Pensions, healthcare and care home costs were on the agenda for my afternoon chat with residents at Abbeyfield Court. Under the highly professional and indefatigably compassionate management of Neil Thompson, Senior House Manager, the 16 apartments offer independent living and community, set in a beautiful haven, to those with increasing health needs.
Abbeyfield is a global organisaiton providing a variety of accommodation including sheltered housing, care homes, dementia care homes and independent living apartments. As a registered charity, its objectives are to enhance the quality of life for older people, and from what I saw, it is definitely achieving that in Locks Heath. All apartments have fitted kitchens, there is a communal dining area and a busy social calendar. The on-site 24hour support is an invaluable safeguard for emergencies and residents have the option to purchase additional personal care to suit their particular needs.
I was struck by one resident's story that after her husband's health deteriorated with dementia and the strain became too much for her to care for him at home alone, she was so relieved to find Abbeyfield, where they could continue living as a couple and receive much-needed, tailored support. And having been involved in the care of my elderly and infirm grandmother for many years until the end of her life, I saw first-hand how good quality care, attention and respect are vital in maintaining dignity for older people. Whether it was speaking up for her to health professionals "in the system" to ensure she got the right care as her chronic arthiritis worsened, or whether it was was just spending an afternoon with her having a cup of tea, I saw how important access to the high quality health and care services are.
Fareham has one of the highest populations of over 85s in the country and life expectancy is growing steadily. That’s why we’re taking action to ensure older people feel financially secure, have access to high quality services and tackling important issues such as loneliness and dementia.
It is vital that we build a society where older people receive the dignity and respect they deserve and where they are provided with the support they need. Conservatives are dong this by:
- Helping older people be more financially secure. We are making sure people don’t have to sell their home to pay for social care. From April 2016 the Government will pay for peoples care once the cost to them hits £72,000 – and the threshold for the means test on residential care will rise from £23,000 to £118,000. We are also protecting universal pensioner benefits like the Winter Fuel Allowance, free TV licences, bus travel and prescriptions. We have committed to protecting these in the next Parliament as well.
- Making sure older people can get the high quality care they deserve. We are investing £5.3 billion to join up health and social care services to ensure that health and social care services work together so that patients get the right care both in hospital and the community.
- Expanding help for people with dementia. We are investing £300 million in dementia research and we have invested £2.4 million in the ‘Dementia Friends’ scheme which has seen over one million people signed up to become dementia friends who can support elderly people with dementia.
- Supporting those most at risk of long term loneliness and social isolation. We have launched a £1 million fund to help older people at risk of loneliness remain active, independent and positively engaged in society. Local community organisations bid for grants of £250 to £3,000 and we awarded funding to 459 initiatives.