Volunteers must care for elderly in the future?

Volunteers are seen as the answer to the UK’s growing care problems because of the rising number of elderly people says government minister Norman Lamb.

Lamb was quoted as saying that modern families and the government were unable to meet demand because of a “neglectful” society.

Referring to “the dispersal of the extended family” he described a growing number of elderly people were now left lonely and that the state could not be expected to look after them.

His answer was to rely on volunteers to fill this care gap and suggested a version of “neighbourhood watch” to look after the care needs in the community.

“On our very streets we have people who live on their own, who don’t see anyone and whose relatives might visit once a month or whatever, but what’s life like in between?” he said.

Comparing the UK with Spain, where he said elderly people were looked after by their families, he said that the UK had become a “neglectful society”. To read more click here