A new Age UK poll has revealed that just under a quarter of people aged 50 – 64 think there’s no point in trying to save for their retirement. The poll, carried out to mark the launch of the… continue … Continue reading →
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A new Age UK poll has revealed that just under a quarter of people aged 50 – 64 think there's no point in trying to save for their retirement. The poll, carried out to mark the launch of the...
Top Stories Issues to consider when having a hip replacement Your parent may be at the stage in life where their joints have deteriorated to the point where they experience pain and limited motion on a daily basis. When their … Continue reading →
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Plans to improve dementia care will include an online map to expose ‘poorly performing’ areas, the health secretary has announced. Jeremy Hunt says dementia is still not being detected early enough… continue reading Powered by WPeMatico
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Plans to improve dementia care will include an online map to expose ‘poorly performing’ areas, the health secretary has announced. Jeremy Hunt says dementia is still not being detected early enough… continue reading Powered by WPeMatico
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The Welsh public can help our campaign to give lonely older people in Wales some company this winter by buying and wearing a Bobble Badge. Money raised will go towards our 'Spread the Warmth'...
Plans to improve dementia care will include an online map to expose 'poorly performing' areas, the health secretary has announced. Jeremy Hunt says dementia is still not being detected early enough...
The fuel poverty strategy of 2001 (‘to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016′) has patently failed. A new one is promised in the current Energy Bill, which is completing its Parliamentary stages. Within six months of the date of the Act … Continue reading →
Neath residents can have a mince pie and free legal advice at an event in the town on December 4. Local solicitors Jenny Melly Law will be offering callers to their office a free 'legal MOT' and...
Today was the official launch of Silver Line Scotland. The team had decorated the Helpline with silvery decorations and made Esther Rantzen a cake to commemorate the launch. We also dressed for the occasion in a variety of silver clothing, shoes and accessories.
We had a busy start to the morning with calls in the first few minutes of opening. The Silver Line is open 24 hours on 0800 4 70 80 90, but Silver Line (UK) manage the calls overnight from their centre in Blackpool, then Silver Line Scotland take the Scottish calls from 8am to 8pm on weekdays.
Esther came in to the Helpline at about 12.30 after meeting with press and photographers to speak about the service. She chatted with the team about some of the types of calls that Silver Line had received through the pilot period and the types of calls the Scottish team have been getting this week. We are all hoping that Silver Line becomes the first point of contact for older people in Scotland for any problem, question or just a listening ear which is summed up by our motto:
'No question too big, no problem too small, no need to be alone'.
Age Scotland Helpline has been a trusted source of information for many years and calls have always been quite varied and unpredictable. We receive calls on subjects as diverse as care, housing, heating, benefits and everything else besides ('How do I get my letter from the Queen when I turn 100?', 'I'm struggling to hear my phone ringing, what can I do?') but with the addition of Silver Line we have an extra dimension to our service. Many of our calls this week have been from people wanting to chat, wanting to sign up to be a Silver Line volunteer, to have a Silver Line friend or just wanting to pass on their thoughts about the service.
It's been a busy week for the Helpline and we're looking forward to it carrying on as Silver Line becomes more well-known and grows from strength to strength.
A lack of basic care in hospitals across the country is causing suffering for many patients and their loved ones, according to a report. {DynamicContent:Social Media Buttons} The Patients… continue reading Powered by WPeMatico
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We should always be mindful of keeping our homes secure but perhaps never more so than at Christmas. This is true for us all but especially for older people in our local communities. Hugh Black,...
A lack of basic care in hospitals across the country is causing suffering for many patients and their loved ones, according to a report. {DynamicContent:Social Media Buttons} The Patients...
Duane Farrell, Age NI Director of Policy commented, 'At the heart of this issue is older people – those who have previously been in the care of Cherry Tree, and those who are currently in the care ...
TV Licensing and Age Scotland are reminding any one in Scotland celebrating their 75th birthday in the next 12 months that they will be entitled to claim a free TV Licence on this landmark birthday...
The NHS has called for an army of good samaritans in England to become a ‘Winter Friend’ to neighbours who may be at risk during cold weather. Stars including actress Joanna Lumley, Olympic champio… continue reading Powered by WPeMatico
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Ongoing energy price increases and the highest level of fuel poverty in Western Europe have prompted the NI Fuel Poverty Coalition to call together its membership to develop a reinvigorated 'plan o...
The NHS has called for an army of good samaritans in England to become a 'Winter Friend' to neighbours who may be at risk during cold weather. Stars including actress Joanna Lumley, Olympic champio...
Watch out for our Spread the Warmth concert headliner - Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, on TV tonight. Trystan is a guest on S4C's HENO, which is broadcast at 7.00pm. He will be speaking about the Spread t...
New figures released by the ONS today show that there were a shameful 31,100 excess winter deaths last year from cold-related illness such as heart attacks and strokes – up more than a quarter on t… continue reading Powered by … Continue reading →
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Age International, a subsidiary of Age UK, has been pledged ½ million pounds from The Department for International Development (DFID) to help with providing aid to older people in the Philippines…. continue reading Powered by WPeMatico
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Age International, a subsidiary of Age UK, has been pledged ½ million pounds from The Department for International Development (DFID) to help with providing aid to older people in the Philippines....
