WRVS has succeeded in drawing the Scottish Parliament’s attention to the issue of community transport on the back of our ‘Give us a Lift’ campaign and a WRVS briefing sent to all Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) in conjunction with Age Scotland and the Community Transport Association.
The debate on 10 December focused on extending the national concessionary travel scheme (free bus passes) to disabled people but Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Local Government and Transport, Alison McInnes, highlighted WRVS’s hope that community transport services for older people may come to be included in the scheme as well.
This led to the approval of a motion that, amongst other things, called for “the Scottish Government to consider extending eligibility for the national concessionary travel scheme to include older and disabled people using community transport in rural areas.”
Although WRVS was arguing for an extension to services in all areas, not just rural, and while the Scottish Government is not bound to act on the motion it is a further and very important encouragement to them to look at the issue again. Here’s hoping!
Friday, 18 December 2009
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Give us a Lift! - Third Sector's Digital Campaign of the Week
This week the Give Us a Lift site is featured by Third Sector as their Digital Campaign of the Week. Anyone who watches Harry Hill's TV Burp will be tempted to sing that last bit (and the rest of you will just have to watch the programme to satisfy your curiosity).
Visit Third Sector's site to see what they have to say about the campaign and add your comments.
Take a look at http://www.giveusalift.org.uk/ to see what the campaign's all about. Find out how WRVS volunteers provide transport for older people across Great Britain and how you could help in your local community.
Visit Third Sector's site to see what they have to say about the campaign and add your comments.
Take a look at http://www.giveusalift.org.uk/ to see what the campaign's all about. Find out how WRVS volunteers provide transport for older people across Great Britain and how you could help in your local community.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Give Us a Lift
WRVS is asking people across Great Britian not to leave older people stranded - Give Them a Lift!
For most people getting where you need to go every day is as easy as jumping in the car, grabbing a bus or riding a bike. But, according to new research commissioned by older peoples charity WRVS, for a third of people over 65 in Britain, increasing to nearly half of people over 75, it’s not that simple. Without a decent bus service, a car or help with mobility problems, many older people are stuck at home. Thumbing a lift may be the only option for many but it’s not the answer. WRVS wants to make sure every older person in Britain can get where they want, when they want.
Having the ability to go shopping, meet friends and family and do a range of things most of us take for granted is vital for people to feel independent and in control of their life. Nearly three quarters of people over 65 say they’ve had to stop doing things they enjoy as they’ve got older. Nearly half of the people surveyed said one of the three most important improvements to quality of life would be a better range of transport services, ahead of better social services and financial advice.
WRVS has transport services in 100 communities, we’d like more but need volunteers and money to make it happen. We need more than 20 volunteers right now to be able to respond to every older person who phones up for a lift. With more volunteers we could help even more people get out and about and give older people a lift.
Interested in helping older people in your community? Visit giveusalift.org.uk or call our volunteer hotline on 0845 601 4670.
For most people getting where you need to go every day is as easy as jumping in the car, grabbing a bus or riding a bike. But, according to new research commissioned by older peoples charity WRVS, for a third of people over 65 in Britain, increasing to nearly half of people over 75, it’s not that simple. Without a decent bus service, a car or help with mobility problems, many older people are stuck at home. Thumbing a lift may be the only option for many but it’s not the answer. WRVS wants to make sure every older person in Britain can get where they want, when they want.
Having the ability to go shopping, meet friends and family and do a range of things most of us take for granted is vital for people to feel independent and in control of their life. Nearly three quarters of people over 65 say they’ve had to stop doing things they enjoy as they’ve got older. Nearly half of the people surveyed said one of the three most important improvements to quality of life would be a better range of transport services, ahead of better social services and financial advice.
WRVS has transport services in 100 communities, we’d like more but need volunteers and money to make it happen. We need more than 20 volunteers right now to be able to respond to every older person who phones up for a lift. With more volunteers we could help even more people get out and about and give older people a lift.
Interested in helping older people in your community? Visit giveusalift.org.uk or call our volunteer hotline on 0845 601 4670.
Friday, 6 November 2009
Have some balls Mr Burnham
The Department of Health announced this week that they won't be able to publish the figures that back up their proposals for a National Care Service. It means that we're all going to have to take on trust that the three options for funding the proposals are the only ones feasible, and that they will give us the National Care Service this country needs.
With trust in politics at an all time low - it's a stretch and a real shame that the Government doesn't have the confidence to demonstrate the realities behind their proposals for reforming social care - which on paper look really good. Surely that's what the Big Care Debate they launched in July is all about.
We all know that times are tough, finances tight - but we also know that we need to sort out care and support now if we're going to all live healthier and better lives as we age in the future. We can't do that if we don't know what we're dealing with.
