The aim of Care & Repair is to enable clients to remain safely and independently in their own homes. Part of the service we offer is for caseworkers to visit clients at home - many of whom are socially isolated, live in rural areas or where there is limited public transport. Some find it difficult to get out and about and rely on family and friends for support, and other clients’ families and friends live too far away to be able to offer the support needed. However, many of the things our clients find harder to do can all be done online - shopping, chatting to family and friends, sending and receiving photos.
Not everyone wants to be online! However, often people are unaware of the benefits or just need extra support to get online. Sometimes the cost of getting online can also be a major barrier.
It is important that we as caseworkers help clients to understand how the internet can be relevant in their everyday lives. One way we do this is by explaining how convenient the internet is. Like all my colleagues across Wales, I use an iPad for work as part of the Care & Repair myPad project. This means I can show clients the benefits of using digital technology and explain the importance of being ‘digitally included’. Once clients see how easy the tablets are to use, it breaks down one of the biggest barriers – the fear of using IT.
I explain how money can be saved by shopping online, as many items are cheaper and price comparison websites can help find the best deals. Some of my clients now order their prescriptions online, have shopping delivered, and speak with family and friends. Some have contact with their social and church groups (through Skype and face time), and use social networking sites to keep in touch and to learn new skills. One client is doing a degree course online, others download reading and audio books, some do their banking online and many enjoy games and puzzles.
The majority of these new skills also improve the client’s self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing, and ultimately help to reduce a feeling of social isolation.
Beverley Evans
Caseworker, Blaenau Gwent Care & Repair
Watch our video for Care & Repair Week here. Helping nannies and grampies all over Wales!
Friday, 21 February 2014
Thursday, 20 February 2014
Only the lonely...
On a wild windy day, only 50m from the crashing waves of Cardigan Bay, Sarah Rochira (Older People’s Commissioner) and her colleague Kelly came to visit Mrs Jones in Aberystwyth, whose terraced house nestles snugly against the castle walls.
We have been helping Mrs Jones to reduce her eye-watering £318 per month Direct Debit from Scottish Power. Mrs Jones had reached the end of her tether in trying to contact Scottish Power since August, when her payments went up to this incredible figure. We hit the same impenetrable brick wall, and only found a way through by using the Welsh language service. Having given the helpful Scottish Power officer the updated meter readings, we have reduced her Direct Debit to a still painful £192 per month. We are working with the client to tackle her inefficient heating scheme.
The Commissioner’s conversation with Mrs Jones, however, uncovered a wider and far more personal issue, common to far too many older people, even in close knit urban areas. Loneliness and isolation was her real heartache. 'I've always been such a sociable person, I loved going out... I've only been out of the house once in the past year, and that was only up the road to St Michael's Church for a funeral.'
The house is accessed via numerous steep, uneven, and varying height steps and, whilst a handrail has been fitted, Mrs Jones still sees the climb back up as an Everest too daunting to face.
Why doesn't she find a more suitable property? A flat or a sheltered scheme?
Herein lies the problem. This is not Mrs Jones's house, it is her home! Her home, which was bought nearly 50 years ago when she was newly married. 'We put in an offer on it and were worried sick all night, but it was the best thing we ever did.... We’ve raised our children and grandchildren here and my grandson still lives with me. I do not want to leave my home.'
The third sector, including us at Care & Repair, must continue to work together to help older people in all aspects that affect their ability to remain independent. That means far more than repairs and adaptations alone, it's all about the 'Care'.
Lesson relearned!
Dafydd Pugh-Jones
Rheolwr Gofal a Thrwsio / Care & Repair Manager
We have been helping Mrs Jones to reduce her eye-watering £318 per month Direct Debit from Scottish Power. Mrs Jones had reached the end of her tether in trying to contact Scottish Power since August, when her payments went up to this incredible figure. We hit the same impenetrable brick wall, and only found a way through by using the Welsh language service. Having given the helpful Scottish Power officer the updated meter readings, we have reduced her Direct Debit to a still painful £192 per month. We are working with the client to tackle her inefficient heating scheme.
The Commissioner’s conversation with Mrs Jones, however, uncovered a wider and far more personal issue, common to far too many older people, even in close knit urban areas. Loneliness and isolation was her real heartache. 'I've always been such a sociable person, I loved going out... I've only been out of the house once in the past year, and that was only up the road to St Michael's Church for a funeral.'