Debate over the future of zero hours contracts looks certain to hot up with signs that the political parties are warming to the idea of regulating their use while the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD), in research published today, claims their use has been “underestimated, oversimplified and unfairly demonised” (Zero-hours contracts: myth and reality). In a survey of more than 2,500 workers the CIPD found that those on zero hours contracts were just as satisfied with their jobs as the average UK employee (60 per cent and 59 per cent respectively), and more likely to be happy with…
New figures released by the ONS today show that there were a shameful 31,100 excess winter deaths last year from cold-related illness such as heart attacks and strokes – up more than a quarter on t...
This morning the Office for National Statistics announced that there were 31,100 excess winter deaths last winter. To say this is a national shame (as we have done) is both a cliché and also absolutely true. Excess winter deaths – … Continue reading →
Age Scotland has joined more than 80 civil society groups across the UK in calling on Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne MP to take action to end the scandal of cold homes. In a letter...
Age Cymru is calling for government action to prevent people dying during the winter months because of the cold. It comes on the day that the Office for National Statistics has published figures th...
Enter our competition to win two tickets to see new Award Winning movie 'Nebraska' at the Queen's Film Theatre (QFT) in Belfast! Affectionate and heart-warming, Alexander Payne's (Sideways, The...
A crisis in social care is forcing more older people than ever to stay in hospital longer than necessary, NHS figures show. Last month more than 78,000 bed days were used by patients who had no… continue reading Powered by … Continue reading →
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TV Licensing and Independent Age are reminding anyone celebrating their 75th birthday in the next 12 months they will be entitled to claim a free TV Licence on this landmark birthday Anyone aged 75 or over is eligible for a … Continue reading →
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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 … Continue reading →
A crisis in social care is forcing more older people than ever to stay in hospital longer than necessary, NHS figures show. Last month more than 78,000 bed days were used by patients who had no...
Silver Line Scotland, a 24 hour helpline offering information, advice and friendship to older people on 0800 4 70 80 90, launches today. Esther Rantzen, founder and chair of The Silver Line, spoke to Age Scotland about this land-mark new service.
Esther with Age Scotland Chief Executive Brian Sloan.
"We know from the experience of ChildLine that it is sometimes difficult to talk about serious problems like loneliness or abuse," says Esther, who helped found that service in the 1980s. "So with The Silver Line, we are saying to older people that you can ring us up about anything."
For Esther it's vitally important that the service is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. "We get very important calls in the early hours of the morning, on Sunday mornings, and on Christmas day. People can be sleepless, and with Sunday and Christmas dedicated to family they can feel particularly lonely on these days."
Silver Line Scotland is not just a number people can call in a time of crisis. "We learned from our pilot of the service that some people really enjoy speaking to someone on a regular basis, and that a Silver Line friendship can transform their life," says Esther. "They say that being able to talk to someone who is genuinely interested in them makes them feel valued and gives them confidence. So as a result of contacting The Silver Line, one woman went on to join a book club, and we also spurred a man to go out and buy a new guitar."
The inspiration to found The Silver Line came from Esther's personal experience. "Living alone for the first time at age of 71 I realised that, even though I had quite a good life, coming home to a dark flat with no-one to make tea for is pretty lonely.”
Esther feels that there are barriers that make it difficult for people who are lonely to ask for help. "Many older people are determined not to be a burden, and they will often say that they know there are people far worse off than they are," she says. "There is definitely a stigma attached to loneliness; admitting to it can feel a bit like admitting that you are unlikeable."
In Scotland The Silver Line is working in partnership with Age Scotland to deliver Silver Line Scotland. "I went up to meet Age Scotland Chief Executive Brian Sloan,” says Esther. ”The idea for a partnership came from him, and it was such a brilliant one as Scotland's laws and systems are slightly different and Age Scotland's telephone advisers are experts in this." Esther is "hugely enthusiastic" about the partnership. "I have the greatest respect for the work of Age Scotland's dynamic team and am delighted to be working with it."
Call Silver Line Scotland on 0800 4 70 80 90
Silver Line Scotland - 0800 4 70 80 90 -launches today for every older person who needs information, friendship, advice and protection from abuse or neglect. It is a free, confidential, 24-hour...
Action must be taken ‘quickly’ to stop a rise in the level of older people admitted to hospital as an emergency when it could be avoided, a watchdog has said. {DynamicContent:Social Media Buttons} … continue reading Powered by WPeMatico
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Age Cymru's Director of Influencing and Programme Development - Victoria Lloyd, is going to chair the Delivering Sustainable Services for Older People in Wales Conference. It takes place at the...
Action must be taken 'quickly' to stop a rise in the level of older people admitted to hospital as an emergency when it could be avoided, a watchdog has said. {DynamicContent:Social Media Buttons} ...
An Integrated Care Pathway designed to help older people with long-term multiple conditions has won the HSJ award for Managing Long Term Conditions. {DynamicContent:Social Media Buttons} The… continue reading Powered by WPeMatico
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Britain needs to follow in the footsteps of other European countries and allow pharmacies to offer additional services on site, it is claimed. Conservative MP Ben Gummer believes doing so could hel… continue reading Powered by WPeMatico
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Britain needs to follow in the footsteps of other European countries and allow pharmacies to offer additional services on site, it is claimed. Conservative MP Ben Gummer believes doing so could hel...
