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Technology: The fastest growing group of tablet users are over-60s

Older people are biggest tablet fans

The screen is sharper than iPad’s for reading

“The fastest growing group of tablet users are over-60s,”

Clare Newsome says. “Skype lets them stay in touch with loved ones – and learning new things helps keep brains active”.
Tablet

New machines such as Samsung’s Tab S (pictured) are great for older users as the screen is sharper than the iPad’s, and great for reading too.

Ali Crossley, Executive Director of retirement home chain McCarthy & Stone said: There is a perception that retirees are less in touch with technology, but that isnt the case anymore.”

Half of pensioners used Facebook and two-thirds said their children had helped them choose a tablet for staying in touch.

Up to 80% of older people say they want a smartphone

Doro

Older users even have their own smartphones.

The Doro 740 has large keys and a remote-access function so children can help if it goes wrong. Its makers described it as a “phenomenal” hit when it launched.

Maker Doro said demand for the product was high because 80% of older people said they wanted a smartphone to stay in touch with family.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/how-the-family-stays-connected-with-apps-and-gadgets-072031713.html

Free ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for local women

 

Free ESOL Classes for women in Whalley Range

With two qualified female tutors

The women who attend our Tuesday classes range from Urdu, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic speakers: some speak very little English and struggle with every day things such as speaking to their children school staff, making appointments – or simply  engaging and chatting with their neighbours.

(call 881 3744 to book the creche) ESOL classes run from 10-11 am

Call Chris on 881 3744 for more details – or pop into the JNR8 Centre to find out more.

Chorlton Good Neighbours (CGN)

Chorlton Good Neighbours  (CGN) is a neighbourhood care group working in Chorlton-cum-Hardy and parts of Whalley Range, Manchester

Started in 1967 by a group of local churches, community groups and other local people, we are now a well established charity offering social, practical and emotional support to mainly older people in our community.

  • Coffee mornings
  • Exercise classes
  • Lifts to and from appointments
  • Home visits
  • Help with odd jobs
  • Referal to other agencies
  • Provide general advice and useful local knowledge
  • Social events
  • Information events
  • History Group
  • Day trips
  • Gardening Club
  • Men social afternoon
  • Melodics singing group

Who are our users?

  • Local older people – mainly from Chorlton, Chorlton Park and the Whalley Range area..
  • Our users often have little or no local family support. The majority of our users are women; however, we are encouraging more older men to get involved through a project which specifically targets them.

Visit the website at: www.chorltongoodneighbours.org  

Manchester Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Research on Ageing (MICRA)

MICRA is a network promoting interdisciplinary and innovative research on all aspects of ageing. It is based at the University of Manchester, but works more widely in the Greater Manchester area and nationally. MICRA currently brings together around 1,000 academics, practitioners, policy makers and older people to enrich the research environment and to help bridge the gap between academic research and policy and practice.

MICRA aims to:

  • Bring together an interdisciplinary groups of researchers working on ageing from across the University of Manchester, enhancing our capacity to raise funding for and conduct research
  • Increase capability to translate research findings into practical applications (policy, clinical innovations, technology)
  • Act as a focus for research activity at postgraduate and undergraduate levels across Schools and Faculties, with the intention of developing the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers in the field of ageing

Read more and find out about upcoming events at:

http://www.ihs.manchester.ac.uk/MICRA/

The Older People Health and Wellbeing Atlas

Enter the Older People Health and Wellbeing Atlas

The Older People Health and Wellbeing Atlas provides a snapshot profile of each local authority in England. Interactive maps and charts enable comparisons to be made nationally for over 100 indicators.

The atlas can be used to highlight deficits in the health and care of older people and large variations between local authorities across England. The information will be of use to the wide range of organisations with an interest in the health and care of older people. The Older People Health and Wellbeing Atlas aims to support those responsible for:

  • delivering strategies for prevention and early intervention to improve the health and wellbeing of older people
  • providing evidence and intelligence to support the development of Joint Strategic Needs Assessments for their local area.

By providing a tool to:

  • Identify variations in the health and care of older people at local authority level
  • Compare a local authority with others, including viewing those demographically similar
  • Understand how the health and care of older people varies across local authority areas
  • Monitor progress to reduce inequalities between local authorities in the health and wellbeing of older people.

In March 2013 the WMPHO has released updates to the Older People Health and Wellbeing Atlas (more information link to the Data Page. The data download file and userguide will be released shortly). Further indicators will be added or updated in future phases of this project.

Read more: http://www.wmpho.org.uk/olderpeopleatlas/

Calling on the Government to protect older people human rights

Calling on the Government to protect older people human rights

Yesterday morning, Age UK handed its petition into the Department of Health, calling on the Government to close a loophole that means some older people receiving care are not directly covered by the Human Rights Act because of the way their care is arranged and paid for.

It an absurd situation. Two people living in the same care home could have different rights and protections because of this loophole. That means that when abuse and neglect takes place, some people have fewer options for redress. We think this is wrong.

Since we launched our petition in January, thousands of people have agreed with us. Over 17,000 people added their voice to our campaign – a phenomenal response – and we have now passed this on to the Care Minister.

