Families Anger Over 'Discriminatory' Cost of Elder Care

3.22.35pm GMT Thu 24th Jan 2008

Local families, whose elderly parents are in care, are questioning the prices charged by local care homes. One prominent local home, Laurel Dene, charges £560 a week to the council for local pensioners currently being cared for by the council and £820 for those who are "self funded", usually those who own a house.

Vincent Cable, who has challenged the owners Care UK to explain the price differential said: "there is a great deal of feeling amongst some elderly residents and their carers that they are paying over the odds, and being required to sell the family home even though they are not well off and have an income little better than a state pension. I can appreciate that those who have no resources should receive more help and that a family home is a form of wealth. But nonetheless it is difficult to understand why all 'self founders' are being charged at the same high price, 50% more than council nominees. There is also a palpable sense of grievance that those families who manage to transfer ownership of the family home before an elderly relative goes into a care home can avoid the higher charge while those who do not, are paying an extra £260 a week.

"What I am anxious to establish is whether the £820 is a fair price which reflects costs and isn't artificially boosted to cross subsidise other care home residents".