Disabled people ‘pay penalty’ on everyday costs
Spending an average of £550 a month extra
Disabled people have to buy specialist equipment and also pay a premium for everyday items, Scope says‘Disabled people pay “a financial penalty” on everyday living costs, spending an average of £550 a month extra, according to a report by Scope.
They needed specialist equipment and had to pay out for things like taxis instead of public transport, it added.
Disabled people were, on average, £100,000 worse off when it came to pensions and savings, the charity said.
Fourteen ways councils can help combat loneliness
1) Councils need to team up with partners to combat loneliness; they cannot go it alone
We know that loneliness can harm a person’s mental and physical health. Communities with high levels of social capital have better results in health and education attainment and can enjoy greater levels of social cohesion. For these reasons (among others), loneliness needs to be a key priority for councils.
But loneliness is multifaceted, so local authorities cannot do this alone. It will be vital for councils to work in partnership with community groups, local faith groups, the voluntary sector and the private sector. Local knowledge and local relationships will be critical to offer the personal approach required to support those suffering from loneliness.
New BBC series shows the increasing difficulties in caring for older people
Protecting our Parents reveals multiple issues with the fragmented systems of health and social care
Time – or rather money – is running out for 83-year-old Betty in the temporary care home placement where she’s spent a few weeks recuperating after a fall.
This resulted in her being admitted to Heartlands hospital in Birmingham, but she now urgently wants to go home. Her niece Rhonda watches as a social worker tries to persuade Betty to agree to the council clearing her house of some of the possessions she’s built up over decades. These will now, it’s suggested, prove a health and safety hazard when she moves back in, increasing her risk of another fall.
