Higher tax to help elderly backed

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Adding a penny in the pound on income tax would raise £2 billion, which would pay for 80% of all care home and domiciliary care fees, according to charity Counsel and Care.

People aged 55 and over were most likely to support paying more tax to improve care for the aged (82%), followed by the 45-54 age group (77%), according to the poll.

Two-thirds of those questioned felt the cost of care for older people should be Government-funded, with a quarter saying it should be means-tested.

More than four out of 10 respondents said care services for the elderly were worse than five years ago, with only 13% thinking they had improved.

The survey also found that a quarter of 45 to 54-year-olds did not know where to find advice on care for older people, even though this age group is most likely to have ageing parents needing help.

Stephen Burke, chief executive of Counsel and Care, said: "This YouGov survey supports our view that urgent action needs to be taken on the funding of long-term care, and that the public is willing to participate.

"Clearly the public want better care for our ageing population. If we can develop a co-payment option that is a true partnership between the state, the family and the individual, we can move towards a fairer system of paying for care in the future.

"That is the challenge for the Government in its spending review this autumn and beyond."

The survey was commissioned by Counsel and Care and Lawpack Publishing to coincide with the publication of a new book, Caring For Loved Ones In Old Age, and the start of the first ElderCare Week.