EASTLEIGH SOUTHERN PARISHES OLDER PEOPLE'S FORUM NEWSLETTER 74

www.espopf.org MAY 2014

HEALTHWATCH ENGLAND has asked ESPOPF OPEN MEETING to arrange a Focus Group to inform their work on unsafe discharges from hospital, which is TUESDAY MAY 20 belatedly recognised as a concerning matter for older people. They note that we drew attention to this problem in our research into cancer care in 10.30AM-12.30PM “Growth Negligence” and thought we could help. We shall divide into small groups led by committee members, who will invite you to share briefly your own experiences or those of someone for whom you are or were a carer. Your 'DEALING WITH experiences will be noted and treated as confidential for reporting purposes. We have also invited a speaker to shed DEMENTIA' more light on the help that is available locally for those caring for dementia sufferers. & Please note that we are holding our meeting in the new Lowford Centre in Bursledon. We think you will be impressed by the new 'UNSAFE Bursledon Community Centre and the comfort it offers. If you have a Hampshire Library card, you may exchange books in the new community DISCHARGES library, which has audio and large-print books. There is ample car parking, but please travel with others if possible. First Bus services FROM HOSPITAL' use the stop outside the Centre. Let Betty know (Tel. 023 8045 3680) if you wish to use the free bus that will deliver you door to door. Please don't forget to bring a raffle prize. Spare plants would be most welcome. We still RAFFLE & 100 have a few tickets left for the 100 Club. Bring a friend. Tell me if you wish to observe a committee meeting with a view to joining. CLUB DRAW Since leaving West End, we seem to have lost touch with some old friends. We hope you will come over to Bursledon to sample our REFRESHMENT hospitality, which will include birthday cake on this occasion. Whose birthday? That would be NEW LOWFORD CENTRE telling ... Diane Andrewes Chair LOWFORD HILL/PORTSMOUTH RD THIS INDEPENDENT NEWSLETTER IS BURSLEDON SO31 8ES FUNDED BY MEMBERS' SUBSCRIPTIONS ESPOPF NEWS OFFICERS & COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2013/14 Chair/Newsletter Editor: Diane Andrewes (Bursledon) 023 804O3311 [email protected] Vice Chair: Pat Rose (West End) 02380 473946 Hon. Sec./Publicity Officer: Tricia Garrett (Bursledon) 02380 560127 [email protected] Hon. Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Betty Lawrence 02380 453680 8 Rookley Netley Abbey SO31 5PH Web Master/Data Base Organiser: David Andrewes (Bursledon) 023 8040 3311 [email protected] Minutes Secretary: Maureen Hunt (Botley) Members' Meetings Organisers: Brian Knapp Jackie Charles (Hamble ) Tony Rest (West End) Dottie Vickers (Hedge End) (Hedge End vacancy) John Taylor (Butlocks Heath) Eileen Brenneck (Bursledon) (Botley vacancy) NB 2 vacancies ......

EUROPEAN HUSTINGS Anneliese Dodds (Labour), Ray Finch (UKIP) BUDGET MARCH 2014 and Richard Robinson (Conservative) left us in 1 Basic state pension rises to £113.10 per week; no doubt as to where their parties stand on wife's pension rises to £67.80. Europe: Labour enthusiastic, Conservatives on the fence and UKIP – everybody out! The Lib 2 State second pension and public sector Dem and Green candidates failed to show. pensions rise by CPI figure of 2.7%. MEMBER attendance was well below the usual turn-out for ESPOPF's hustings, but those who 3 Pension Credit Guarantee (single pensioner) came learned a great deal about the work of will be £148.35 and £226.80 (couple). the European Parliament and why we should be more involved. The media have a lot to 4 Basic personal allowance for income tax for answer for in their lack of coverage of Europe, those under 65 will be £10,000. Age-related their current negativity about politicians and personal allowance for pensioners remains their obsession with UKIP – all of which frozen at £10,500 and £10, 660. influence the public's perception of events at election time and encourage apathy. 5 Married couple's allowance for those aged 75 MARCH 100 CLUB WINNERS and over will rise to £8.165

£42 Tony Neve 82 Hamble 6 Inheritance tax remains at £325.000. £21 Don Cam 44 N/A 7 Winter fuel payment is unchanged. £ 21 Mrs Manning 3 H/E 8 From March 24, anyone with a single pension …...... pot of less than £10,000, or numerous pots adding up to less than £30,000 in pensions will PLEA TO MEMBERS be able to take it all as tax-free cash. The Committee has been discussing ideas for 9 From January 2015, a new Pensioner bond Recruiting new members and we are intending from National Saving s and Investments will be to re-issue our membership leaflet, targeting available. The maximum investment is £10,000. the over 55s. Some members may know of Interest is 2.8% on a one-year bond and 4% on a friends or have children who would like to join three-year bond 'Southampton Pensioner') us. We ask you to show them our Newsletter and ask them where else they will find GAGGING ACT 2014 information and local and national news We are told that it will be against the law to lobby targeted at them. Bring them to an Open MPs prior to the next General Election. If Meeting or offer to bring us their subscription. ESPOPF continues to campaign for older people, will the government send us to prison? As Archbishop Desmond Tutu put it: “There comes a point when we need to AGM: JULY 15 stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.”

