Issue - meetings

Age UK B&NES is local charities who are reliant on funding to provide twenty different services to older people.

The Forum welcomed Janet Dabbs from Age UK B&NES with an overview of the many services they offer to manly the over 55s across the B&NES area. 

The ‘Home from Hospital Service’ has been running for twenty years and now works with the health services and the local authority (Virgincare) at Paulton and the Royal United Hospital.

Work is carried out by a team of about twenty people to provide a service for helping people who are going from the ward of a hospital back to their home. There is a variety of support that helps individuals with medication, staying warm and standards around the home.

The service can be provided for a period of up to six weeks, this can be every day if needed. The support is a transition period that allows people to build in confidence and receive help and support alongside statutory services.

Home response is a service that prevents people from going into hospital. There are a number of ways that can help with this, lunch clubs, befriending, working with GPs and connections for people are all such examples.

Networks can tend to disappear as people become older. Age UK looks to help people that need advice, this could be help with the entitlements to benefits that people are unaware they can claim for. The visits that are made to people in their homes can pick up all sorts of issues.

Age UK are keen to receive feedback for on issue that are local to the forum area, this could be help finding volunteers, help with groups and working together with those in need.

Janet can be contacted on 01225 421216 or janet.dabbs@ageukbanes.co.uk their website contains details of the services available.