I wish our politicians could take a few more of the right risks. Have some balls Mr Burnham, publish the figures and let's work together on creating a National Care Service we can all be proud of.
See Reforming social care on our website.
With trust in politics at an all time low - it's a stretch and a real shame that the Government doesn't have the confidence to demonstrate the realities behind their proposals for reforming social care - which on paper look really good. Surely that's what the Big Care Debate they launched in July is all about.
We all know that times are tough, finances tight - but we also know that we need to sort out care and support now if we're going to all live healthier and better lives as we age in the future. We can't do that if we don't know what we're dealing with.
I wish our politicians could take a few more of the right risks. Have some balls Mr Burnham, publish the figures and let's work together on creating a National Care Service we can all be proud of.
See Reforming social care on our website.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
First impressions are often the truest...
I haven’t been with WRVS long, but plenty long enough to form a first impression.
I admit; it’s fair to say that before I applied for my job, I wasn’t particularly clued up about exactly what WRVS does – Meals on Wheels and hospital cafes are probably the stereotypical activities that spring to mind. I did, of course, do plenty of research before I had my interview, and couldn’t believe how many different activities WRVS is involved in.
Without wanting to sound pious (I do work here after all), within the first week of being here, I knew I had made a good move.
Visiting projects, and talking to volunteers and people who use WRVS services made it strikingly obvious that the work that goes on here is – using one of my favourite PR phrases – a lifeline for older people.
It may be a cliche, but it isn’t an exaggeration. Without services like Meals on Wheels, Books on Wheels, community transport...a frightening number of older people wouldn’t see a friendly face, or be able to leave the house, for months on end.
I can honestly say, hand on heart, I am already incredibly passionate about what WRVS does.
It’s easy for those who don’t fully understand the work of the charity to dismiss it as insignificant.
The social impact report we produced shows that the activities WRVS allows older people to take part in – a trip to the seaside, having a cup of tea with friends, not having to worry about how to get to a doctors appointment – has a real effect on physical and mental wellbeing. And that’s very significant.
But not enough people know what services are available for older people, or appreciate what a difference the work of the charity makes. Therein lies the challenge.
I admit; it’s fair to say that before I applied for my job, I wasn’t particularly clued up about exactly what WRVS does – Meals on Wheels and hospital cafes are probably the stereotypical activities that spring to mind. I did, of course, do plenty of research before I had my interview, and couldn’t believe how many different activities WRVS is involved in.
Without wanting to sound pious (I do work here after all), within the first week of being here, I knew I had made a good move.
Visiting projects, and talking to volunteers and people who use WRVS services made it strikingly obvious that the work that goes on here is – using one of my favourite PR phrases – a lifeline for older people.
It may be a cliche, but it isn’t an exaggeration. Without services like Meals on Wheels, Books on Wheels, community transport...a frightening number of older people wouldn’t see a friendly face, or be able to leave the house, for months on end.
I can honestly say, hand on heart, I am already incredibly passionate about what WRVS does.
It’s easy for those who don’t fully understand the work of the charity to dismiss it as insignificant.
The social impact report we produced shows that the activities WRVS allows older people to take part in – a trip to the seaside, having a cup of tea with friends, not having to worry about how to get to a doctors appointment – has a real effect on physical and mental wellbeing. And that’s very significant.
But not enough people know what services are available for older people, or appreciate what a difference the work of the charity makes. Therein lies the challenge.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
When I'm 64...
Life doesn't stop when you hit your 60s and we've been asking people what they'll be up to when they're 64.
Few people said they'd be spending the childrens inheritance or putting their feet up. The most popular answers were lying on a beach, riding the worlds tallest rollercoaster and working in a job I love.
This is obviously just a small snapshot but it builds an interesting image of what old age might be for the hippy, glam rock and punk generations.
Aspirations are so much greater than those of previous generations. Retirement is an opportunity to realise lifelong dreams with people opting for adventurous travel destintations and the chance to challenge themselves. We might cringe a bit when we see older people in hoodies but by refusing to conform to the OAP stereotype they might be doing the rest of us a favour. Remember these people were the activists of the 60s, watched men walk on the moon, and lived through the industrial action of the 1970s - they are not going to grow old gracefully!
By the way, our favourite answers were:
"...dye my hair funny colours again without fear of it falling out"
"...enjoy sex, Toy Boy, G&Ts, lots of company and laughter!!!"
Few people said they'd be spending the childrens inheritance or putting their feet up. The most popular answers were lying on a beach, riding the worlds tallest rollercoaster and working in a job I love.
This is obviously just a small snapshot but it builds an interesting image of what old age might be for the hippy, glam rock and punk generations.
