An inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found that the human rights of some older people is being overlooked, due to levels of care being so poor.
The commission has found evidence of worrying levels of neglect and examples of lack of respect for older people, in respect of their privacy and dignity. They will be publishing a full report in November.
Some of the examples described are shocking.
They cite examples of people left in bed for 17 hours a day or longer and a failure to wash people properly. The length of some care visits is also criticised for being too short, forcing some people to choose between having a wash or a cooked meal.
The news of this inquiry comes as the Southern Cross care homes financial crisis continues to hit the headlines.
Older people need and deserve a high standard of care in later life. This can be expensive to deliver.
Many of the clients we work with to provide care fees planning advice are looking for absolute certainty that they will be able to afford to pay for private care for the rest of their lives.
This approach to care fees planning avoids the often stressful need to move to a cheaper home in the future or revert to receiving care funded by a Local Authority.
As the UK population continues to age and the Baby Boomer generation enters retirement, the pressures on the adult social care system will only continue to increase. Individuals and their families need to have a proper plan for meeting care fees in later life, rather than relying on what the State might or might not be able to to provide.
