Elderly people 'face confusion' over care homes

Older people face a great deal of confusion when making decisions about care homes, it has been reported.

People in their senior years are at a disadvantage from the first step of considering going into a care home, according to a new report by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).

Entitled A Fair Contract With Older People? the study was compiled from research with over 1,700 older people and their carers.

The commission found that 50 per cent of respondents who funded their own care did not receive a care assessment from their local council - a test that they are entitled to before financial needs are taken into consideration.

Other findings from the study indicated that "people are not given explicit and transparent information about the costs of their care and how the funding system works", according to the commission.

The CSCI inspects, registers and reports on adult social care services and the councils which arrange these services in England.