The house is accessed via numerous steep, uneven, and varying height steps and, whilst a handrail has been fitted, Mrs Jones still sees the climb back up as an Everest too daunting to face.
Why doesn't she find a more suitable property? A flat or a sheltered scheme?
Herein lies the problem. This is not Mrs Jones's house, it is her home! Her home, which was bought nearly 50 years ago when she was newly married. 'We put in an offer on it and were worried sick all night, but it was the best thing we ever did.... We’ve raised our children and grandchildren here and my grandson still lives with me. I do not want to leave my home.'
The third sector, including us at Care & Repair, must continue to work together to help older people in all aspects that affect their ability to remain independent. That means far more than repairs and adaptations alone, it's all about the 'Care'.
Lesson relearned!
Dafydd Pugh-Jones
Rheolwr Gofal a Thrwsio / Care & Repair Manager
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Why the Care & Repair Service is essential to Occupational Therapy intervention
Being discharged home from hospital can be an anxious and worrying time for some individuals. At times people are concerned that they may be unable to get around their home and care for themselves as they did previously, and individuals are often concerned about how they are going to meet the financial burden of not only maintaining their home but also for funding essential care services. The Care & Repair service has played an integral role in enabling occupational therapists to discharge people home from hospital efficiently and safely and in alleviating some of these concerns.
Care & Repair is a reliable and efficient service that, through the installation of small adaptations such as handrails and stair rails or through major building work such as adapted bathrooms, allows people to live in their own homes independently. The comprehensive service that Care & Repair provides enables smooth transition from hospital to home, reducing their length of stay in hospital and preventing readmissions.
Work is consistently completed to a high standard and in a timely manner by qualified technicians who understand the needs of the patient.
As well as providing practical assistance with repairs and adaptations, Care & Repair also provides advice and information regarding benefits, home safety and security.
Without the Care & Repair service, occupational therapists would be unable to address many of the concerns and needs of their client group.
Rachael Gdesis
Advanced Practitioner Occupational Therapist
Princess of Wales Hospital
Care & Repair is a reliable and efficient service that, through the installation of small adaptations such as handrails and stair rails or through major building work such as adapted bathrooms, allows people to live in their own homes independently. The comprehensive service that Care & Repair provides enables smooth transition from hospital to home, reducing their length of stay in hospital and preventing readmissions.
Work is consistently completed to a high standard and in a timely manner by qualified technicians who understand the needs of the patient.
As well as providing practical assistance with repairs and adaptations, Care & Repair also provides advice and information regarding benefits, home safety and security.
Without the Care & Repair service, occupational therapists would be unable to address many of the concerns and needs of their client group.
Rachael Gdesis
Advanced Practitioner Occupational Therapist
Princess of Wales Hospital
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
We can help you
During Care & Repair Week, we want to get a simple message out to the many thousands of older homeowners in Wales who live in poor housing. That message is: 'We can help you'.
If you are having difficulty getting up the stairs, if you can’t get in and out of the bath, if you are cold but afraid to turn on your heating because it costs so much, if your roof leaks, if your walls are damp, if your house is in disrepair, if you’re scared of falling on the steep steps to your house… whatever your housing problem, we can help you.
Last year, we helped 30,000 older people with their housing problems, 12,000 of whom lived alone. Most of the people we help are aged over 60 and their average age is 75. 10% of the people we help are over 90. Last year, 20 of our 22 Agencies helped people aged 100 years old or more.
We provide our services across the whole of Wales so wherever you live, we can get out to you, assess your housing problem, make sure you are claiming everything you are entitled to, talk to you about what you want, find out what grants or other funding is available to help you, find you a reliable builder, supervise the work, or do the work ourselves with one of our in-house handy-persons.
Our services are important. Not only do they help improve older people’s quality of life by keeping them safe, warm and independent in their own home, but they also keep them out of places they don’t want to be - ambulances, hospitals, GP surgeries and residential care homes. And we work with others to get it right, such as important partners like Welsh Government, occupational therapists, local authority housing staff, housing associations and health professionals.
But for older people, our biggest message for Care & Repair week is… We can help you! If you would like to contact us, you can call 0300 111 3333 anywhere in Wales and be connected to your local Care & Repair Agency.
Chris Jones
Chief Executive, Care & Repair Cymru
Help us to generate maximum exposure for Care & Repair Week on Twitter by signing up to our Thunderclap campaign... click here for further information!
