Families instead of NHS advised to care for elderly relatives

Families should take on the role of caretaker for their elderly relatives, as opposed...

Families should take on the role of caretaker for their elderly relatives, as opposed to just relying on the NHS, a health policy expert advised last July 31. 

Lord Darzi, who was once appointed as a health minister by Gordon Brown, recently said that the state should ‘demand’ people to be responsible for the social care and overall health of their families, including elderly members. 

However, he did add that family members who take up greater responsibility in caring for the elderly should receive financial assistance from the state. He said: “We must find better ways to support carers – in employment, housing and financial support.”

These comments were released at the first Global Health Policy Summit in London’s Guildhall. It was attended by international politicians and policy makers. 

Some reports, however, said that an earlier draft of Lord Darzi’s speech included a warning on the ‘social and demographic changes’ that are occurring nowadays, such as the increased rate of broken families that may result in fewer potential carers. 

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, however, made it clear weeks earlier that the state does not have enough money to pay the full cost of caring for the elderly, so people would have to share in the expense.