Category Archives: Older care

Millions of malnourished ‘go unnoticed’

September 9, 2011   Carers, Older care

 Action is needed on this important issue.

9 September 2011 Last updated at 08:57

By Katheine Murphy Chief executive, Patients Association

 People can ‘fall through the gaps’ and miss out on support

The problems of obesity and overeating in our society receive a lot of attention.

But in this week’s Scrubbing Up, Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association calls for more action to help the millions in the UK whose malnutrition is “unnoticed, unheard and unsupported”.

It is unbelievable that in the UK today there are more than 3m people either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

What is alarming is that 93% of these patients are not in hospital but are living in the community.

It is our most vulnerable members of society who are most at risk.

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Students teach life-changing IT skills to the elderly

September 8, 2011   Carers, disability, Older care

Watford Grammar School teens go the extra mile with community IT classes

It mightn’t be every teenager’s idea of holiday fun, but three community spirited students from Watford Grammar School have spent much of their summer break teaching life-changing IT skills to the elderly.

Fifteen-year-olds Seb Walker, Anojan Ratnarajah and Conor Foster held a series of term-time IT workshops at the Holywell Community Centre earlier in the year as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award scheme.

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Disabled people and pensioners say yet another blow to our independence

September 7, 2011   Carers, disability, Older care

Disabled people rely on travel concessions

The removal of concessionary coach travel for disabled people and the elderly is yet another blow to our independence

National Express had 3 million passengers using the half-price concessionary coach fares scheme last year. 

Last year in the spending review, the government added an extra cut that wasn’t noticed among the big announcements. From October, disabled people and pensioners will no longer receive half-price concessionary coach fares, saving the government around £20m.

 

Coach company National Express had 3 million passengers using the scheme last year alone: the disabled and elderly who are unable to drive, or who cannot afford expensive train fares. These passengers benefit from concessionary fares for travelling long-distance routes to visit friends and family, and for some the affordability of the fares will be their only way to have holidays and days out within the UK. During the 2010 election campaign, Conservative MPs pledged they would not take away bus passes and travel concessions from disabled and old people, insisting that Labour was claiming this as a scare tactic; yet this is another pledge broken in the commitment to looking after the most vulnerable. The cut of concessionary coach fares will be a blow to those who are unable to travel by train or plane due to physical difficulty, as well as financial constraints. 

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