DACORUM
WHO CARES?
Reg. Charity No. 1098150
Company No. 4723614
Spring 2011
Our quarterly newsletter for anyone caring for an older friend or relative
Good News!
Our Carers
funding confirmed for 2 yrs
But the bad news
Dacorum Borough Council has
made cuts to the Taxi Voucher
Scheme. They are reducing the
existing vouchers from £100 a year
to £50 this year with a further
reduction to £25 next year and
then to nothing the year after.
This cut will cause real hardship to
many of the 2,500 older and
disabled residents in Dacorum who
depend upon the vouchers.
After a period of uncertainty, Herts County
Council has now confirmed that our Carers
Support scheme at Age Concern Dacorum is to
receive funding at the same level for the next
two financial years.
Also cut back is the warden service
in Dacorum’s sheltered housing
schemes. Six posts have been cut
and the remaining wardens will
have to operate a mobile service,
leaving residents to depend on the
increasingly busy alarm cord
system out of hours.
This is welcome news for us as the Carers
scheme at Age Concern Herts has had to close.
Although inflation means we’ll have to be careful
with our spending, we’re delighted that we’ll be
able to continue with our home visits, regular
telephone calls, the casework we carry out on
your behalf and of course our popular Carers
Support Groups in Hemel Hempstead and Tring.
Age Concern Dacorum has raised
these cuts with the Council leader
and expressed our dismay that
funding cuts have been targeted at
the most vulnerable in our
borough. You may have seen the
articles about our concerns in the
local Gazette newspaper.
How to contact us:
Carers Support Team, Age Concern Dacorum
Half Moon Yard, High Street, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3AE
Direct line telephone:
01442 221008
Email: Anne - [email protected]
Jo - [email protected]
Anne, Jo and everyone at
Age Concern Dacorum are
here to help. Please call if
there’s anything we can do.
We care
Hemel Group’s visit to Tring Zoological Museum in March
Enjoyable
outings &
activities with
the Hemel and
Tring Groups
A friendly robin on the Tring Carers Group walk at Marsworth
Proud flower arrangers
at the Hemel Carers
Group last month
Need help around the
house? Call our popular
Handyperson Scheme
Age Concern’s Handyperson Scheme
was set up 15 years ago to help older
people with a range of tasks around the
home. These can be as small as
changing a light bulb or fixing a tap
through to decorating a kitchen or
fitting telephone extensions for Lifeline.
There is a £15 minimum charge and all
work is carried out by appointment. All
staff and volunteers are CRB checked.
Handymen Pete and Doug hard at work
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
There are nearly 6 million carers
in the UK, although more will
certainly be identified in the
current census, where Question
14 asks about caring
responsibilities. About 2.3
million people become carers
every year. Almost three
quarters of carers suffer
financially as a result of caring.
Many carers simply do not realise
that they are entitled to any
help.
Shockingly, millions of pounds of
Carer’s Allowance are not
claimed each year, while carers
across the country cut back on
essentials like food, clothing and
heating, to make ends meet.
Carers may be missing out on a
range of other discounts and
benefits like Income Support,
Housing Benefit and Council Tax
Benefit.
Make sure you are getting all the
support you are entitled to. You
can order a free copy of Carers
UK’s guide to carers’ rights and
benefits “Looking After Someone”
by calling 0808 808 7777.
For more information please contact
Doug Dews, Handyperson Scheme
Manager on 01442 259049.
Top tips for older carers from
older carers
1
Get as much information as possible about
the help available.
2
Look after yourself and your own health.
3
Claim everything you are entitled to.
4
Join a carers group.
5
Register as a carer with your GP. They will be
able to offer advice and support.
6
Accept all the help you can get from family
and friends.
7
Have someone you can turn to for help in an
emergency.
8
Remind others that people with illnesses and
disabilities are still people.
9
Don’t be frightened to let go.
10 If the person you care for dies, remember you
don’t have to cope alone.
These top tips were produced by older carers from
across the country.
Carers Support at Age Concern Dacorum is here
to help - call us on 01442 221008.
Worried about your memory?
It’s happened to all of us at some time or
another. You can’t put a name to a face. You
forget where you put your keys. You can’t
remember where you parked the car. Most of
the time, such slips are a nuisance rather than
a sign of something more serious.
But if you are worried that your memory - or
that of someone you know - is getting
noticeably worse, or if memory problems are
beginning to have a knock-on effect on
everyday life, it is worth sharing your worries
and seeking advice. That’s because memory
problems can sometimes be an early sign of a
medical condition such as dementia.
Dementia affects everyone in different ways.
Other signs of dementia could include feeling
confused even when in a familiar environment
or finding it hard to follow conversations or
programmes on tv.
What should I do?
You should seek advice without delay if your
memory, or the memory of someone else, is
getting worse and having an impact on your
daily life:
Make an appointment to visit your GP
who will address your concerns or arrange
for further investigation.
Write to the Alzheimer’s Society to
order their fee information booklet about
memory problems at: Alzheimer’s Society,
c/o Beechwood House Publishing Ltd,
FREEPOST RM1151, Beechwood House, 23 Commercial Way, Christy Close,
Southfields, Basildon SS15 6BR.
Log on to alzheimers.org.uk/
memoryworry to find out more about
dementia.
There are many reasons for memory loss apart
from dementia. But if there is a medical
reason for your memory loss the earlier you
seek help the better, as there may be support
or treatment available that can help you.
WINTER FUEL PAYMENTS CUT
IN CHANCELLOR’S BUDGET
One of the lesser known changes in George
Osborne’s recent budget is the cut to winter fuel
payments.
People aged up to 79 years old will lose £50
per year, while those over 80 years of age will
lose £100.
Age Concern Dacorum, Age UK and national
pensioner groups are very disappointed at the
cut, particularly at a time of rapidly rising fuel
costs.
Age UK’s Charity Director Michelle Mitchell said,
“Latest data from Age UK’s Silver RPI measure
shows that since 2008 older people
have experienced a rate of inflation on average
5% above headline measures and this is, in part,
because the proportion of their income spent on
food and fuel is higher than for other age groups.”
Loveliest of Trees, the
Cherry Now
By A E Housman
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a
score,
It only leaves me fifty more.
And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
The bluebells will be out in May. If you would like
an outing to see the flowers, please join us on
one of our trips. Monday 9 May (from Hemel) or
Thursday 12 May (from Tring). All welcome.