Sarah Carr calls on Government to allow care home residents their dignity
10.06.47am GMT Wed 18th Mar 2009
Paul Burstow MP and the Lib Dems are fighting for residents of care homes to get a fair living allowance.
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Hereford and South Herefordshire Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, Sarah Carr, has highlighted that the poorest people in care homes have to scrape by on just £3 per day according to charity Age Concern. Sarah wants the government to raise the stingy personal expenses allowance (PEA) to allow pensioners' their dignity and an acceptable standard of living.
Sarah said,
"There is much talk about dignity in care, but it is a disgrace that this tiny allowance denies many care home residents that right. Vulnerable care home residents should not be forced to go cap in hand to relatives for living expenses after they have surrendered all their income to pay for care."
Sarah is supporting the efforts of her Liberal Democrat colleague Paul Burstow MP who is introducing a bill to Parliament on the 24th March demanding that the £21.15 per week personal expenses allowance (PEA) is raised to a decent level.
The current rules designate only £21.15 per week to a person in a care home for all their needs above what their home provides, such as toiletries, travel, hairdressing or clothes. The Bill before Parliament will also call on the Government to conduct research into how much money pensioners in care require to be able to live their lives with dignity; which an independent Parliamentary committee recommended they should do over 3 years ago. Age Concern is calling for the allowance to be upped to £40 per week.
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