The 1993 Community Care Act brought in legislation that is at best unpopular and seen by most elderly people as a betrayal of the promises that were made at the creation of the welfare state after the Second World War. The principle of "Cradle to Grave" care based on National Insurance contributions has turned for many into the loss of a carefully nurtured legacy in order to pay for care fees.

The politicians tell us that people are living longer and a decreasing working population has to support an increasing retired population. This trend is not confined to the UK but is observed throughout the developed world. The net result is that we are told that the current system cannot support the cost of providing long term care and the other public service, health and education demands that are placed on it.

This issue is very politically sensitive leading to much uncertainty about the future of legislation. It is a great worry for many elderly people and their families and we are actively engaged in assisting people to plan for this eventuality. In many cases the planning consists of reassurance that individuals are likely to be in a situation to be able to afford care from their income. If this isn't the case the products and services on the market are much more flexible and appealing than they used to be. They also build in features to cope with future changes in legislation.