PRESS STATEMENT – PRESS STATEMENT – PRESS STATEMENT

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SDLP MLA BURNS: CARE FOR ELDERLY TOO COSTLY
 

SDLP South Antrim MLA Thomas Burns has expressed his concerns about the high cost of residential care for older people.  

Mr Burns said, “Residential care for the elderly is an essential service to ensure older people have a good quality of life irrespective of their abilities or state of their health. However this care can be extremely costly and can prove to be a huge financial burden on families.

“Many older people resist residential care because in many incidents it forces them into selling off their lifelong homes to cover the cost of the care, and for many others they don’t want that financial burden to fall to their families. Hence many older people, who would be better cared for in a residential home, are left to fend for themselves living alone.

“Residential care offers a safe and caring environment for many older people to spend their later years but it is too costly for many. The SDLP have pressed Minister Michael McGimpsey on what action he is taking to address this issue and I welcome his ongoing review into the cost of residential care. Currently he is surveying the cost of introducing free personal care along with a number of other possibilities, and this is welcome.

“This is a worrying issue for many older people and their families and I think it is only fair that Government find a solution to this problem to ensure there is affordable care for all those who need it.”

ENDS