THERE are no easy answers to how we solve the care crisis. Theresa May discovered this to her cost. Her manifesto pledge, which would have asked pensioners to contribute more to the cost of their care, and the subsequent U-turn following a voter backlash, in all probability robbed Mrs May of the overall majority she sought in June’s General Election.

Labour and the Lib Dems promised to spend £8bn and £6bn respectively on adult care if they were elected, but in truth none of the main parties fully solved the question of how the sector's funding gap can be bridged while increasing both the quality and availability of care for an ageing population.

Away from the big numbers and the political point-scoring are vulnerable people who worked hard, built up pensions, and trusted that the state would play its part in protecting them in old age. We highlight one such example on the front of today’s Echo is the case of Robin Dixon and his devoted wife Edith, who fears he will soon have to quit the home he has lived in for the last 10 years.

The private firm that runs his care home are doubling the price they charge because they are trying to improve services they can offer while also making a profit. The local authority, which is also trying to make ends meet, believes the care package currently in place is adequate and is resisting paying increased charges.

Mr Dixon is a victim of successive governments failing to solve one of the biggest questions of our time. If Mrs May can find a way to help people such as Mr Dixon to live with comfort and dignity in the place they call home then she will have gone a long way towards rebuilding her shattered reputation.

It is time for her to show that she really cares.