Subtopic: Care of the Elderly

Analyses of the Communal Establishment resident population, including demographic and geographical differences at national, regional and local levels.

Changes in the elderly care home resident population by local authority and region in England and Wales, 2001 to 2011 and differences in the proportions of residents aged 65+ and 85+.

How the care home resident population has changed between 2001 and 2011, for those aged 65 and over.

Recent spending cuts in the area of adult social care raise policy concerns about the proportion of older people whose need for social care is not being met. Such concerns are emphasised in the context of population ageing and other demographic changes. For example, the increasing proportion of the population aged 75 and over places greater pressure on formal and informal systems of care and support provision, while changes in the living arrangements of older people may affect the supply of informal care within the household. This article explores the concept of ‘unmet need’ for support in relation to specific Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), using data on the receipt of support (informal, formal state or formal paid) from the General Household Survey, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the British Household Panel Survey. The results show that different kinds of need tend to be supported by particular sources of care, and that there is a significant level of ‘unmet need’ for certain activities.