Tag Archives: Older care
Esther Rantzen launches ‘Silver Line’ helpline for lonely elderly
A new helpline for elderly people who struggle with loneliness will be launched across the UK by Esther Rantzen, the founder of ChildLine.
The Silver Line aims to help elderly people by giving them someone to speak to 24 hours a day, and will work like ChildLine by giving support and advice to those suffering neglect or abuse.
Ms Rantzen said a £5m grant means the Silver Line will be able to launch before Christmas – often the loneliest time of year for older people. She said the line aims to tackle the “stigma” attached to being lonely which “makes it impossible” for older people to ask for help and can damage their self esteem.
The Silver Line aims to tackle loneliness for older people and is run by volunteers who will refer callers to activities and organisations that can help them.
NHS patients ‘should not face constant moves’
Patients often face multiple moves around hospital
The era of NHS patients being shunted around hospitals needs to end, an expert group says.The Future Hospital Commission – set up by the Royal College of Physicians – said a radical revamp in structures was needed to bring care to the patient.
This was particularly true for frail people with complex needs, who often faced multiple moves once admitted to hospital, the report said.
It also recommended closer working with teams in the community.
The commission said this could involve doctors and nurses running clinics in the community and even visiting people in their own homes – as is already happening in a few places.
Dementia care home opens its own pub
A care home in Bristol has opened its own pub where residents can sit and have a chat over a pint of beer.
Humphry Repton House, which is run by the charity Milestones Trust, has become one of the first dementia care homes in the country to have a fully-working nostalgic pub.
Mike Jessup, activities coordinator, said: “It blurs the line between nursing home and normal life.”
Mr Jessup and his colleague Nicola Taylor came up with the idea after seeing how much residents enjoyed the ‘pub afternoons’ they regularly held at the home.
“We’ve opened three times so far,” says Ms Taylor, “and each time it has been relatives, staff and residents socialising together, there were no lines. Arthur spent all afternoon here with his daughters, and they said he was like a new man!”
