; nobody in the process or operation – from end to end - has any clarity or certainty. It is an utterly unsustainable position.

"These are people, not boxes in a warehouse; they and their families are having more pressure and concern heaped upon them at a time when the care environment as a whole is in alarming disarray.

"We’ve heard about rents and tax bills, but there's simply no clarity, certainty or reassurances on the issue of just how safe and secure Southern Cross care home residents are, consequently causing deep concern amongst their families.

"But another key issue that seems not to have been addressed is the point that staff too are facing uncertainty - what happens if Southern Cross staff decide enough is enough, and start to look for work elsewhere? We should all be concerned about what hardships might arise for the incredibly vulnerable residents of Southern Cross homes if staff do start to move on.”

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
www.saga.co.uk

07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann 

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Twitter @Press_Relations

THEY SPEAK SOFTLY, BUT CARRY BIG WALKING STICKS: SURVEY REVEALS WHAT OLDER PEOPLE WANT FROM NHS REFORMS.

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

June 14, 2011.

THEY SPEAK SOFTLY, BUT CARRY BIG WALKING STICKS: SURVEY REVEALS WHAT OLDER PEOPLE WANT FROM NHS REFORMS.

They may speak softly, but they carry big walking sticks – vote-prone older people want their GPs to have more control over their care and treatment, and they want Ministers debating NHS reforms to know it.

Over-50s group Saga commissioned an independent Populus survey of nearly 13,000 older people, and more than half of them – an age group which is far more likely to vote in elections than any other – said they’d be happier if their GPs carried more influence and control over their care and healthcare needs.

“Ministers wrangling over how they deal with NHS reforms need look no further than our attitudinal research: it makes it crystal clear that the people who most want or need reliable care and healthcare – older people – are adamant as to what is required,” said Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of Saga.

“We surveyed 12,939 over-50s, and it’s clear that over-50s support radical reforms of the NHS. What’s more, our wider understanding of older people says we should have more involvement of UK care professionals as a whole, not just GPs.

“More than half (59%) of over-50s surveyed would be happier if GPs would, in future, have more control over their long-term treatment and healthcare requirements.  This figure increases to 66% among the over-70s, who were most supportive of the changes.  

"A third (33%) of respondents to the Saga Populus poll thought that GPs would do better at finding them the best NHS treatment than the existing Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), and Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs).  

“GPs should be able to prescribe care services for their patients, not just medicines or diagnostics, and also to prescribe effective telehealth or telecare too.

“Yes, GPs should be in charge, but all hospital doctors and GPs should be able to include prescription of care at home services that will ultimately save the NHS huge amounts of money with our ageing population.

"Older people have great faith in their GPs' commitment and ability to get the best possible health outcomes for them from the NHS.

"There is obviously room for a broader role for health professionals other than just GPs. Integration of medical and social care is very important for future success."

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
www.saga.co.uk

07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Twitter @Press_Relations

NHS REFORMS: DOCTORS “INNOCENTLY IGNORANT” OF SOCIAL CARE SYSTEM.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

SAGA RESPITE FOR CARERS TRUST
PRESS RELEASE

June 13, 2011

DOCTORS “INNOCENTLY IGNORANT” OF SOCIAL CARE SYSTEM.

NHS doctors and nurses are largely in the dark about how to get post-treatment elderly patients out of hospital beds and into social care, meaning a potentially overwhelming tidal wave of demand for care once medical professionals get to grips with the system.

The lack of clarity amongst doctors over how the UK social care system operates means that thousands of hospital beds are blocked by elderly people who would be better off being cared for at home or in residential care.

“The potential impact of this issue is not just that innocent ignorance exists, but what will happen when medical professionals are educated, and health and social care are finally integrated,” said Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s lifestyle organisation Saga, which supports the Saga Respite for Carers Trust.

“It is important that they become better equipped to allow patients to leave hospital with suitable care cover, but Saga is concerned that there is a consequent risk of our care system being overwhelmed.

“In fact, there will come a tipping point when medical professionals understand the massively complex UK social care system, how to get elderly post-treatment people into it, and start to move older infirm people out of hospital beds and into care at a much faster rate.

“It is an element of NHS reform which has been overlooked: medical professionals need to be educated in how the social care system works – given the confusing array of approaches taken by different authorities - but, once they do, then elderly people will flow into the social care system faster and in greater volumes, which risks swamping home carers and residential care – but the upside is this will create a faster flow of NHS acute and elective patients into hospitals because of the increased availability of beds.

“The hospital bed log jam may be unwelcome, but it is convenient to the current capacity of the system. However, once the log jam is cleared, then demands upon different elements of the social care and healthcare systems further downstream will go beyond capacity.