If you are having difficulty getting up the stairs, if you can’t get in and out of the bath, if you are cold but afraid to turn on your heating because it costs so much, if your roof leaks, if your walls are damp, if your house is in disrepair, if you’re scared of falling on the steep steps to your house… whatever your housing problem, we can help you.
Last year, we helped 30,000 older people with their housing problems, 12,000 of whom lived alone. Most of the people we help are aged over 60 and their average age is 75. 10% of the people we help are over 90. Last year, 20 of our 22 Agencies helped people aged 100 years old or more.
We provide our services across the whole of Wales so wherever you live, we can get out to you, assess your housing problem, make sure you are claiming everything you are entitled to, talk to you about what you want, find out what grants or other funding is available to help you, find you a reliable builder, supervise the work, or do the work ourselves with one of our in-house handy-persons.
Our services are important. Not only do they help improve older people’s quality of life by keeping them safe, warm and independent in their own home, but they also keep them out of places they don’t want to be - ambulances, hospitals, GP surgeries and residential care homes. And we work with others to get it right, such as important partners like Welsh Government, occupational therapists, local authority housing staff, housing associations and health professionals.
But for older people, our biggest message for Care & Repair week is… We can help you! If you would like to contact us, you can call 0300 111 3333 anywhere in Wales and be connected to your local Care & Repair Agency.
Chris Jones
Chief Executive, Care & Repair Cymru
Help us to generate maximum exposure for Care & Repair Week on Twitter by signing up to our Thunderclap campaign... click here for further information!
Monday, 17 February 2014
Care & Repair did my forward thinking for me!
In September 2013 I slipped and badly tore the ligaments in my ankle. An X-ray showed no fracture and I was given crutches and codeine by A&E!
No thought was given as to how I would cope at home. I live alone in a house with an upstairs bathroom and it was ENORMOUSLY difficult. I was in pain++ and trying to manage stairs on my bottom!
I felt very vulnerable. Not a good feeling for a fiercely independent 69 year old!
Care & Repair came to my aid quickly and fitted rails up my stairs and in my bathroom so I could access my shower. However, my injury was so bad that in spite of rails etc, my daughter whisked me off to London for 5 weeks. Whilst there, Dafydd (C&R) emailed me to check if I needed any more help, and on returning home he convinced me to have a step and rails at my front door. Little did I know that I would really need them soon.
January 2014, in the wars again! An acute knee problem necessitated another two nights in hospital. You cannot believe how grateful I was that all the aids to help my mobility at home were already in place. With a painful and stiff knee, I was still able to cope at home on my discharge from hospital with my C&R rails.
Care & Repair did my forward thinking for me! I am so grateful to them and have recommended them to friends, and retweeted their posts on Twitter. Perhaps we could all try to prepare for the worst that could happen, whilst hoping that the need will not arise.
THANK YOU Care & Repair!
Penny Murfin
Client of Gofal a Thrwsio Ceredigion
This is the first in a series of five blog posts published during Care & Repair Week. Pop back tomorrow to read the next post!
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
#LoveEmptyHomes – a call to action for the housing sector
Empty Homes Wales is a project set up by United Welsh to help owners of Empty Homes to find bespoke solutions to bring their properties back into use. We offer signposting to finance, expert advice, referral to relevant services, full tenancy management, project management and so on. Anything that makes it harder for the owner to leave the property empty and unloved!
We work proactively with Local Authorities to offer services that mean we are able to get involved before enforcement action is taken against the owner.
This week I am busy promoting #LoveEmptyHomes – a timely campaign primarily aimed at reminding those owners of Empty Homes that their houses need love. Working with Local Authorities in Cardiff, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent, I am sending over 300 Valentine’s cards to ask them to work with us for the sake of the community (if not their own bank balance!).
At the same time, over on Twitter we are stimulating discussion about the future of Empty Homes. Why not head over and join in, using the hashtag #LoveEmptyHomes. Please donate a tweet to the campaign via Thunderclap.
For me, this Empty Homes campaign has really highlighted that while there are many partners and supporters, what we really need to see in order to make a difference in the numbers of Empty Homes brought back into use is more housing associations getting their hands dirty along with United Welsh.
I’ve been asked regularly 'What do United Welsh actually get out of this? Is it just for show?' Well, in short: no, it’s not. Working in this sector, and as members of CHC, our bread and butter is 'investing in communities and changing lives'. And when I see a previously abandoned property that has been refurbished and has a family living in it, I genuinely feel that I am achieving that. But strategically this project helps us to meet our business aims and objectives - it’s not loss making, and it’s not a charity. The financial viabilities stack up. They have to, at the Board's continued insistence!
