Guest blog: Tackling elder abuse

Posted on May 30, 2012 by | 1 Comment

This guest blog was contributed by our national partner, Age Cymru.

All older people should have the right to a life free from abuse, where dignity, respect and safety are part of the natural fabric of society.Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

A  2007 UK Study of Abuse and Neglect of Older People found that around 340,000 (about 1 in 25) older people  living in the community are affected by abuse every year.

The same study found that Wales has the highest rate of elder abuse in the whole of the UK. Based on population figures, Age Cymru estimates that 39,000 older people in Wales are victims of abuse in their own homes.

It’s sobering to then consider the total number of suspected adult abuse cases reported in Wales in 2009-2010 was just 4,913. Clearly, there is much more that we should do to protect older people from abuse.

There’s a similar story across the UK, and in many ways elder abuse remains a “hidden problem” which we know often goes unreported and unchallenged.

Recently, Mary Cox wrote a blog explaining Age UK’s work to prevent the mistreatment of people in later life in England.   

Over the border, Age Cymru’s Elder Abuse project has been running in Wales for almost 6 years, working to identify ways to reduce instances of abuse and deal with it more effectively when it does occur. 

For many years the project has been exploring the case for a specific law in Wales to protect adults from abuse. In Wales, there is an opportunity to make this happen now due to the new law-making powers of the National Assembly for Wales and the forthcoming Social Services (Wales) Bill.

Age Cymru has developed the Rule Out Abuse campaign, calling for increased commitment to protecting older people from abuse.

Clearer, more focussed laws, with clear duties on public bodies, including Health, Social Services and Police, to investigate and cooperate when abuse or potential abuse is reported would ensure that elder abuse is tackled with the priority it deserves.

 A new law is just one of a range of tools we need to protect older people from abuse, but it’s a critical one.

Find out more about Age Cymru’s campaign and sign the Rule Out Abuse charter

Read a blog by Age UK’s Safeguarding Advisor, Mary Cox, about elder abuse and safeguarding

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Technology in the care of older people

Posted on May 28, 2012 by | 3 Comments

I recently gave the opening address to a conference jointly hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Age UK. The title of the conference was ‘Designing cost-effective care for older people: how technology can make a difference’ and I was asked to give ‘An on-the-ground perspective on the role of technology in the care of older people’.

Keeping people out of hospitals and supporting them so that they can live safely and comfortably at home are challenges that the government are trying to address, and technology and engineering can provide some of the solutions.

There are two main forms of assistive-living technology: telecare and telehealth. Teleheath services are aimed at helping people manage their long term health conditions in their own home. (Conditions include – diabetes, heart failure and/ or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Teleceare services are aimed at vulnerable people who need the support of Social Care or Health Services to keep living on their own. For example those with physical disabilities, the frail and elderly or those suffering from dementia or epilepsy.

Unfortunately, to date take up has been rather slow; there are only around 5,000 telehealth users and only 1.5m pieces of telecare in use today.

My talk focused on how we can increase the use of technology in a way that enhances people’s lives. This drew in part from a project we are involved in funded by the Technology and Strategy Board titled: COBALT: Challenging Obstacles and Barriers to Assisted Living Technologies. We are about half-way through this project and have spoken to many older people. What we have seen so far is that, contrary to the common assumption that technology has passed older people by and that they fear it or are dubious about the value in terms of improving their lives, older people do embrace technology on their own terms: television ownership, for example, is virtually 100%.

The problem is that assistive-living technology tends to be presented and provided differently to other forms of technology, like a microwave or a TV. Instead they need to be focused on the person and designed to fit into everyday life, rather than symbolise frailty or decline.

If uptake is to change designers, developers, engineers and purchasers (both private and public) need to rethink how the technology is created and presented. The creation of personal budgets in social care and the development of these in health mean purchasing of assisted-living technology will be more consumer driven in the future. Designers of this type of technology will have to place greater emphasis on what the consumer wants.

The conference suggested that those responsible for developing these technologies are responding to these considerations and technology that actually improves and enhances people’s lives, as well as being desirable is likely to dramatically increase in the near future.

Find out more about Age UK’s Engage Business network, which helps businesses better serve the needs of older people

Find out more about our public policy work on consumer issues

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Care Can’t Wait

Posted on May 24, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Last week, Age UK presented Number 10 Downing Street with a petition signed by over 130,000 people calling on the Government to end the crisis in social care.  The size of the petition means it is likely that Parliament will be required to debate this important issue, bringing the needs of older people who are being let down by the care system to the forefront of all MP’s minds.

David Gower, who shared his personal experiences of social care in support of Age UK’s Care in Crisis campaign, attended Number 10 Downing Street to present the petition. He said ‘We need reform because we need to be able to help those who are unable to help themselves and there are many members of the United Kingdom’s citizens in this unfortunate situation. We do not and cannot afford to have a crisis where people at the moment are brought home from hospital, dumped in their flats and told to get on with it. It’s time to change right now.’

