Well my mum is one of those who gets her care package funded by the state. But the implication that she (and my dad) sat on their backsides all their lives couldn't be further from the truth.
My dad lost a lot of education due to illness when he was younger - before the days of extra help in school, SEN etc - so was unable to read when he left school. My mum taught him. Because of this he had manual jobs paying just above minimum wage.
Mum left school at 14 years old and, even when she had us, worked every single day since. She and dad did shift work so one of them could be home with us when we were toddlers - mum would work 4.30pm until 10.30pm in a factory, dad did 6am til 2pm. They couldn't afford childcare or a babysitter. When we started school mum became a dinner lady so she could be off on holiday the same time as us and she and dad did sewing or stuffing toys at home to supplement (I remember helping them when I was little - counting toys into boxes etc).
Mum now has Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia. She had attendance allowance which, with her state pension, allowed her to get care in her home. We would go round every day between us to make sure she was OK, help her shower, do her washing etc., Then she became so confused she began to forget to eat - she had meals on wheels (paid for by her) but the carer would sometimes find it cold on the side as she'd forgotten to eat. Then she was found in the reception area of her council run sheltered housing scheme. One more step and she'd have been on a busy A road at 4.30am. At that stage we knew we couldn't even have her living with any of us - my friend who has her mum living with her can't even go to the loo and leave the back door open in this weather as her mum has managed to wander out of the back door, round the side of the house and onto the pavement during the time she's been in the toilet. She has to lock the door every time she leaves the kitchen. There sometimes comes a point where more security is needed than the average house (or occupants) can cope with.
Finally she collapsed at home and, after 3 months respite, social services said they felt she would be unsafe at home even with maximum cover.
We had the choice of exactly three homes. Two were in towns over 40 miles away. The third, which we ended up with, was in special measures...sounds awful but they were in that because of paperwork missing and an inept manager. New manager is dragging them up and mum is safe and happy. But, if they don't get to the correct level in the next six months mum will be moved to the home 40 miles away... No choice - no money. We'd have to find an extra £400 plus per week for the next stage up care home in the area and DH is due to retire in a couple of years. It sounds awful but we can't take the chance on mum living another 2-5 years and us paying the top up. At that stage we wouldn't be able to afford it and mum would have to move in the final years of her life when she is going to be even more confused.
Oh, and forget the 'the state pay for her care'. The social services team take all bar a few pounds per week of her state pension then make up the difference in what they are charged. And that's fair enough because her state pension would have paid for her food, lighting, heating, care at home etc. The care home IS her home now so the pension goes to them. We get a little left over to pay for clothes, toiletries etc.
I really wish mum and dad had been able to have jobs where they could afford a mortgage. We'd have had more choice and we wouldn't live in fear of the doors of mum's care home shutting and her having to move 40 miles away. But mum and dad simply didn't have the wages no matter how hard they worked. State funded doesn't mean lazy.