But we can’t do it alone. When United Welsh set up the Empty Homes Wales project it was always with the intention of encouraging more housing associations to get involved to cover more diverse geographical areas. I am in early talks with proactive housing associations in other areas of South Wales, who are tentatively looking to start working in the same way as us in their own zoned areas. We are keen to share any information and give the necessary support to get the Empty Homes Wales message out there.
So, if you have anything to contribute, any ideas or comments, then please get in touch using #LoveEmptyHomes to see what we can achieve together.
Michala Rudman, Empty Homes Project Officer
United Welsh
We work proactively with Local Authorities to offer services that mean we are able to get involved before enforcement action is taken against the owner.
This week I am busy promoting #LoveEmptyHomes – a timely campaign primarily aimed at reminding those owners of Empty Homes that their houses need love. Working with Local Authorities in Cardiff, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent, I am sending over 300 Valentine’s cards to ask them to work with us for the sake of the community (if not their own bank balance!).
At the same time, over on Twitter we are stimulating discussion about the future of Empty Homes. Why not head over and join in, using the hashtag #LoveEmptyHomes. Please donate a tweet to the campaign via Thunderclap.
For me, this Empty Homes campaign has really highlighted that while there are many partners and supporters, what we really need to see in order to make a difference in the numbers of Empty Homes brought back into use is more housing associations getting their hands dirty along with United Welsh.
I’ve been asked regularly 'What do United Welsh actually get out of this? Is it just for show?' Well, in short: no, it’s not. Working in this sector, and as members of CHC, our bread and butter is 'investing in communities and changing lives'. And when I see a previously abandoned property that has been refurbished and has a family living in it, I genuinely feel that I am achieving that. But strategically this project helps us to meet our business aims and objectives - it’s not loss making, and it’s not a charity. The financial viabilities stack up. They have to, at the Board's continued insistence!
But we can’t do it alone. When United Welsh set up the Empty Homes Wales project it was always with the intention of encouraging more housing associations to get involved to cover more diverse geographical areas. I am in early talks with proactive housing associations in other areas of South Wales, who are tentatively looking to start working in the same way as us in their own zoned areas. We are keen to share any information and give the necessary support to get the Empty Homes Wales message out there.
So, if you have anything to contribute, any ideas or comments, then please get in touch using #LoveEmptyHomes to see what we can achieve together.
Michala Rudman, Empty Homes Project Officer
United Welsh
Friday, 7 February 2014
Digital exclusion - a tackling poverty issue
Having internet access within the home is fast becoming a necessity, not a luxury. The divide between those that are with broadband and those that are without because they cannot afford it is creating a social divide. Digital exclusion is therefore a tackling poverty issue.
Twenty per cent of social housing tenants who are not online cite that it is because they cannot afford home broadband. This equates to over 40,000 tenants across Wales who cannot afford to use the internet and take advantage of:
- Saving money through purchasing products/services online
- Searching and applying for jobs
- Accessing online education and information services
- Improved, fast communication with family and friends
- Accessing online public services, including health services and remote monitoring
Having online access also leads to improved wellbeing and mental health, especially for the elderly. A study at the Phoenix Centre found that internet use leads to around a 20% reduction in depression classification and, compared with the digitally excluded, internet users feel less lonely and their personal wellbeing is enhanced.
Having access to the internet can mean the difference between work and unemployment, inclusion and exclusion, and happiness and depression.
Helping tenants to get online involves supporting them with developing online skills, helping them to realise the benefits of using the internet, and enabling them to have access to the internet. Community hubs currently provide a fantastic resource to up-skill the community through online training courses and some also provide free internet access. However, not everyone is able to access these facilities, especially those isolated or housebound. Of those that are online, 84% prefer to access the internet within their own home.
‘Fighting Poverty’ is about tackling the root causes of deprivation and enabling those in poverty to have the same opportunities as others. It is one of our five key aims in our CHC Corporate Plan and we therefore support our members to impact positively on the economic, environmental and social circumstances of tenants, leaseholders and communities. Our Your Benefits are Changing campaign and Moneyline Cymru service have done just that, and we are now looking to further support our members to raise the benchmark and help tenants to get online in the comfort of their own home.
To find out more about the work we are involved with on digital inclusion, contact Hayley MacNamara on hayley-macnamara@chcymru.org.uk .
Hayley MacNamara
Regeneration Officer
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