“This is an issue which urgently needs to be factored in to the government’s current re-thinking on NHS reforms as realisation and significance dawns as to just how much work needs to be done on integration of health and social care.

“So frustrated are we at the lack of information about care that we have produced a free public information guide – astonishingly the only single-source guide in the UK – for both families and, indeed, medical professionals, who are trying to get to grips with the care system.”

‘The Saga Guide to Care’ is free and available from 0800 015 2084 or online at www.saga.co.uk/ltc

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
Twitter @Press_Relations

SENTENCING ROW: USE PRISONS MORE, SAY OVER-50S.

SAGA 
PRESS RELEASE 
 
June 10, 2011. 
 

SENTENCING ROW: USE PRISONS MORE, SAY OVER-50S.

  
Older voters believe there would be far less crime in Britain if more use was made of prisons and there was less reliance on community service sentences. 
  
Two thirds of over-50s - coincidentally polled by Populus on behalf of over-50s lifestyle organisation Saga just before political war broke out over sentencing - said they believed prison would be a stronger deterrent. 
  
The stance was higher among men than women - 70% compared with 57% - while C2, D and E demographic classes were more adamant that a spell behind bars worked more effectively than a stint sweeping the streets, tidying parks or helping community groups. 
  
“The survey was conducted before the arguments over prison sentencing started in the Commons. As such, it’s probably a far more objective cross section of opinion than if we’d asked the same questions after remarks by various politicians on the subject,” said Paul Green, Head of Communication at Saga. 
  
Londoners and Scots were least enthusiastic that prison would be more of a deterrent – 56% and 59% respectively agreed – while people in the North West, Yorkshire and Humber – 69% - were most likely to favour prison over community service sentences. 
  
Populus interviewed 11,289 people aged 50+, online between May 13 and 20, 2011. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. 
  
Ends 
  
Further information: 
  
Paul V Green 
Head of Communication 
Saga Group Ltd 
01303 776 023 (w) 
07714 414 859 (m) 
  
Iain Macauley 
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800 
Twitter @Press_Relations

DILNOT CONFIRMS AT CARE CRISIS SEMINAR: THERE MUST BE A CAP ON PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO CARE COSTS.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

June 7, 2011

DILNOT CONFIRMS AT CARE CRISIS SEMINAR: THERE MUST BE A CAP ON PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO CARE COSTS.

The problem of paying for long-term care for the elderly must involve them being willing to use part of the value of their homes.

This was one conclusion reached today (June 7) at the Saga Care Crisis Seminar with Andrew Dilnot, who is heading the independent commission into the funding of care.

Saga Director-General Ros Altmann, who was chairing the meeting, asked if any of the group, who are all leaders in the care industry, believed that home-owning pensioners should not have to pay for care from the value of their houses – and not one disagreed.

But Mr Dilnot, whose report is due out in July, made it clear that he felt there should be a cap on contributions so everyone still had something left over to pass on to their children.

He said it was clear that all three main political parties accepted that it was crucial for there to be a new system of paying for care, the cost of which is set to soar as people live longer.

“What we have at the moment is a nightmare,” he said. “There must be more resources – both public and private.”

There had to be an acceptance that people would have to meet some of the costs themselves but governments also had to accept that the state must be ready to protect people from “catastrophic losses”.

Ros Altmann added: “In a civilised society, the state will have to ultimately pick up the tab.”

She said that the private sector needed to get involved, too, as it was in the provision of pensions.

Among other issues discussed at the seminar were how more older people might be kept in their own homes and how health service money could be better used if it was spent on preventing health problems which resulted in the need for care.

One of the participants, Lord German, called on the provision of care to become a fundamental right. He said a post-code lottery existed at the moment because much of care is funded through local authorities and so how much anyone got depended on the policy of their council.

He added: “We need a system that is national. If it’s a universal system, it will be a universal right. And it should be one of the fundamental rights to receive care.”

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
Twitter @Press_Relations

THE MONSTER OVER THE HILL – THE CARE CRISIS LOOMS. DILNOT TO LEAD JUNE 7 DEBATE.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

June 6, 2011

THE MONSTER OVER THE HILL – THE CARE CRISIS LOOMS.

DILNOT TO LEAD SAGA'S SEMINAR IN SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS.

Some of the most informed, visionary and influential people in social care will gather in London on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, in a bid to tackle the looming UK care crisis - the monster over the hill.

Andrew Dilnot, chairman of the Government’s Commission into Care Funding, will lead the debate at the Saga Care Crisis Seminar, which will be chaired by Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s organisation Saga, and attended by a selection of the most senior care sector influencers.

