This blog was contributed by Dianne Jeffrey, Chairman of Age UK.
Dignity Action Day was a great opportunity to raise awareness of people’s rights to dignity in care.
Dignity in care is an important and widely discussed concept, but it is often hard to pin down its exact meaning.
To me, dignity is about treating people in care with respect and courtesy – treating them the way they want to be treated. Continue reading “Taking action on dignity standards”
This post was contributed by Dianne Jeffery, chair of the Malnutrition Task Force and Chairman of Age UK.
This week is Meals on Wheels Week, a great initiative that brings the care sector together to raise awareness about the importance of Meals on Wheels services.
No one should doubt the importance of Meals on Wheels. Since 1943, the year of its introduction, the service has always played an integral role in the care of the elderly and most vulnerable in society.
By delivering straight to someone’s door, it is vital in helping those who are unable to purchase or prepare their own hot meal and can be a real social boon for those who struggle to get out. Continue reading “More than 46,000 older people ‘stripped’ of their Meals on Wheels service”
This blog was contributed by Dianne Jeffrey, Chairman of Age UK and member of the Age International Board.
As well as being the Chair of Age UK, I am also on the Board of its subsidiary charity, Age International. I believe passionately that people in later life all over the world deserve our support. That is why I am proud that Age International is helping older people in more than 40 developing countries around the world, including the Philippines after the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.
When disasters strike, people ask me three main questions:
1.Will aid be delivered?
Yes it will. I have had the privilege of seeing our work in action. We work through local partners who know the situation on the ground better than anyone else. We have strict monitoring and evaluation procedures in place, so we know money will be used correctly. In the Philippines, we are working through our
long-term partners, HelpAge and the Coalition of Services for the Elderly (COSE) with whom we have worked for 30 and 26 years respectively.
2.Why does it take so long to deliver aid?
Vast swathes of the country have been destroyed; aid workers and government officials themselves affected; electricity pylons knocked down; ports destroyed; airports closed; runways and roads covered in debris. This is not an easy environment in which to be operating. Anacleta, 77, told us “I’ve experienced many typhoons in my life, but this is the worst one ever.” Continue reading “Why does it take so long for aid to get through to the Philippines? And why is aid different for older people?”
This blog was contributed by Dianne Jeffrey, Chairman of Age UK and Co-chair of the Commission on Improving Dignity in Care.
This is why, in June last year, the Commission on Improving Dignity in Care for Older People (made up of, Age UK, NHS Confederation and the LGA) published its report, Delivering Dignity. It was the culmination of hundreds of written submissions and oral contributions from experts, clinicians and patients. In this report we set out a raft of recommendations for changing the way we design and deliver care as the numbers of older people who need care continues to grow. Continue reading “Older people deserve better care in hospitals and care homes”