ESPOPF WANTS YOU TO KNOW... Eastleigh Citizens Advice assessed on a variety of heath FO OD COLUMN Bureau offers free, needs.(CAB opens in confidential and impartial Bursledon in July - Ed.) MAGNETS advice in many areas that …...... Almost the first project to be identified by the ESPOPF Food may be of particular interest ATM PIN NUMBERS to older people, including Group was the investigation of We are grateful to the a handy method for members Welfare, Housing, Consumer, Citizens' Advice Bureau and Health and Money issues. to keep shopping lists, recipes, others for letting us know food articles, phone numbers Our free, confidential that the 'tip' we offered in the etc. nearby. The obvious benefit checks can help make March Newsletter is in fact a place for the information was sure that people in or around SCAM! THE POLICE WILL the fridge door. The first retirement age are getting the NOT BE CALLED, AND YOU step, therefore, was the pursuit financial help they’re entitled WILL NOT GET ANY CASH. IF of suitable materials for to. YOU EN-TER YOUR PIN IN reasonably-sized, light Recent studies show that older REVERSE. THE CASH containers to fix to fridge and people miss out on millions of MACHINE WILL REGISTER freezer doors. pounds worth of benefits every THIS AS AN IN-CORRECT Tricia Garrett year, with up to 1.6 million ENTRY, AND ASK YOU TO researched magnets with pensioners losing out on an RE-ENTER YOUR PIN. folders up to A4 size. Eileen average of £34 a week in ALWAYS CALL 999 IN AN Brenneck went to Poundland Pension Credit, and a further EMERGENCY SITUATION. and found a magnetic group missing out on Council (We humbly apologise for this whiteboard with pen, and David Tax Reduction. The CAB can error - though we are pleased Andrewes did some lateral offer information and advice to have this evidence that our thinking and discovered about these benefits, as well as Newsletter is read! – Ed.) magnetised strips that could be what help may be available if …...... made into a Contents index for food in the deep freeze. you are disabled, caring for CENTENARIANS someone, or have been These ingenious In 2012, there were an recently widowed. devices, with prices, will be on estimated 13,350 centenarians display at the May Members' We also work with clients to in the UK and 660 of them Meeting and, if there is resolve any debt problems and were over 105. sufficient interest from have a great deal of There are now 500,000 people members, bulk purchases experience in family and aged 90 or over and the could be arranged. personal matters, including number of very old people is …...... probate / bereavement queries. rising faster amongst men than FAILING Clients can access our women as the gender gap services 10am-4pm Monday to narrows. The reasons for ANTIBIOTICS Thursday by ringing the Advice improving the chances of THE World Health Line on: 023 80616046 to get surviving to a very old age are Organisation is urging all telephone advice. Alternatively, better medical treatments, countries to be more sparing in clients can drop into the bureau housing, nutrition and living their use of antibiotics without an appointment during standards and a decline in and to improve hand hygiene, opening hours, to be seen by smoking. The UK's 21 which has been credited with the first available advisor. We centenarians per population of the UK reducing MRSA, which are also able to offer home 100,000 lags behind countries is resistant to the antibiotic visits, by appointment, to those such as Japan (40) and France methicillin. If urgent action is who are house-bound due to (30) – which leads in Europe. not taken, pneumonia will age, ill-health or disability. Our …...... become a feared killer again, Hampshire Macmillan Citizens surgery risky and diarrhoea Advice Service offers advice to fatal. No country is immune, clients affected by cancer as bacteria and drug- resistant Monday- Friday 9.30am- viruses travel the globe with 2.30pm on: 0844 847 7727. ease. Everyone is at risk. YOU WRITE … Dear Editor tias, and their carers. This is Telephone 0800 4 70 80 80 if Sir Richard Thompson, a café with a difference held you need. President of the Royal Col- every 2ND and 4TH Wednes- Silver Line lege of Physicians, recently day of the month 2-4pm. …………………………. described over- worked NHS Bring the one you care for to clinicians ”running around like a relaxed setting where they Dear Editor scalded cats”. He rightly high- can be supported by trained Clause 48 sought to lights the fact that the NHS is staff and join in the activities apply the Human Rights Act under-doctored, nursed and provided. to all regulated social care funded. provision. The government Home Instead . Like physicians, psychiat- argued that the clause was Tel. 01489 559007 inappropriate/unnecessary rists are under pressure to www.homeinstead.co.uk/so deliver quality care with a uthampton and a Commons Committee minimum of resources. They …………………………. voted to remove it… In effect, we believe that the Human witness the distress of pa- Dear Editor tients and carers unable to Since Esther Rantzen Rights Act would add no addi- access local services. Chil- lost her husband in 2000, she tional protection for users of dren, as young as 12, are be- rings her friends every day care services. The require- ing left on adult psychiatric and knows how valuable it is ments for care providers … wards. The decline in old age to have a really good chat on can be enforced by the Care psychiatry as a result of “age- the phone. People retire, they Quality Commission. less services” means that suffer loss of hearing, sight – older people with mental even the loss of their driving Norman Lamb MP health issues are not receiv- Minister of State for Care licence causes them to lose & Support ing the specialist care they their independence. (The recent BBC Pan- need. More than half of all 75 orama programme on older The real risk in all this year olds live alone and one people’s residential care, is finance becoming a bigger in ten suffers intense loneli- demonstrated inadequate driver than care and com- ness, but is reluctant to ask regulation of care homes and passion, which brings us back for help. Sundays are difficult, supervision of staff; sacking to what none of us wants – a and the long dark evenings. of whistleblowers; un-regu- recurrence of the scandal that Often older people don’t tell lated charges; failure of local happened at Mid Stafford- their families, because they authorities to ensure min- shire Hospital. do not want to be a burden. imum standards from pro- Esther set up Silverline, a viders following reduction of Sue Bailey President free, 24-hour confidential government grants to local Royal College, helpline for older people authorities for care; lack of Psychiatrists which provides information, training for care workers; ab- …………………………. friendship and advice on the ject misery of older patients. Dear Editor telephone. It was launched We believe there has never If you care for someone six months ago and has re- been more need for individu- with any kind of dementia and ceived over 70,000 calls als and their families to be you would like to meet others already able to seek redress under for expert advice and support, The charity has 6,000 the Human Rights Act. Has please join us at Warsash trained volunteers. It aims to the Minister learned nothing United Reform Church 55 befriend 12,000 people and from Mid. Staffs?– Warsash Road Warsash SO take one million calls a year ESPOPF reply to our MP 31 9HW. costing £6million a year, We hold a free memory It has a buddy scheme café, a new service for local so that volunteers may be people with memory loss, paired with people and call Alzheimer’s or other demen- them once a week for a chat. Eastleigh Health & Wellbeing We then took part in group Partnership Forum 20 th March 2014 discussions and the key issues were as at Kings Community Church - follows: Hedge End • Increased pressures on voluntary groups 1 Eileen Brenneck reports: • Need to share information about who offers what Beryl Lawrence - Hedge End Food • Concern over sanctions by Job Bank spoke in detail about their new Centres if claimants cannot get to Job service, open every Thursday at KCC Centre i.e. no money for buses • Claimants who are not IT literate from 10 – 1.30 pm. They were grateful will struggle to evidence job searches to various benefactors including EBC, • Claimants without access to a Parish Council, First Wessex Radian, computer will be disadvantaged, e.g. Londis and 8 harvest festival collections. library time limited to 30 minutes and a They have bought a small van as a claim is minimum 40 minutes. family of 4 or more need a lot of carrier bags of food to last them a week! Since As with the bedroom tax, the opening, they have been able to feed government is out of touch with the 1085 people. Numbers have risen poorer members of society! steadily and remain high. They work closely with colleagues in Netley and 2 Tricia Garrett lists the Hamble. fundamental changes to the benefit system Andrew Sherman – Department of Work & Pensions spoke of new 1 All applications for benefit will now be Universal Credit, which will condense 12 on line. Anyone who does not have the million claims to 8 million with one skills will be trained and this training payment to the householder per cannot be refused. Only severe