Mr Hunt recently spoke of his views – that getting old should not mean; “waving goodbye to one’s dignity” – a viewpoint which Mr Farrer has publicly got behind. He commented: “It is vital that the Government addresses some of the massive issues facing our ageing population and this speech is a step in the right direction.”

In addition, Mr Farrer backed the Care Quality Commission watchdog’s plans to review whether home care visits are sufficient in length to meet the needs of some older people. This decision comes after revelations that some care visits do not last longer than 15 minutes.

Farrer added: “Rather than squeezing budgets, we should be investing in care of the elderly like other countries do. There also needs to be a cultural change in how we view older people. We should be learning from their wealth of experience. It is a huge shame that when you hit retirement age, the next step is seen to be death.

“Our carers tell us that, more often than not, what elderly people want more than most, is time. I think we are starting to see a shift back towards the importance of community. Even the supermarkets are picking up on this trend and opening smaller, more community-based stores in towns.“We need a Government to be bold enough to find the extra investment needed to give our elderly the dignity they deserve but, alongside this, we also need a change in attitude.”

SureCare, which has 27 franchised locations, is expanding into childcare, respite care as well as domiciliary care.

Published: 18 October 2013

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