Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Disability costs and equivalence scales in the older population
- Authors:
- MORCIANO Marcello, HANCOCK Ruth, PUDNEY Stephen
- Publisher:
- Institute for Social and Economic Research
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 32p.
- Place of publication:
- Colchester
Disabled people face higher costs of living than do non-disabled people. These additional costs include the cost of adapting the home, overcoming the difficulties of getting about, and acquiring assistance with everyday tasks that non-disabled people can do unaided. This study estimated the implicit disability costs faced by older people, using data on over 8,000 individuals from the UK Family Resources Survey. It extended previous research by using a more flexible statistical modelling approach and by allowing for measurement error in observed disability and standard of living indicators. The study found that disability costs were strongly related to the severity of disability and to income, and at an average level of almost £100 per week among over-65s with significant disability they typically far exceed the value of any state disability benefits received.
Charging into poverty?: charges for care services at home and the national debate on adult care reform in England
- Author:
- COALITION ON CHARGING
- Publisher:
- Coalition on Charging
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 46p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Rising care charges are putting older and disabled people at risk of not being able to afford to eat, heat their homes, wash or get essential support Based on a snapshot survey and focus groups, the report, Charging into poverty?, reveals that rising charges for people to receive care in their own homes, are causing disabled and older people in England to reduce or even stop their support services.
Age and loneliness in Wales
- Author:
- WALES CENTRE FOR PUBLIC POLICY
- Publisher:
- Wales Centre for Public Policy
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 10
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
This briefing is part of a series of insights on loneliness in Wales based on bespoke analysis of the National Survey for Wales (NSW). The series is designed to provide policy makers and public services with a greater understanding of who is lonely so that funding and interventions to tackle loneliness can be designed and delivered most effectively. This data insight combines three years’ worth of NSW data to identify levels of overall, emotional, and social loneliness among different groups and explore how age interacts with other characteristics to show which groups are especially vulnerable to loneliness. It highlights the acute risk of loneliness faced by people experiencing multiple forms of disadvantage and the importance of targeted policy and public service funding and interventions to support them. The data reveals that: younger people are lonelier than older people, especially those aged 16-24 – those aged under 64 are significantly more socially lonely than older age groups; for all age groups, higher deprivation translates into higher levels of loneliness – those aged 16-24 living in the 20% most deprived areas of Wales are the loneliest; among those aged 25-64, people from ethnic minority backgrounds are lonelier than those who identify as White British; those with a long-term illness, disability or infirmity, across all age groups, are lonelier than those without; having a poorer level of general health means higher levels of loneliness across all age groups. (Edited publisher abstract)
Fuel poverty and disability
- Authors:
- LAXTON Clare, PARCKAR Guy
- Publisher:
- Leonard Cheshire Disability
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 37p.
- Place of publication:
- London
In January 2008 Leonard Cheshire Disability published the ‘Disability poverty in the UK’ report. The report examined the continuing links between disability and poverty and set out a broad definition of what disability poverty means, and how it can be tackled. The report found that disabled people are twice as likely to live in relative low-income as nondisabled people. The extent of disability poverty in the UK, combined with the anecdotal evidence from many disabled people that fuel costs are a particular problem, make a powerful case that it is necessary to investigate the links between disability and fuel poverty. Despite some recent reductions in the costs of fuel, the overall trend in recent years has been a substantial increase in fuel costs. This report draws together the evidence of the likelihood of experiencing fuel poverty, making the case as to why fuel poverty is a major issue for disabled people, and proposing some policy recommendations to help address it. It defines fuel poverty and highlights why disabled people in the UK are vulnerable. The study emphasises the link between disability and fuel poverty, and encourages the UK government to formulate an appropriate policy.
The distributional impact of reforms to disability benefits for older people in the UK
- Authors:
- HANCOCK Ruth, PUDNEY Stephen
- Publisher:
- University of Essex. Institute for Social and Economic Research
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 26p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Colchester
The UK Attendance Allowance (AA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are non means-tested benefits paid to many disabled people aged 65 and over. They may also increase entitlements to means-tested benefits through the Severe Disability Premium (SDP). This report investigates proposed reforms involving the withdrawal of AA and DLA. It uses data from the Family Resources Survey to simulate the losses which current AA and DLA recipients would incur if AA and DLA were curtailed. It also considers the extent to which these losses could be mitigated if the SDP were to be retained or increased. It examines how average losses vary across the income distribution using different definitions of income and investigates the impact of potential reforms on the proportion of older people with incomes below various thresholds. The report finds that the abolition of AA and DLA would have a large impact on the poorer parts of the older population. Retaining or increasing the SDP within means-tested benefits could mitigate these losses to some extent. The report also shows the importance of the method of describing distributional impacts and that use of inappropriate income definitions in official reports has overstated recipients’ capacity to absorb the loss of these benefits.
Our right to heat and eat: a huge and growing problem
- Author:
- AGE CONCERN LONDON
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 6p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing provides an overview of the problems many older and/or disabled people with regard to the costs of heating their homes and feeding themselves. It summarises the reasons for fuel poverty include low income, non-claiming of full benefit entitlements and the non-user friendly nature of many utility companies information and tariffs. Initiatives such as the government’s 'Warm Front' campaign grant scheme and utility companies’ social tariffs for lower income and vulnerable customers are highlighted. Suggestions for good practice in local authorities are also provided, such as a 'One Stop Shop' for benefits, energy efficiency, and home improvement/repair grant schemes.
