IT’S a problem that faces millions of people. Yet somehow, most of us go through life as though it will never happen to us.

As life expectancies grow, more and more of us will need professional care in our later years.

And nowhere is that issue more acute than in Dorset, where a quarter of the population is of retirement age.

While the debate goes on about how to fund care, many people who are receiving a winter fuel allowance from the state don’t really need it.

So praise is due to the people who have voluntarily given up their allowance under a campaign led by Dorset Community Foundation. Their donations – £12,000 so far this year – have been put to good use .

But we should all remember that the costs of social care are massive, draining thousands of pounds in the blink of an eye. Some time soon, our politicians are going to have to face up to the enormity of that problem.