Resident care home average costs equivalent to 26 years’ worth of family holidays

The cost of the average length of stay in a residential care home is the equivalent of 26 years’ worth of annual holidays for a family of four, a new report has revealed.

Independent Age found that older people stay in a residential care home for an average of 30 months at a cost of £32,000 per person for the first year alone - the equivalent to the average first-time buyer’s deposit.

Independent Age has launched new guidance, Paying for your care: Funding your own care at home or in a care home, to help older people and families who need to pay for their own care understand the process.

Janet Morrison, chief executive of Independent Age, said: “We get a lot of calls to our Helpline about paying for care, and many people don’t realise that social care is means-tested and that there are costs involved. When you think about it in the context of a deposit, wedding, or family holiday, you start to realise how high and confusing care costs can be.

“We know that a lot of people don’t think about care in advance, but there are things you can do even if you haven’t planned ahead. So when the time comes, it’s important to get help and expert advice from charities like Independent Age.”