Two thirds of older adults would resist going into a care home, study finds

Reluctance to enter a care home later in life has increased among people over 45, with most preferring carers to come to their own homes, new research reveals.

About 69 percent reject the prospect of residential care, rising to 72 percent among those over 75, and opposition has hardened since the survey was first conducted in 2014.

According to the financial services company Just Group, older people have increasingly strong opinions about how they want and do not want to be cared for in old age.

In recent years, there have been indications that people have become more resistant to moving to care homes since the pandemic.

The crisis sparked outrage over the death toll among residents and quarrels over visiting restrictions for family members.

Downsizing to another home or assisted living facility, or paying for one-on-one care in your own home, are more popular alternatives to residential care, according to previous research.

Reforms to how people should pay for care are currently on hold after the government delayed the launch of a lifelong care spending cap until autumn 2025.

The plan would introduce an £86,000 cap on how much an individual has to spend on care – but based on some, not all, of their private contributions rather than the total cost – and raise the threshold to receive support from £23,250 to £ 100,000.

An influential trade association recently called for the tax on retirement withdrawals to be abolished or reduced if the money were to be used to pay for care in later life.

The Association of British Insurers also suggested that payments an older person has received from health insurance products could be excluded from means testing by local authorities.

Just Group found that 62 percent of all over-45s and 47 percent of over-75s surveyed in 2014 opposed going to a care home when it first conducted its survey in 2014.

While antipathy as a longer-term trend has become more widespread, it has declined somewhat since the height of the pandemic.

Opposition peaked in 2020 at 73 percent among over-45s and 82 percent among over-75s.

Meanwhile, 20 percent of all over-45s say they are positive about going to a home if necessary, compared to 32 percent in 2014.

Of the over-75s, 29 percent are now in favour, compared to 44 percent eight years ago.

When it comes to informal carers coming into your own home, 67 percent would now accept this, compared to 80 percent in 2014. Among the over-75s, this is 80 percent and 93 percent, respectively.

Just Group also notes that the percentage of over-45s who oppose their children’s care is at an all-time low of 51 percent, though it’s much higher among the over-75s at 69 percent.

“There are increasingly strong attitudes among older adults about how they want and don’t want care later in life, should they need it,” said Stephen Lowe, a director of the company.

“The horror stories about care homes during the pandemic seem to have made a lasting impression and we are still seeing a significant number of people opposed to moving into a residential care setting.”

‘Care in your own home is by far the most popular option for many people, especially among the over-75s who need more support in the near future.’

Adds Lowe: “The slowdown in the health care ceiling and the pile of abandoned reforms successive governments have left in their wake have helped create a cohort of disengaged, confused people – and no wonder with a system that is constantly on it seems about to change. .

Clear communication from the government on the social care reforms, including a timeline for reintroducing the £86,000 deferred care limit, is key to building trust in the system and getting people planning for later life .’

Just Group surveyed 1,000 over-45s, mainly in England plus a small group in Northern Ireland.