ELDERLY people in rural areas face a ‘terrifying’ social care crisis.

That is according to a new report published by Rural England CIC which warns that higher care home costs and greater distances are condemning those living outside major towns and cities.

The report highlights the challenges affecting the rural elderly in terms of home-based social care, related to demographics, service provision and costs.

The challenges include older people making up a significantly higher percentage of the total population in rural areas and more than one in nine rural people currently providing unpaid care.

Now the report’s authors have called on the government and service providers to take steps to stave off a worsening situation that risks abandoning vast numbers of vulnerable individuals simply because of where they live.

Philip Dunne MP, Co-Chair elect of the APPG for Rural Services, said: “I hope this report will help raise the voice for those in need of care in rural areas to contribute to the green paper on social care that the government will be producing over coming months.”