A study by Newcastle University is predicting that the care system in the UK could become overwhelmed in the future.
The study by their Institute for Ageing and Health has predicted an 82% increase in the number of care places needed across the country by 2030.
This means that an additional 630,000 care home places are needed over the next 20 years to cope with the demands created by an ageing population.
The Newcastle University study also found that 41% of older people aged over 85 were capable of looking after themselves with no assistance. It found that a further 39% in this age group needed help less frequently than once a day.
It is the remaining 20% of people in this over 85 age group that will place a growing burden on the national care system.
This group needed either regular daily assistance or constant critical care.
The findings of this report suggest that the government needs to urgently address levels of capacity in the national care system.
It seems very likely that individuals will increasingly be responsible for funding their own care in older age, with an ageing population placing an unaffordable level of need on an already strained state system.
Photo credit: Flickr/Jim Linwood