Aspirations are so much greater than those of previous generations. Retirement is an opportunity to realise lifelong dreams with people opting for adventurous travel destintations and the chance to challenge themselves. We might cringe a bit when we see older people in hoodies but by refusing to conform to the OAP stereotype they might be doing the rest of us a favour. Remember these people were the activists of the 60s, watched men walk on the moon, and lived through the industrial action of the 1970s - they are not going to grow old gracefully!
By the way, our favourite answers were:
"...dye my hair funny colours again without fear of it falling out"
"...enjoy sex, Toy Boy, G&Ts, lots of company and laughter!!!"
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Everyone's talking about the National Care Service
Gordon Brown's fightback speech has been spun as the last roll of the dice by the media. And while there's no consensus whether he's rolled a double-six or snake eyes, it's great that at the heart of the coverage has been the government's idea for a new National Care Service.
It's the first time that the general public have caught this new idea and I hope it means that Labour intend to make care a key general election issue. Then we can all put each of the big parties under the spotlight and find out what they are going to do about fixing the social care and enabling every older person to live well.
It's really important that Labour have decided to call their idea the 'National Care Service'. You can see the politics of it, it sounds like something for everyone, and aspires to be as valued as our National Health Service. The devil will be in the detail though. Who pays and how? What support can people expect? And will people really be in control of thier own care and have choices that work for them? The sense of this being for everyone means that people will be able to understand it, know it could affect them and their loved-ones and we'll have a genuine debate with every party about what they would do.
But we've got to make sure it's not a flash in the pan. Some leading pollsters said at conference that it's not likely to be a big election issue. They said that, like climate change, the ageing population and sorting care for older people is big, inevitable and needs sorting but the public have not even started to really think about it and are unlikely to cast their vote on it. I think that's pessimistic, we've got to keep coming back to the issue and keep it as high profle as possible. WRVS landed a slot on BBC News yesterday afternoon to talk about the proposals, coup - I did the honours being interviewed by Jon Sopel and I thought that at least the few thousands watching would start to think about this vital issue, but I was brought back down to earth when my partner told me that my mother-in-law's key comment on the story was that I looked like I'd put on a lot of weight.
Clearly we need to find ways to make fixing the social care crisis a story many times over before the election, and I had better get back to doing workouts with Davina.
It's the first time that the general public have caught this new idea and I hope it means that Labour intend to make care a key general election issue. Then we can all put each of the big parties under the spotlight and find out what they are going to do about fixing the social care and enabling every older person to live well.
It's really important that Labour have decided to call their idea the 'National Care Service'. You can see the politics of it, it sounds like something for everyone, and aspires to be as valued as our National Health Service. The devil will be in the detail though. Who pays and how? What support can people expect? And will people really be in control of thier own care and have choices that work for them? The sense of this being for everyone means that people will be able to understand it, know it could affect them and their loved-ones and we'll have a genuine debate with every party about what they would do.
But we've got to make sure it's not a flash in the pan. Some leading pollsters said at conference that it's not likely to be a big election issue. They said that, like climate change, the ageing population and sorting care for older people is big, inevitable and needs sorting but the public have not even started to really think about it and are unlikely to cast their vote on it. I think that's pessimistic, we've got to keep coming back to the issue and keep it as high profle as possible. WRVS landed a slot on BBC News yesterday afternoon to talk about the proposals, coup - I did the honours being interviewed by Jon Sopel and I thought that at least the few thousands watching would start to think about this vital issue, but I was brought back down to earth when my partner told me that my mother-in-law's key comment on the story was that I looked like I'd put on a lot of weight.
Clearly we need to find ways to make fixing the social care crisis a story many times over before the election, and I had better get back to doing workouts with Davina.
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
"Individual budgets help me control my sex life"
I bumped into a woman at Labour Party Conference the other night (at the Big Care reception) who told me that individual budgets are the best thing since sliced bread, because they've helped her keep her libido under control. I was intrigued.
Individual budgets are where people who get social care support get an amount of money to choose how they are supported to live their life rather than somebody at the council making the decisions for you.
The woman I was speaking to has Parkinsons and apparently the medication she takes increases your urges to a level that needs controlling. That was startling enough in itself and I didn't probe on exactly how she used her indvidual budget to keep herself in check (I'm very shy), but I hoped she wasn't faced with an all or nothing choice - she didn't strike me as the celibate type.
But that's not the point - what it demonstrates is the power of putting people back in control of their lives. Controlling her sex life was just one of the things that she could now do to get around the effects of the disease and it meant that she felt more in control of the disease and her life. The same goes for people faced with any health challenges as they get older. Each of us should be able to get the help we need and what that help is will be different for all of us.
