Cheap loans plan to help elderly keep independence

The work of the advisers, experts and charities on the panel will underpin a White Paper on the social care system expected in April.
The so-called “Prevention” group has told ministers to do much more to “support individuals to maintain their independence and well-being for as long as possible in their own homes”.
The group has called for “a programme of work to support future proofing and adaptation of accommodation to enable people to live independently at home for longer”.
Adaptation work can be costly, and the advisers suggest that ministers should provide direct financial help for people undertaking such projects.
The Government should offer older people a “loan guarantee scheme” similar to those recently offered to first-time homebuyers, the group said.
Such low-cost loans would be used for “property improvements” for older and disabled home owners, carried out by either charities or the private sector.
The group also told ministers that many people lack adequate information about the care system, meaning they do not plan properly for going into care and sometimes make the wrong choices.
In response, a “comprehensive national advice and information service” should be set up to allow people to take better-informed choices earlier in life about care.
Helping older people “feel less isolated and better connected to others” should be a central objective of social care policies, the panel said.
One approach is “timebanking” where people who spend time volunteering are awarded credits that they can exchange for services.
Such projects have been used in Japan for many years.
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