Category Archives: Campaigning

Who would care for my Mum? Or for yours?

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Age UK | Leave a comment

Imagine that one day your Mum is at home enjoying her retirement. She has always been highly independent, fit and well. Until the day she has a stroke.

After a short stay in hospital she comes home. But life is different now. It’s much harder for her to do everyday things. She struggles getting in and out of the bath and even using the shower is a challenge. There are times when reaching the toilet is too much. You have to face the fact that she cannot manage on her own any more.

You do the most sensible thing. You get in touch with Mum’s local social services. You explain the difficulties she is now having. They assess her needs. You hope this leads to some carers coming in to give Mum a hand with those things she is finding too much, like getting to the toilet, washing and preparing simple meals.

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Posted in Campaigning, Care in Crisis

Tagged #carecantwait, #careincrisis, Age UK, Age UK blog, Ageing, ageing society, campaigning, Care Bill, Care in Crisis, Care in Crisis campaign, Government, Health & wellbeing, Health and Social Care, Later life, Lobby a Lord, Local government, older people, social care, Social Care Bill, social care reform, who would care for my mum?

Let’s Talk Money

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Age UK | 7 Comments

Welfare reform and the benefits system have been high on the news agenda recently, but an often overlooked issue is the persistent problem of pensioner poverty. With 1.7m pensioners (14%) currently living in poverty, and £5.5bn pounds of benefits left unclaimed by pensioners, Age UK has re-launched its Let’s Talk Money campaign.

A significant amount of research highlights that there are many reasons why older people aren’t claiming the benefits that they are entitled to – from a perception that the application process is too complicated, to the belief that they don’t qualify.

With so many people slipping through the net, Age UK aims to challenge the myths around eligibility, and encourage older people to claim the benefits that they are entitled to so that they can make the most of later life.

The campaign continues to focus on encouraging older people to claim the benefits they are entitled to, such as Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Attendance Allowance.

People on low incomes can use the extra money that benefits provide to pay for utility bills, broken appliances or some much needed help around the house – removing financial stress that is a burden for so many. Continue reading →

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Posted in Campaigning, Income, Money Matters

Tagged #letstalkmoney, Age UK, Age UK Advice Line, Age UK blog, Ageing, ageing population, ageing society, Attendance Allowance, benefit calculator, benefit entitlement, benefits, benefits advice, benefitscheck, housing benefit, Income, let's talk money, let's talk money campaign, money, money matters, More Money in Your Pocket, older people, Pension Credit

Who can I turn to? Information and advice services for older people

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Age UK | 2 Comments

This blog was contributed by Lucy Harmer, Age UK’s Head of Services.

Many older people experience a complex interaction between living on a relatively low fixed income, declining health and mobility, and risk of social isolation. They need holistic, independent information and advice (I&A) from advisers with experience and knowledge of their specific issues. Good-quality I&A is essential to enable people to access entitlements and services in order to maintain a decent quality of life and to continue to live independently. Timely interventions can prevent increased pressure on health and social care services. This is especially important when people in later life and the services they rely on are experiencing unprecedented change and challenges. Unfortunately, many older people struggle to find the support that they need as they navigate a complex system, often against a background of cuts to provision or changes in eligibility.

Government policy increasingly focuses on extending choice in public services, increasing independence and giving people more personal responsibility. If older people are to benefit from these developments, the government must ensure that they have access to the I&A they need to make informed decisions. Failure to access I&A when it is needed can increase the risk of long-term or multiple problems. Continue reading →

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Posted in Campaigning, General

Tagged Age UK, Age UK blog, Ageing, ageing population, ageing society, campaigning, Health, Health & wellbeing, Health and Social Care, Home and Care, I&A, Information and Advice, Local government, older people, public policy, social care

Keeping warm, whatever the price, whatever the weather

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Mary Milne | 5 Comments

200x100-women-warm-indoors

I am beginning to think that winter is never going to end. By now we should have mild March breezes, sunshine and showers – and daffodils. But instead we’re facing icy winds from the East and 10-foot snowdrifts.

But of course, that’s the British weather. With all our technology, we can just about predict it, but we certainly can’t control it.

At the end of a long cold winter, we are also facing steeply-rising energy prices. The Office for Budget Responsibility this week predicted a 7% rise in energy costs this year, and a 3% rise next year. Continue reading →

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Posted in Campaigning, Energy Bill Revolution, Spread the Warmth campaign

Tagged #EnergyBillRev, #energybills, #spreadthewarmth, Age UK, Age UK blog, Ageing, ageing society, Energy Bill Revolution, Energy Bill Revolution campaign, energy efficiency, energy prices, fuel poverty, heating, home energy efficiency, home insulation, keeping warm, older people, spread the warmth, Spread the Warmth campaign, winter

Category Archives: Campaigning

Let’s Talk Money

Keeping warm, whatever the price, whatever the weather

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