The next month is set to be critically important for all our futures, whatever our age.  Having been beset by delay upon delay, the Government has indicated that it will finally publish the Social Care White Paper either this Summer.  A Draft Bill will be published hard on its heels before the end of this parliamentary session in July.

Legislation and reform is urgently needed.  Social care provision is now at breaking point as chronic under-funding, a conflicting and confusing legal framework, and an ageing population have created a crisis in social care, betraying some of the most vulnerable people in society today.

But this historic opportunity to provide root and branch reform and funding for social care comes at a time of austerity measures, and serious economic uncertainty.

Ministers have indicated that the White Paper and Draft Bill will mainly deal with reforming and simplifying social care legislation, which will go some way to ending the iniquitous postcode lottery of care provision experienced by thousands of older people across England. 

But it is the issue of how to fund social care that remains the most critical, and most divisive.  Cross party talks have been underway since January 2012. Ministers and their civil servants will have engaged in long, hard discussions with the Treasury on the future direction of funding. 

It’s not clear at this moment in time, whether consensus has been reached, either within Government departments or across the political parties.  The Government has said that it will publish a funding progress report at the same time as the White Paper.  Age UK is hoping that the progress report will contain a positive response to the Dilnot Comisssion’s recommendations for a maximum £50,000 cap on the cost of an individual’s care, which will protect older people from the sometimes catastrophic costs.

Funding and reform of social care is one of the key challenges for this Parliament, and indeed this generation of politicians. 

Even set against the austerity measures, there are positive choices the Government can make.  Funding and reform of the current social care system will help older people stay healthy and independent for longer and reduce the pressures on the National Health Service. 

At this critical moment, Age UK is therefore urging the Government to use the White Paper, the Funding Progress Report and Draft Social Care Bill, as the foundation stones of a sustainable, and fair social care system.  After 25 years of political prevarication, resulting in trauma and loss for hundreds of thousands of people, it is now time to resolve the crisis in care, and guarantee dignity for each and every one of us.

Watch a video of David Gower explaining why he is supporting Age UK’s Care in Crisis campaign

Find out more about our campaign

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Post Office revamp: will it pass the consumer test?

Posted on May 21, 2012 by | 2 Comments

The government has announced a much welcome £1.3bn investment to modernise the Post Office network. There will be changes to 6,000 branches over the next three years designed to halt the decline in Post Office branch numbers. However, a report from Consumer Focus warns that the idea still has teething problems.

Modernisation plan: Post Office Locals

Following the Post Office closure programme everyone is well aware that the network needs modernising to put it on a more financially sustainable footing.

The Post Office provides vital services for older people. In many areas the Post Office provides the only access to postal and financial services that are close to people’s homes.

Part of the investment plan will see 2,000 branches revamped as Post Office “Locals”. In these branches Post Office services will no longer be at a dedicated counter but offered from a main retail counter in existing premises.

Photo: Abigail Silvester (Creative Commons)

The Local will provide a core range of services, which are regularly used by Post Office customers. The focus is on quick and easy services at the counter, which means more complex services, such as paying paper-based bills or parcel pick-up services, will not be available.

In many cases existing Post Offices will be converted to this new model, but it could also mean Post Office service popping up in petrol stations, convenience stores or even the local pub.

Making sure it works for consumers

Consumer Focus research has looked at the consumer experience in the 105 pilot Post Office Locals, which are already operating. Their findings show both risks and opportunities in this new way of providing Post Office services.

On the one hand the report notes that longer opening hours and the convenient location of the stores was seen to be popular with customers. This is good news as convenient access to Post Offices is of particular concern to older people – an Age UK survey found 18% of older people currently find it difficult to get to their Post Office.

However, Consumer Focus reported there were a number of experiences reported by customers that need to be taken into account before the model is rolled out further:

  • Products and services range: One in five say Locals offer only some or few of the products they need.
  • Privacy for personal or sensitive transactions: Over a third of users find the privacy of Post Office Locals to be poor and 41% say it is worse than in traditional Post Offices.
  • Reliable and consistent services: The mystery shopper research found a Second Class letter was sold correctly in only one in five transactions.
  • Cash withdrawals: There were incidents where a cap was put on the amount of cash or benefits a consumer can withdraw.

Some of these points correlate with concerns older people already have with Post Office services. For instance, in an Age UK survey about existing Post Office services 21% would like more privacy at the counter.

The investment programme has to be seen as an opportunity to maintain universal access to Post Office services. There is still time for these issues to be ironed out to make sure consumers get the best results from the change.

 None of these concerns are insurmountable, but it does need the Post Office to act on the findings.

Last year, Age UK helped 500,000 people put £120million back in their pockets through free benefits information and advice. This year, we will continue to break down the barriers that prevent people from claiming, in particular older people not realising that they are eligible for some additional income. For more information, please visit www.ageuk.org.uk/moremoney

Find out more about our work on consumer issues

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