Individual budgets are a start for those who do have access to social care now, but there's a wider group of people out there who given the opportunity and the access to help and support with everyday activities could go from feeling stuck in their home to back in control of their lives and doing the things they want. That's the aim of WRVS' election challenge, we want to make Britain a great place to grow old and it will only be a great place if everyone in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond feel they can live the life they want.
That means reforming social care to remove the stigmas attached to it, ensuring everone has access and an entitlement to support when they need it, but ensure they have control over the help and services they receive. We've got to work with the politicians, other organisations and people in communities across the country to make it happen.
Individual budgets are where people who get social care support get an amount of money to choose how they are supported to live their life rather than somebody at the council making the decisions for you.
The woman I was speaking to has Parkinsons and apparently the medication she takes increases your urges to a level that needs controlling. That was startling enough in itself and I didn't probe on exactly how she used her indvidual budget to keep herself in check (I'm very shy), but I hoped she wasn't faced with an all or nothing choice - she didn't strike me as the celibate type.
But that's not the point - what it demonstrates is the power of putting people back in control of their lives. Controlling her sex life was just one of the things that she could now do to get around the effects of the disease and it meant that she felt more in control of the disease and her life. The same goes for people faced with any health challenges as they get older. Each of us should be able to get the help we need and what that help is will be different for all of us.
Individual budgets are a start for those who do have access to social care now, but there's a wider group of people out there who given the opportunity and the access to help and support with everyday activities could go from feeling stuck in their home to back in control of their lives and doing the things they want. That's the aim of WRVS' election challenge, we want to make Britain a great place to grow old and it will only be a great place if everyone in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond feel they can live the life they want.
That means reforming social care to remove the stigmas attached to it, ensuring everone has access and an entitlement to support when they need it, but ensure they have control over the help and services they receive. We've got to work with the politicians, other organisations and people in communities across the country to make it happen.
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Many older people are living the life they want - but the rest of us haven't caught on
Sunday's Observer had a double page spread about some research which dispels the myth that older people face a life of decline and things are bleak for all of us as we reach 60 and beyond.
Researchers at the Academy of Medical Sciences are right, many older people are taking the opportunities that better healthcare and healthier lifestyles offer and are running with them - WRVS is all for it. We found the same in a survey we made of 1000 over-65s in Britain this summer - three quarters said life was good, but there's a quarter of older people that would like life to be better and they face barriers.
Our aim is to remove the barriers, and it starts with changing the country's negative outlook on old age. It's so easy to think that it's all downhill after 60, it's a cliche and because we think its true we limit older people in lots of small ways from doing what they want. A good start will be to treat over 65s as the adults they are, stop trying to patronise or worse ignore them - whether you're talking to your mum, your neighbour or a stranger. We've got to change attitudes to old age, that's the challenge for all of us.
Researchers at the Academy of Medical Sciences are right, many older people are taking the opportunities that better healthcare and healthier lifestyles offer and are running with them - WRVS is all for it. We found the same in a survey we made of 1000 over-65s in Britain this summer - three quarters said life was good, but there's a quarter of older people that would like life to be better and they face barriers.
Our aim is to remove the barriers, and it starts with changing the country's negative outlook on old age. It's so easy to think that it's all downhill after 60, it's a cliche and because we think its true we limit older people in lots of small ways from doing what they want. A good start will be to treat over 65s as the adults they are, stop trying to patronise or worse ignore them - whether you're talking to your mum, your neighbour or a stranger. We've got to change attitudes to old age, that's the challenge for all of us.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Everyone's talking about cuts - we're talking about the future
The party conference season's in full swing and all the major parties are vying with each other to pledge the biggest spending cuts.
Okay we're in financial do-do, but let's look a bit further forward guys. We will get out of the recession and the choices we make now will shape what Britain is like in the next ten, twenty years.
WRVS will be calling on the party faithful at Labour and Conservative conferences to sign up to four pledges that will help make Britain a great place to grow old. It's not just about money, it's about changing attitudes too. But cuts in the wrong place now could set us back decades - we're all getting older, let's make sure our political masters think about tomorrow not just a political win today.
What do you think?
Okay we're in financial do-do, but let's look a bit further forward guys. We will get out of the recession and the choices we make now will shape what Britain is like in the next ten, twenty years.
WRVS will be calling on the party faithful at Labour and Conservative conferences to sign up to four pledges that will help make Britain a great place to grow old. It's not just about money, it's about changing attitudes too. But cuts in the wrong place now could set us back decades - we're all getting older, let's make sure our political masters think about tomorrow not just a political win today.
What do you think?
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