Category Archives: Older care

Extra funding announced to support people in their own homes

December 13, 2012   Carers, disability, Older care
12 December, 2012

Care and Support Minister, Norman Lamb has announced an extra £40m will be added to the Disabled Facilities Grant to help people remain independent in their own homes for longer.

Speaking today at the Housing Learning and Improvement Network Conference 2012, Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said:

“For people with disabilities and older people, even the simplest things such as walking, getting up the stairs and climbing in and out of the bathtub can become difficult.

“We know that most people want to remain independent and be supported in their own home as far as possible. This funding will help people make the necessary practical changes to help them remain in their own home and prevent or even postpone the development of health and care needs.

“An adaptation can make a huge difference to the life of an older person by helping them access all facilities and all parts of their home safely and independently. Research shows that for every £1,000 spent through the Disabled Facilities Grant, the quality of life gains are estimated at £1,723 per year.”

This extra funding will enable more older people and adults with disabilities to have better quality of life and also help them remain independent and in their own home for longer.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/extra-df-grant/

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Census 2011: 2.1m unpaid carers devote over 20 hours a week to looking after loved ones

December 12, 2012   Carers, Older care

Census 2011: 2.1m unpaid carers devote over 20 hours a week to looking after loved ones

The burden on unpaid carers has increased significantly over the past decade, with nearly half a million extra people devoting more than 20 hours a week to looking after family and friends.

 

One in ten people in England and Wales is an unpaid carer, the census shows

5:27PM GMT 11 Dec 2012

One in ten residents of England and Wales – a total of 5.8 million people – devotes at least part of their week to caring for disabled, sick or elderly relatives and loved ones without any expectation of payment.

This is an 11 per cent rise from the 5.2 million unpaid carers recorded in the 2001 census, and comes amid a growing crisis about how elderly social care will be funded in the future as the population continues to get older.

The greatest increase was among those providing over 20 hours a week of care, with the number rising from 1.66 million a decade ago to 2.1 million in 2011.

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For many unpaid family Carers Christmas will just be another day.

December 10, 2012   Carers, disability, mental health, Multiple Sclerosis, Older care, stroke

For many unpaid family Carers Christmas will just be another day.

Guest blog by Maureen

For many unpaid family Carers Christmas will be no different to any other day of the year, the loved ones they care for still have to be cared for 24/7, their disability or illness doesn’t go away just because it’s Christmas, quite often Carers have found that friends and family no longer visit or even enquire how they or their caree are which leaves them feeling shut off from the outside world, what many people don’t realise is anyone, and I mean anyone can become a carer in an instant, you don’t chose to become an unpaid carer, it just happens without warning and in some cases without realising you are a carer.
Christmas is no fun either for the person being cared for, they to feel cut off as well while the outside world is having Christmas.
Christmas is another time when outside help is not always available and everywhere is closed putting more and more pressure on the unpaid carer at this time of year.
Chill4us forum is a lifeline to many unpaid carers, it may not be person to person but knowing someone is out there can ease a little of the loneliness and isolation and Chill4us is open all over Christmas, New year and the rest of the year.
Below are some comments how some family carers feel at this time of year……..
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