The findings of the Leonard Cheshire Disability report on care are stark. According to the charity, three- fifths of local councils tell care workers making home visits to the elderly to spend only a quarter of an hour with them. The number of these shockingly short encounters have increased by 15 per cent in the past five years, leaving some people having to make the choice between going thirsty or using the lavatory. The Association of Directors for Adult Social Services says that in some cases 15-minute calls are justified and adequate if being used to administer medication and check up on people. But charities working with the elderly point out that flying visits like these, with their vital minutes eaten up by form-filling, deprive elderly people of care, dignity and contact with ot