The bigger picture: understanding disability and care in England’s older population

Author(s)

LLOYD James, ROSS Andy

Publisher(s):

Independent Age, Strategic Society Centre

Publication year:

2014

Explores disability and care at a national, regional and local authority level in England. The report brings together data from Census 2011, DWP and HSCIC ‘administrative data’, as well as from Wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, to look at the prevalence of disability, need and care of different types, and to paint a picture of the lives of different groups. In particular, Chapter 3 provides a snapshot of disability and care in the older population in England, identifying key results. Chapter 4 looks in detail at the lives of older people with limited day-to-day activities, from their health characteristics to their living situation. Chapter 5 explores the characteristics of older people receiving unpaid and paid care including the overall adequacy of their care, as well as older people with substantial levels of disability who experience difficulty undertaking three or more ‘activities of daily living’. Chapter 6 explores the interaction of older people experiencing limited day-to-day activities with public support, i.e. disability benefits and the local authority care and support system. Chapter 7 examines the prevalence of unpaid older carers and the outcomes they experience, as well as the extent of local authority support for them. The report shows that around half of the 65+ population in England reported their day-to-day activities were limited. Of the 6.7 per cent of the older population living at home in England who reported difficulty undertaking three or more activities of daily living, around 70,000 did not receive any care, and could therefore be classed as experiencing substantial unmet need. Around 20 per cent of older carers experienced self-care (ADL) difficulties themselves. (Edited publisher abstract)