Life Support – the difference between a daily existence and fulfilling life, a new report by United Response

“Social care is an essential human need,” the Government stated in its Vision For Adult Social Care in 2010. Unfortunately, with a social care system that is buckling under growing demand, fewer and fewer people are seeing that human need met.

 We wanted to know what real people with learning disabilities thought about their support and the difference it made to their lives, whether looking after basics like healthy living or managing their home, or helping them access the community and find work. Their stories and views are collected in the Life Support report, which offers an inspiring and fascinating look at how good support can transform very different lives for the better. This is a huge step forward from the days when people with learning disabilities were routinely isolated in institutions.

 And it is because these gains must not be lost that the Life Support report also urges the Government to include the proposals for fairer and better long term funding provided by the Dilnot Commission in its upcoming social care White Paper. Although the Dilnot proposals do require additional funding, at a time when finances are tight, we believe that failing to invest now will result in people’s mental and physical health deteriorating, costing us more in the long run.

 To find out more about the real lives that can be obscured by endless debates over the figures, read Life Support and then share with your friends – everyone should know what is at stake if social care is threatened.