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.

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!!!"

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.