“History is littered with ‘told-you-so’s’ – those of us who have a frontline appreciation of care issues are screaming that there’s a monster over the hill, but the policymakers either don’t see it, or are so dumbstruck by the magnitude of the threat that they’re frozen to the spot, and unable to respond or react,” said Dr Altmann.

“The care issue is invisible to many, but monstrous to those with direct care sector contact. The combined expertise and brainpower around that table on Tuesday knows that a care catastrophe is fast – and relentlessly – approaching.

“It is essential that we move on with reform of care funding – quickly and decisively - before we are overwhelmed. If we believed the pensions crisis was crippling, the care crisis has the potential to be far, far worse.  If someone does not have enough pension, they may be able to wait a bit.  But once someone needs critical care, they cannot wait at all.

“Very few people have earmarked any money for care needs. They just hope someone will look after them if the need arises. At least with pensions most people have done some saving, but, when it comes to care, there is no private provision - people just have to find the money at the time, and this can mean losing all their assets.

“The seminar will generate some definitive and do-able solutions, because, frankly, in the past, policymakers have come up with very little, have disguised petty political differences as insurmountable operational and organisational issues, and simply failed to make progress. Time is now running out in more ways than one.

“The crisis is creeping up on us. We must recognise the potential for the issue to overwhelm the system before it’s too late.”

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
Twitter @Press_Relations

SAGA REPORT SHOWS CARE FUNDING CRISIS IS WORSE THAN THOUGHT – WE’RE THE POOR OLD MAN OF EUROPE AGAIN.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

June 6, 2011

SAGA REPORT SHOWS CARE FUNDING CRISIS IS WORSE THAN THOUGHT – WE’RE THE POOR OLD MAN OF EUROPE AGAIN.

Baby boomers living in comfort today could fall into a precipice of unexpectedly undignified later life if the falling levels of spending on social care and the rising spiral of demand continue to diverge at the current rate. The problem is set to explode if no action is taken.

That’s the finding of a report commissioned by over-50s organisation Saga, which highlights that the shortfall in spending on care could be much worse than previously thought - and that the UK is languishing near the bottom of the European care spend league.

The report, “Take Care – the Future Funding of Social Care” says that no degree of number crunching based on current levels of spend will make ends meet in the sector, meaning potentially catastrophic consequences for millions of Britons in later life.

“We often look down on other countries, but when it comes to care for the elderly, we should look up to many of them,” said Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of Saga.

Compiled by academics and care sector experts at 2020 Health, the report shows that an estimated 275,000 people with moderate care needs are receiving no financial support as local authorities are desperately reducing their spending to make ends meet, and that there are huge under-spends on technology compared to European neighbours.

“Decent care cannot be provided on the cheap, but not enough money has been allocated. Many more older people, not enough money - and the situation is worsening relentlessly: by 2030 there will be 50% more older people, with associated fast-growing demands on the public purse. Currently, people of working age fund a large proportion of care provision through taxes, and the ratio of taxpayers to older people will fall by a third; so where will the money come from?” said Dr Altmann.

“The fact that people live longer has been with us for a long time, but successive Governments have failed to prepare properly to address the inevitable consequences. Warnings of a pensions crisis were ignored but are finally being taken seriously with urgent reform; however no such sense of urgency has been shown when it comes to care.

“If we think the pensions crisis is a huge problem, care could be a major catastrophe as more older people are left to languish with inadequate resources to look after their needs.

“The 'Take Care' report highlights the enormous challenges we face.  In particular, it warns that current policy is incoherent. On the one hand, Government says it wants to encourage people to stay independent and remain in their own homes for as long as possible, which is what older people themselves also want, but on the other hand, by financing only those with greatest need, and reducing funding for those with moderate needs, people are denied the help they require to be able to live at home and it is inevitable that more people will end up in critical need.

“The report also highlights that the UK can once again be labelled the poor old man of Europe. It cites figures from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) showing that the UK spends far less on social care for older people than many other European nations – we’re 17^th out of 20. Poland, Germany and Sweden spend 50% more than us, while France and Italy spend twice as much. We should be ashamed of the lack of spending on care, which is leading to an extremely undignified way of life for people growing old in the UK.

“The UK is also behind other countries in the use of telehealth and telecare services - but it is well known that monitoring people more effectively and treating them in their own home can save time and money for health and care services, and is better for them as well.

“The report assesses the various care funding options, including a partnership between paying for yourself and getting funding from the public purse, as well as insurance and savings options – whether voluntary or compulsory – or tax funded. The only certainty is that no single approach is going to suit everybody.

“We need new thinking, and there is no time to dither. More older people, means more demand for social care, but less funding and local authority cutbacks leave vulnerable voiceless victims at risk. It’s a time bomb. We must defuse it.”

Ends

Further information:
Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
Twitter @Press_Relations