Older people are a large and growing segment of our population

According to Age Concern England's Key facts and statistics 2008 there are in the UK:

• 61 million people in total
• 20.5 million people aged over 50
• 9.7 million people aged over 65
• 2.7 million people aged over 80

By 2032 nearly one in four people in the UK will be aged 65 and over. (Office for National Statistics, Population trends 134, 2008)

Population growth between 2008 and 2028 will be fastest amongst the oldest older people: (Office for National Statistics, National population projections)

• 16% increase in the number of people of all age
• 33% increase in the number of people aged 50 and over
• 53% increase in the number of people aged 65 and over
• 85% increase in the number of people aged 80 and over.

 

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Many older people are disabled

The likelihood of being disabled and receiving care increases with age.

• 60% of people aged 65 and over say they have a long-term condition, compared with 17% of those aged under 40. (Department of Health, Raising the profile of long term conditions care: A compendium of information, 2008) 
• The proportion of people with dementia doubles for every 5 year age group. 5% of people aged 65 and over, 20% of people aged 80 and over and 33% of people aged 90 and over have dementia. (Alzheimers Society, Statistics, 2009)
• Symptoms of depression are more common in later life, affecting 25% of people aged 65 and over. (UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life, Promoting mental health and well-being in later life, 2006)
• The chance of living in a long-stay hospital or care home is 1% for people aged 65-74 years, 4% for people aged 75-84 years and 18% for people aged 85+. (Laing and Buisson, Care of elderly people: UK market survey, 2006)

Older people make up a high proportion of those who are disabled.

• 307,000 people in England are blind or partially sighted.  77% are aged 65 and over. (The NHS Information Centre, Registered blind and partially sighted people, Year ending 31 March 2006, England)
• 219,100 people in England are deaf or hard of hearing.  70% are aged 65 and over. (The NHS Information Centre, People registered deaf or hard of hearing, Year ending 31 March 2007, England)
• There are 700,000 people with dementia in the UK. 98% are aged 65 and over. (Alzheimers Society, Statistics, 2009)

 

The number of disabled older people in England is projected to double from approximately 2.3 million in 2002 to approximately 4.6 million in 2041. (PSSRU, Future demand for long-term care, 2002 to 2041: Projections of demand for long-term care for older people in England, 2006) 

There will be over a million people with dementia by 2025. (Alzheimers Society, Statistics, 2009)

 

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It's not all negative

• Older people are incredibly diverse. Some older people do not need support at all. Individuals age differently, especially in terms of health, well-being and disability – and therefore they vary in their need for different kinds of support.
• Older people make significant contributions to the economy and to society. (Age Concern and Help the Aged, One voice: Shaping our ageing society, 2009) 
• Older people have aspirations, their rights and demands for equality, choice and greater control regardless of their need for support on a day to day basis.
• The nature of ageing is changing. Patterns and trends in terms of housing, family and social networks, employment and other types of economic and social participation are all changing.
• The majority of older people live in their own homes and want to stay there. Only 4% of people aged 65 and over live in communal settings which include residential and nursing care homes, sheltered housing and extra care housing. (Age Concern England, Age Agenda 2008)

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Older disabled people obtain support from a range of sources

Older people are the main users of publicly funded services

• Older people use 60% of NHS hospital beds. (Department of Health, National service framework for older people, 2001)
• Older people make up 72% of all social care clients (The NHS Information Centre, Statistics & data collections, 2009) and account for 42% of social care spending. (The NHS Information Centre, Personal social services expenditure and unit costs: England 2007-08)
• Older people account for 49% of social care spending on residential care provision. (The NHS Information Centre, Personal social services expenditure and unit costs: England 2007-08)

The majority of older people pay privately for support

• The number of 'self-funding' older people who pay for their own care is unknown but recognised as an issue of growing importance.  (Communitycare.co.uk, A fair deal for self-funders, 29 April 2009)
• The value of privately purchased home care in England is estimated at £700m. (Laing and Buisson, Care of elderly people: UK market survey, 2007)

Older people rely on and also provide informal care

• There are 6 million unpaid carers in the UK. Around 70% of people who receive support from informal carers are aged 65 and over. (Carers UK, Facts about carers, 2009)  
• Older people provide £15 billion in unpaid care themselves. (Age Concern England, Age Agenda 2008)

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Many older disabled people are not getting the support they need, in the way they want it

The vast majority of older people who need support receive little or no publicly funded care.

• 74% of local authorities provide social care only to people with substantial or critical levels of need. (Commission for Social Care Inspection, The state of social care in England 2006-07, 2008)
• The number of people aged 65 and over receiving home care dropped by 35% between 1992 and 2005. (The NHS Information Centre, Community care statistics 2004: Home care services for adults, England)

Older disabled people have often been left out of innovations in self-directed support

• Progress on personalised care has been patchy. Despite improvements, most people still experience a ‘one size fits all’ model of care that does not meet their individual needs. (Commission for Social Care Inspection, The state of social care in England 2007-08, 2009)
• To date, older people have been less likely to use individual budgets. (University of York, Evaluation of Individual Budget pilots programme: Final report, 2008)
• Older people have the lowest rates of take-up of direct payments.  Less than 1% of people aged 65 and over receiving social care use direct payments. (T. Poole, Direct payments and older people, 2006)

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There is a new way forward

Older people want something different

• They want more choice and control over any support they need to go about their everyday lives.
• Local authorities are starting to do things differently.
• Government has recognised this aspiration and this is reflected in current policy frameworks.

There is wide scope for doing things differently

• for investing in different options and opportunities for support
• for enabling and equipping older disabled people to have choices over this support
• for enabling and equipping older disabled people to regain and retain control over their lives
• There are many practical examples of the small things that make a huge difference to older people's everyday lives.
• See the Tools section of this website for a comprehensive list of resources related to Independent Living and older people.

There are strong arguments for doing things differently

• Reducing rates of institutionalisation by just 1% will save a projected £3.8 billion per year. (Social Exclusion Unit, Making life better for older people: An economic case for preventative services and activities, 2006)
• Falls leading to hip fracture cost £726 million in 2000 in the UK. (S. Parrott, The economic cost of hip fracture in the UK, 2000)
• Housing adaptations, including better lighting, reduces the number of falls and other accidents. Housing adaptations can also reduce depression, which in turn may reduce the number of falls.
• The timely provision of adaptations and equipment can speed hospital discharge or prevent admission to hospital; give support to carers; and can enable disabled older people to avoid or move out of residential accommodation into independent living.
• Better outcomes and lower costs can be achieved through investment in housing adaptations, improvements and equipment. (F. Heywood and L. Turner, Better outcomes, lower costs: Implications for health and social care budgets of investment in housing adaptations, improvements and equipment: A review of the evidence, 2007)

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