Homeshare Not A Replacement For Social Care, Says Charity

Homeshare is not an adequate replacement for social care, a major charity for the elderly has stated.

Joe Oldman, in his role as senior policy officer at Help the Aged, said that many elderly people will go into a living situation where both have needs that are met by the other, making it easier to carry out simple and day-to-day tasks such as shopping and cooking.

However, he said the intention was not to be a replacement for carers, who may still be needed to carry out certain things on the behalf of those unable to go far in their quest to help their living partner.

Mr Oldman added that people should only focus on what they can do before addressing the need for social care.

He continued: “That needs to come down to negotiations between both parties and that’s why it’s important that one of the homeshare agencies is involved in that discussion to work out exactly what the arrangement is.”

The NAAPS, which was originally founded as the National Association of Adult Placement Schemes, promotes the use of such co-habitation schemes as a way to alleviate the pressure on families and carers, both financially and physically.