Author Archives: Maureen

45,000 elderly and disabled people in North-East and N Yorkshire have ‘lost’ council-funded care

February 13, 2014   Carers, disability, Older care, Social care, ukcuts, Uncategorized

MORE than 45,000 elderly and disabled people across the region have “lost” council-funded care in just three years, campaigners are warning.

9:40pm Wednesday 12th February 2014 in News  By Robert Merrick, Parliamentary Correspondent

The Northern Echo: Fall in access to social care Fall in access to social care

The huge decline – of almost one fifth across the North-East and Yorkshire – is the result of “chronic underfunding” of town halls, the Care and Support Alliance said.

Cash-starved authorities are being forced to “ration” care – even to people who need help to “to get up, get washed, and get dressed and get out of the house”

Now the Alliance is warning the Government’s flagship plans to reform the battered care system will fail unless councils are given “long term, sustainable funding”.

Richard Hawkes, its chairman, said: “Like most other parts of the country, the North-East and Yorkshire are experiencing a squeeze on social care.

“Chronic underfunding has left large numbers of older and disabled people, who need support to do the basics, like getting up or out of the house, cut out of the care system.”

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Caring for the ill can cost you your freedom

February 10, 2014   Carers, mental health, stroke
The writer Mary Kenny has cared for her husband diligently following his stroke. But at what personal cost, she asks herself in a new book

 

Before the falls: Richard West reported on the Vietnam War, but his life with Mary was to change for ever after his stroke at the age of 66

By Mary Kenny

7:00AM GMT 10 Feb 2014

Those who are carers for their partners or families are often called saintly: and some are indeed saintly. But saintliness does not come naturally to everyone, and some of us have to strive not to feel resentment as a carer. We do our best: we want to look after those we love. But sometimes it’s a struggle.

It was 1996 and I had travelled to Bordeaux in France, with my sons, for a family wedding. My husband, Richard West, chose not to come along. That was OK by me: we were not one of those couples who did everything together and family weddings were not his gig. Richard’s gig, preferably, was being in Vietnam, or the Balkans, or anywhere, really: he’d been a foreign correspondent and wandering reporter all his life.

This was just before the era of the ubiquitous mobile phone, so I am not quite sure how the message reached me: but family networks were alerted and I received the instruction to ring London because Richard, then aged 66, was in hospital after a stroke. He was not in any danger but I needed to return to England as soon as possible. I remember thinking, “Our life is going to change: but I am not going to let this take over my life.”

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Housing benefit reforms 'could waste millions' in disability costs

February 6, 2014   benefits, Carers, ukcuts, Wales

6 February 2014 Last updated at 17:18

Wales & West Housing (WWH) said many disabled tenants may be forced to move because of the so-called “bedroom tax”

Changes in housing benefit payments affecting disabled people could cost the public purse millions of pounds in Wales, a housing association has said.

Wales & West Housing (WWH) said many disabled tenants may be forced to move because of the so-called “bedroom tax”.

It said it could result in millions more being spent adapting properties.

The UK government said it had given Wales £7.9m for a discretionary fund tenants could apply for but WWH said that may not be enough to cover costs.

Meanwhile, Welsh government said it was providing a further £1.3m so local authorities could provide more help to those affected by the reforms.

WWH, which manages 9,500 properties, said it wanted disabled people to be exempt from the housing reforms.

“Start Quote

The cost of new adaptations wipes out the potential savings in housing benefit for many years”

Shayne Hembrow Wales & West Housing

It said Wales was on track to “waste” millions of pounds of public money otherwise.

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