Care for older people is everywhere - but paid for, not a social service

I thought it was just another pizza delivery leaflet through the door, but this was something I haven’t seen before, a leaflet offering ‘Care visits at home’ assuring me that this organisation cares passionately and explains all the services that they might offer.

When a grandparent had difficulty living at home in the 1970s, it was really quite hard to find an independent service for her, or a care home that was not public sector. Even ten years ago, door-to-door publicity for care services could not have conceivably been worthwhile. Yet now, a publicity leaflet has been pushed through the door, presumably of every house in the district, so widespread is the presumed need.

Another sign of this is these pictures that I took locally recently of the offices of just such a care service. Its name and advertising emphasise how it meets what the need is assumed to be: CareFirst24 indicates a 24 hour service and the advert says 'putting people before profit', an implied criticism of other services. Having this on the average high street is a mark of how the care world has changed in the last few years. Care is assumed to be like any other paid for service; the result is that care provided by local social services is for those who cannot pay, rather than the normal service for everyone.