The cost of long term care stands at an average of £26,000 a year, having increased by 22% during the past four years.

But there is great regional variation to the cost of care. In the home counties and London, OAPs needing care can accrue costs of £597 and £580 respectively, whereas in the north it’s less at an average of £439 a week.

For some the only way to pay for this is to either sell their home or to release equity from it. Otherwise it’s a case of relying on your life savings and hoping the State can do the rest.

With more than a modicum of luck, help may be at hand, as the Government over the next few months want to give people a new option, of taking out insurance against the cost of care.

But how much that will cost, we don’t yet know …