The impact of the pandemic on population health and health inequalities
- Author:
- BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
- Publisher:
- British Medical Association
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 56
- Place of publication:
- London
This report looks at the impact of the pandemic on population health and health inequalities in the UK. It discusses how the pandemic has affected the nation's physical and mental health, as well as social determinants of health such as education and employment. A call for evidence survey was conducted to set out the experience of the medical profession during the pandemic and to learn lessons for future pandemics. We found that the pandemic has harmed people's physical and mental health and worsened health inequalities: poor population health and worsening health inequalities before the pandemic made the UK's experience of COVID-19 worse; opportunities had been missed before the pandemic to improve population health and address health inequalities; by July 2022, more than 200,000 people had lost their lives, while millions have seen their quality of life affected by long COVID; many people have also reported poorer mental health because of the pandemic; however, none of this has been felt equally, with ethnicity, age, disability status, and other factors meaning some social groups have been more affected than others; the pandemic also affected the social determinants of health - as workplaces and schools closed, and business stalled, people's financial security and future career prospects were threatened and those already struggling before the pandemic were often worse affected. The report argues that we must learn from the positive developments during the pandemic such as the speedy development, approval, and NHS-led roll out of the COVID-19 vaccines, and the hugely effective schemes to house rough sleepers - although there has been variability as to how well both programmes have been sustained and benefited their target population. (Edited publisher abstract)
The state of ageing 2022: summary
- Author:
- CENTRE FOR AGEING BETTER
- Publisher:
- Centre for Ageing Better
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 20
- Place of publication:
- London
This summary report uses the most up-to-date national data available to paint a picture of ageing in England today. The report has five chapters: health, homes, work, communities and a chapter setting out the context in which we are ageing. It looks at data from a wide range of sources such as the English Housing Survey, the GP Patient survey, the Health Survey for England and the Community Life Survey, as well as a host of official statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and government sources such as the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the Department for Work and Pensions. The data shows that the experience of being older in England is getting considerably worse for many. Almost 1 in 5 people of pension age are now living in relative poverty, following a sharp increase (of 200,000 people) in the last year. This extends a worrying trend which first emerged in the middle of the last decade and means that there are now more than 2 million people of state pension age in the UK living in poverty. The pandemic has reversed progress on the employment of older people – the number of people aged 50 to 64 who are not engaged with the labour market in any way (that is, they are neither working nor looking for work) has risen by 228,000 since the start of the pandemic, and the employment rate in this group has fallen by 1.8 percentage points. In the most deprived areas, people can expect to live more than 17 years more with disabling health conditions while fewer than 1 in 10 homes have accessibility features for people with disabilities. The report makes a number of specific recommendations in relation to health, housing, work and communities, and calls for a cross-departmental strategy to coordinate government activity and funding to address the ageing population and level up the dramatic and growing inequality in the way we experience later life. (Edited publisher abstract)
Unequal pandemic, fairer recovery: the COVID-19 impact inquiry report
- Authors:
- SULEMAN Mehrunisha, et al
- Publisher:
- Health Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 94
- Place of publication:
- London
This report sets out the findings of the Covid-19 impact inquiry, exploring how the same factors contributing to this widening of health inequalities exposed the UK to a high death toll and reduced people’s ability to deal with the subsequent economic shock. Drawing on an extensive body of evidence, this report identifies what has driven such outcomes during the pandemic. The factors shaping the UK’s overall experience of the pandemic are complex and multifaceted, and the pandemic is still ongoing. The Covid-19 impact inquiry provides an initial assessment of the effects of the pandemic using evidence available up to May 2021. The report highlights that poor health and existing inequalities left parts of the UK vulnerable to the virus and defined the contours of its devastating impact. The pandemic has revealed stark differences in the health of the working age population – those younger than 65 in the poorest 10% of areas in England were almost four times more likely to die from Covid-19 than those in wealthiest. Recovery needs to prioritise creating opportunities for good health – a vital asset needed to 'level up' and rebuild the UK economy. Government restrictions, although needed to limit Covid-19’s spread, have had wide-ranging consequences: from unmet health needs and mental health problems to education gaps, lost employment and financial insecurity. Some groups – young people, disabled people, ethnic minority communities and care home residents – have been more affected than others. Prisoners, homeless people and people experiencing sexual exploitation have also faced particular challenges. Type and quality of work, housing conditions, and access to financial support to self-isolate all contributed to increased exposure to the virus among working age adults. The legacy of the financial crisis has had a direct bearing on our experience of the pandemic. Deep-rooted issues – poor health, increased financial insecurity and strained public services – left the UK more vulnerable to Covid-19’s health and economic impacts. (Edited publisher abstract)
The inequality of poverty: exploring the link between the poverty premium and protected characteristics
- Authors:
- DAVIES Sara, COLLINGS David
- Publisher:
- University of Bristol
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 56
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
This targeted review of evidence examines the links between poverty and people with protected characteristics, focussing specifically on evidence relating to factors that can contribute to the poverty premium, together with secondary analysis of two consumer survey data sets examining low-income households and the poverty premium. The review found that people on low incomes and with certain protected characteristics are more likely to be paying extra costs for essentials such as electricity, gas, credit, and insurance. This is the case even when compared with low income households as a whole. There are some protected characteristics that are associated with an increased risk of poverty in the UK: race, sex (in the case of single mothers), and disability. In relation to age, while pensioner poverty has fallen over the last few decades – although it has started to rise again (Age UK, 2019) – younger workers are much more likely to be in poverty than other age groups. The review also found that intersectionality plays a large role; the more protected characteristics a person has, the more risk they bear. In terms of whether this translated to an increased likelihood of incurring poverty premiums, the evidence does suggest that certain groups with protected characteristics are more vulnerable, even compared with low-income households as a whole. (Edited publisher abstract)