ARE we being careless about our old age? A new report calling for a re-think on elderly care predicts a crisis unless we start to take more responsibility for the kind of support we may need in future.

The report, released yesterday, calls on individuals, NHS commissioners and the Government to take greater responsibility with respect to elderly care funding to help avoid a crisis. This move is backed by champion of the elderly, Esther Rantzen, Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, and Ros Altman, the Government's Older Workers' Business Champion and financial investment tsar.

Commissioned by home care providers Consultus Care & Nursing, the 'Care Choice Gap' report, identifies the care choice gap that exists between the type of care people want and the care they think they may end up receiving in their old age. It recommends:

* Awareness - people should know more about the choices available including the option of live-in, 24/7 care in their own homes on a one-to-one basis

* Planning - individuals and families need to take responsibility for their own long-term care, as the support the state is able to provide is already stretched. Exploring the financial options available early on can facilitate a person's ideal care choice before a crisis situation develops

* Commissioning - NHS commissioners need to think about the individuals they are providing care for and how best to meet their needs and wants

The report, based on a survey of more than 2,000 adults, has revealed that despite most people over 75 years-old wanting to be cared for in their own homes, only 54per cent think this could be a reality and 23per cent said they didn't know what would happen to them in their old age. Just three per cent said they would like to be cared for in a residential home; while 86per cent of people surveyed have never discussed their wishes for care with loved ones. The report recommends that people make their wishes known, so their families can support and help with accessing the care they want.

Peter Seldon, chief executive of Consultus, said: "As a provider of live-in carers and nurses to thousands of elderly people across the UK since 1962, we have a clear insight into the care needed and wanted by many elderly people today. With the post war 'baby boom' we all know our population is ageing and increasing numbers will need care in later life. It is only right they receive the type of care they want. According to the independent survey we commissioned, 97per cent of people feel most comfortable in their own home when they are over 75, but sadly for many this isn't the reality."

The report shows that while most people have an idea of how they would like to be cared for in old age, many don't want to think about it, discuss it or make financial plans for it.

It calls on the Government to help people to help themselves, whether through tax breaks for the costs of care, saving initiatives, specialist mortgages or by other means.

Rachel Haigh's father had a a home care package for the last two years of his life, following a fall which led to an ongoing walking problem. "My mother died at home and it was important to Dad that he stayed at home too," said Rachel. "He wasn't able to live at home without daily help, which was something my brother and I couldn't manage as we work fulltime and didn't live near him. My brother lives in London, I'm in Guiseley and our dad lived in Calderdale.

"He had nursing carers coming in three times a day, helping him get washed and dressed and helping him with medication. It meant he could live at home and it gave us peace of mind, knowing he was being looked after during the day when we couldn't be there. Wanting home care was something dad always made clear, and he put arrangements into place even before he needed it. It has made me think about the kind of care that I and my husband may need in future.

"People don't want to think about it, because it's to do with old age and preparing for the later stages of life, but it's a reality we have to confront. We can't rely on the state to fund the care we want, and the Government needs to starting helping people plan ahead."

* For more about the report go to consultuscare.com.

A map of choices is available which highlights triggers and situations where a person might need care, and what options are available.