Social care system near collapse as vulnerable OAPs are severely neglected, going unwashed and unchanged
The damning report reveals that researchers found one in five individuals reliant on care often went without meals
VULNERABLE pensioners are being left unwashed for months by a social care system near collapse, a damning report reveals.
One MS sufferer said her sheets had not been changed for half a year and she had been in the same pyjamas since January.
She said care workers simply did not have enough time to clean, wash or change her.
Researchers found one in five Brits reliant on care often went without meals.
Some were given just two bowls of porridge a day or left with cold soup.
And nearly half felt trapped in their own homes due to a lack of support.
Campaigners warn social care across England is now “broken and unfit for purpose”.
The findings come from a survey of more than 3,900 users by the Care and Support Alliance.
Spokesman Mark Lever said: “Inadequate care is now a common problem. Regardless of someone’s condition or age, people should be getting care so they can live safely and with dignity.”
At least 1.2million older and disabled adults have unmet care needs — almost double the number in 2011 — with the stretched NHS picking up the bill.
A weekly stay in a hospital bed costs £2,800 compared with £600 for a care home.
Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said: “The reality is that care cuts aren’t saving the Government money.”
In one case a woman identified only as Lorraine said her 71-year-old mum, who suffered from MS, was forced into a nursing home 150 miles away before she died in April.
Lorraine, 47, from Lincoln, said: “We never wanted her to go in a home, but she ended up in one in Herefordshire. Because carers hadn’t been moving her, bed sores put her in hospital.”
Tracy Loftis, head of policy and public affairs at Arthritis Research UK, said: "This survey paints a picture of the harsh impact that our failing social care system has on people's day-to-day lives.
"Many people with arthritis rely on social care services to help them live fulfilling and independent lives.
"However, this reveals many of these people are missing meals, unable to get out of bed or seeing their health deteriorate because they can't get the support they need."
A Government green paper on reforming adult social care is expected in the summer.
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