disability household, including housing costs. will allow for another form of application. Payment will be monthly in arrears. I asked how people would manage going 2 Rent will now be directly paid to from fortnightly to monthly if they have claimant so training is now in place, led been on benefits for a while. The reply by CAB, to advise people about was that not many people would be in budgeting and saving rent for landlord. the risk category as the majority of Housing Associations will not hand over people on JSA are people that have the keys to a property until the tenant been made redundant on excellent has been on a budgeting course. wages of £45,000 and they would have Landlords can raise rent arrears and savings to tide them over! They would after 8 weeks the rent payment can allow people to get into 8 weeks of rent regress to the landlord. arrears so that, if the rent were £100 per week, they could be £800 in arrears 3 Job Seekers' Allowance is to change, before it gets flagged up that they are with the responsibility to be put back struggling. Their payments for rent then onto the claiming adult. There must be a go back to being paid straight to the much higher level of job- seeking to get landlord and then they have their arrears benefit. The time looking for jobs is to be taken off their weekly benefit payments. increased from 15 hours to 25 hours. Currently it is being piloted in the North Clients will now have a log book entitled West of the Country. Full roll-out will be My Work Plan, which is 44 pages long completed by the end of 2017. Our area and logs efforts to look for work. will probably be in 2015. costs will be covered fully. 4 The Job Advisor title will change to After April 2016, the threshold may Work Coach. The role will change from be set at £118,000 (not £72,000) and the parent/child to sports coach training an lower threshold at £17,000 (not athlete, so that a rapport can be £14,250). established. If you live alone and your house 5 For the first 13 weeks, a Job Seeker has to be sold, this will pay for your care, can look for the same type of work and although payment may be deferred. If it similar wage but after that they must look is owned as joint property, its value will for any type of employment. be disregarded. To find out about the effects your 6 Vulnerable people will be given a letter particular circumstances, you can ask by their health support worker to take to Adult Services for help (0845 603 5630), the Work Coach and these details will be the Citizens Advice Bureau (01489 worked into their Commitment Plan. 796651), Age UK Advice (0800 169 6565) or go online. The two most helpful 7 The access to a Crisis Loan has been online sites are: removed as there will now be no waiting time between benefits the only change in http://www.which.co.uk/elderly- benefits will be made if there is a change care/financing-care in personal circumstances. http://www.ageuk.org.uk/home-and- care/care-homes - find Paying for Care. 8 The Job Centre is to change its focus away from people who are furthest away There are solicitors who will from finding a job to those people who advise you and appeal on your behalf are likely to find a job quickly. but ensure that you understand their fees and that a member of the firm has a All this does not seem to bode well special interest in older people. for the more vulnerable in our ESPOPF’s open meetings have talks society. from time to time by experts on all 3 David Andrewes reports on 'The aspects of care. Cost of Care' after a 1 Community Finally, to avoid being taken into care lecture. yourself and all its subsequent problems: “What will happen to me when I 1 Reduce smoking and alcohol and can no longer cope with looking after take exercise. myself or my spouse? How much will it 2 Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables cost and what if I can’t pay?” These and lose weight, if you need to. things worry all of us but the worst thing is not knowing. 3 Change joint bank accounts to separate accounts, otherwise your If you have no assets (e.g. money may be assessed as belonging to savings, shares, ISAs) but an income your husband/wife. sufficient to cover the costs of care, you will have to pay it all, up to £72,000 a 4 Appoint an attorney for both year. Similarly, if you have assets of over Property and Financial Affairs and for £23,250, you will have to pay all your Health and Welfare. fees until such time as they are used up 5 Make or update your will. to below £23,250 but over £14,250. You then pay a proportion. Finally, if they The regulations are a veritable maze amount to less than £14,250, your care and minefield - constantly changing.