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Elders Council of Newcastle Older People working for Older People May - June 201 6 Issue 71 Information Success! The Elders Council held an Information Day on 21 March at the Centre for Life, which proved an excellent venue for the event. It was called “The Really Useful Day Out” and so it proved to be. The focus was on home care, housing options and direct payments. 80 people attended, and 17 stallholders provided information/advice, including Anchor, Disability North, Newcastle Carers, St. Oswald’s, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and Ways to Wellness. Our Patron, John Grundy, opened the event in his usual ebullient style and this was followed by four short presentations by professionals on: Inside this issue: Page Assessing your care and support needs Elders Council at Work ..........….. 1-9 Direct Payments Fun and Fitness Event ……..………6 Knowing your Housing Options Myths and Realities of Paying for Care Housing Open Days ………………..7 Feedback and comments from attenders Dementia Update ………………….12 and stallholders was positive and Things to do …………………….13-16 suggestions for future events included: Volunteering …………………….18-19 advice about savings and inheritance; information on leisure activities; Information updates.................. 20-22 topics around health/self- Correspondence………...…….……23 care/diet/exercise; volunteering; Poetry Corner …………..…...… 24-27 carers’ issues. Contact Details……………….….… 28 If you have any other topics you would 1 Information Success! like us to focus on for the next event, please let us know. Date for your diary! Elders Council Fun and Fitness ‘ The morning finished with soup and rolls all round and the winning of a £20 voucher by See pg. xxx one lucky attender. Remember: you have to be in it to win it! for further details The Elders Council is grateful to First stop, Care and Repair England and Nationwide Building Society for supporting this event. 2 Elders Council at Work Health and Social Care Working Group Home Care Services will continue to be its report Future of Home Care top of the Agenda for the Working Services, which is on the Elders Council Group. At the April meeting there was a website. The key findings were lively discussion about the Healthwatch summarised in a previous issue of the report, Spotlight on Home Care, which Newsletter. Together with the has just been published. The findings Healthwatch Report, there is now a body are based on replies to a questionnaire of evidence about home care services sent to current users of the services from current users of the services and provided by the five home care agencies future expectations from members of the in contract with the City Council. The Elders Council and partner vast majority of respondents were organisations. satisfied or very satisfied with the services they received and felt that they In the present debate about the funding were treated with dignity and respect of public services, we must make our always or mostly. So a high level of contributions based on the evidence we appreciation of the service and of the have accumulated … so the story care workers who came into their continues at future meetings. homes, but around a third of Connected People and Connected respondents had suggestions for Communities improvement, particularly about Although home care is receiving a lot of continuity of care workers, and about attention, there are other issues of communication. Comments on these concern, so Working Group members issues stressed the anxiety experienced are putting together some views about by frequent changes and the difficulty of good social relationships. It seems building trusted relationships. Failure to increasingly to be recognised that notify changes in service, including times loneliness and social isolation are of visits, was a cause of dissatisfaction important health issues, so building good for a minority of respondents. On the social relationships is fundamental to our whole, it seemed to be felt that care wellbeing and not just a fringe matter. workers had received some training, but there was concern about the level of If you wish to contribute to the training in medicine management when discussion on these, or any other health help with medication is an important topics, future meetings will be from element of the care required. This 10.30am to 12.30pm at Broadacre Report gives a balanced view of the House, Market Street East on: service currently commissioned from five service providers, and is now available Friday, 20 May at the time when the next contracts are Friday, 17 June about to be decided. Please telephone the office for an In addition to this Healthwatch Report, agenda and notes. the Elders Council has already published 3 vElders Council at work Transport and Highways Working Group Road Changes Newcastle is currently undergoing the biggest changes to its roads infrastructure for a generation and we are continually monitoring these, from the planning stage through to final completion and eventually the effectiveness of the changes. Within the city the developments at Central Station and John Dobson Street are well underway and, together with proposed improvements at Barras Bridge, should enhance the space available to pedestrians and cyclists, providing more safety and comfort for both. Across the city the changes at Cowgate and Four Lane Ends are close to completion and Salters Road/Church Road has made rapid progress. New projects are being started on the North West Corridor at Cow Hill, Kenton Road/Grandstand Road, Blue House roundabout, Osborne Road junction and Haddricks Mill roundabouts at South Gosforth. Other improvements planned include changes to the road structure at the north end of Scotswood Bridge. It is also hoped that a new access to the Central Station can be created on the South side of the station with a direct pedestrian link to the new development immediately behind it. Nexus Cycle Trial Metro has always allowed folding bikes to be taken on trains, and they have invested in new cycle storage racks and lockers at stations. They are now holding a limited trial of the carriage of non-folding bikes between Callerton Parkway and Jesmond, from Monday to Friday during the off-peak periods. For the next few months, bikes can be taken onto trains between Callerton Parkway and Jesmond (in either direction), Monday to Friday between 10am and 3pm. Each Metrocar will have one designated storage area for bikes located near the perch seat. One bike is allowed on each Metrocar. The space will also be used by wheelchair users and customers with pushchairs, and they must always be given priority. If a cyclist is using the space and a wheelchair/pushchair user wants to board, the cyclist must move to the other Metrocar or wait for the next train. For more information on the trial, ring Nexus Customer Services on 0191 20 20 747 or email to [email protected] . 4 vElders Council at work Transport and Highways Working Group Nexus operating concession with DB RegioTyne and Wear Ltd Nexus has announced that, although they have the right to extend the current contract for two years beyond March 2017, they plan to manage Metro operations directly themselves from April 2017. This proposal is one part of a four-point plan for the future of Metro, comprising as it does funding for new trains, arrangements for a new operating contract, continued capital investment and potential extensions. Outings in 2016 with a Concessionary Bus Pass Just a reminder that we will be publishing in May the latest edition of our “Outings with a Concessionary Bus Pass” leaflet. This is our eighth year for this popular leaflet and again this year we will have a couple of new places for you, a new route to one of our popular places as well as bringing our old favourites up to date. The leaflet will be available towards the end of May and you will be able to download a copy of it from our website. Alternatively, you will be able to get a free printed copy by sending a stamped addressed envelope to Anne (office address on the back page). Wherever you are travelling to, have a good journey and do let us know how you get on. Communication Working Group Listen in to your own special radio programme Everyone’s tomorrow – today! is 9BX. Please include any suggestions for the Elders Council radio programme that topics you would like to hear about. goes out on the first Friday of every We are also looking into setting up a month between 2 and 4 pm on the Listeners Panel which can provide direct community radio station NE1fm feedback to our radio team. If you are (102.5fm). interested in being a member of the If you have difficulty in finding the regular Listeners Panel, then please wavelength 102.5fm on your radio, you email or can listen via the Internet on NE1fm write to us Webplayer http://ne1fm.net/webplayer . and we will get in touch We are keen to get our members’ views with you. on our programmes, so please listen in and send in your comments. Email our co-ordinator at [email protected] or write to Steve at 166 Wingrove Road, NE4 5 vElders Council at work Older Person Friendly City Neighbourhood Activities The Working Group would like to draw the attention of members to some current neighbourhood developments. We have been notified that some neighbourhoods are forming neighbourhood forums, which can be the first stage in developing a local plan for their neighbourhood. Kenton, Lower Ouseburn Valley and Dinnington have already embarked on this process. Some other neighbourhoods have been consulted about local development plans (e.g., Acorn Road in Jesmond, where improvements are now completed).