On Monday, MPs will be debating the Care Bill in its Report Stage. In its previous stage, a committee of MPs narrowly voted to remove Clause 48 from the Care Bill. Clause 48 was introduced to the Care Bill in the House of Lords to close the loophole in protection. This was disappointing but not unexpected. In that debate, MPs were referring to public support for Clause 48 and we know that our petition helped to push the vote so close.

Now a new clause is to be debated in the House of Commons on Monday. This clause, recommended by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, a group of cross-party MPs and Lords, would close the loophole for the vast majority of older people who need care services.

Thanks to so many people signing our petition and contacting their MPs, we now have a great opportunity to keep the pressure on MPs to accept this new clause and provide clarity on the type of protection people receiving care services should have.

If you are interested in the background to this, take a look at our briefing for MPs on better protection for people receiving care services.

Ageing population: what can the UK learn from overseas?

From intergenerational holiday camps to a parliament for older people, schemes across Europe and further afield could offer inspiration

Our rapidly ageing population raises a slew of questions for our society. How will we meet the cost of social care? What can we do to prevent isolation and loneliness? How can we promote the positive contribution that older people make to society?

Many developed nations are facing the same challenges. “Were all wrestling with the problems of social isolation and loneliness in one way or another,” said Mervyn Kohler, external affairs advisor to Age UK.

He added: “You cant assume that we can pick up a model from one country and transplant it over here, but … there are many more imaginative ways to address the growing problem.”

Here are five projects making an impact in managing an ageing population.

Germany

Alongside regular taxes, German citizens pay into a social insurance scheme which pays for the cost of care that may be needed in later life or if long term illness or disability hits. When citizens make a claim they have a choice: either they can take a lump sum or they can ask for “payment in kind”, which means the cost of the services they need will be covered by the state.

“The cash payment is of much lower value than if youd opted for the services in kind, but it very popular,” said Caroline Glendinning, professor of social policy at the University of York. “It used to support family care giving.”

The scheme is financially stable because, culturally, care is often provided informally by family members, and so the strain of paying for large amounts of care does not fall to the state. Opting for the single payment also means the carer has some claim to the money. The scheme pays into the pension of the carer, offers four weeks respite care and provides access to training.

“The German social insurance idea is a good one in terms of trying to ensure that the entire population actually has an income which is respectable and adequate enough to open up the possibility of social inclusion rather than just mere survival,” said Kohler.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, a visiting scheme for older people has been established to prevent isolation. Volunteers are recruited en masse. They provide older people with information about services, ask about their emotional wellbeing and establish if they are lonely. If the volunteers cannot solve a problem themselves they turn to professionals. The aim of the scheme is that every older person in the country is visited at least once a year, but the performance of local governments varies depending on their financial situation.

France

French authorities have developed an inter-generational leisure scheme which helps pensioners to spend their holidays with family, even if they are frail. Funds from the French state pension are diverted to fund the construction of large holiday complexes suitable for all the family, from small children to the very old – with most located in already popular holiday destinations along the southern and northern coastlines.

“It an excellent example of lived inter-generational solidarity: you can actually go on holidays as a family, including grandparents, if some basic healthcare and social care infrastructure is provided,” observed Andreas Hoff, a research fellow at the Oxford Institute of Ageing.

He added: “Isnt that much better than asking for respite care? Middle-aged caregivers get respite without the feelings of guilt for leaving behind their parents in institutional care.”

The holiday parks have easy access for disabled people and sheltered accommodation with specialist medical and care facilities. Holidaymakers do pay for their stay, but some families can apply for assistance.

Japan

Adachi, a heavily populated ward in the north of Tokyo, has launched a “zero isolation” project aimed at reaching out to its ageing community. Data is analysed on all people over the age of 70. Older people who talk with someone outside their household less than once a week, or has nobody to turn to for help are defined as isolated. For those who meet the criteria, visitors help to break the cycle of isolation and encourage participation in events such as karaoke, exercise groups and shared dinners. There are events aimed at bringing isolated people out of their homes and into the community at least twice a month.

“Adachi initiative around zero isolation was a specific response to the community despair that a deceased older man could lay undiscovered in his home for as long as 30 years,” said Andrew Stevens, chief researcher at the Japan Local Government Centre.

He added: “The scheme was aimed at using existing resources and structures more effectively to promote vigilance on the part of a busy population living in a Tokyo commuter suburb, towards their older neighbours.”

The scheme is already being rolled out to single parents.

Cyprus

Cyprus has established a parliament for older people made up of representatives from charities and groups. It meets once a year, together with the Cypriot president, the minister of health and the minister of labour and social insurances. Ministers are bound by law to implement some of their decisions. The parliament even delayed a recent banking vote, to protect the interests of savers.

Ireland has a similar scheme, the Irish senior citizens parliament, which is run by volunteers and has had huge success in rallying older people to put pressure on government.

Our ageing population: what role will you play?

Our ageing population: what role will you play?

Older people will play an active part in our future. For students this means it time to rethink the stigma around working with older people. Photograph: Ian Waldie/Getty Images

There no escaping the fact that were getting older. There are ten million people in the UK who are over 65, and by 2050 this is predicted to have risen to 19 million, according to the government. In the UK and in developed countries around the world, an ageing population is the new reality. It a reality that poses challenges to society, but also unique opportunties for students and graduates.

There an image problem surrounding working with older people; it not something students necessarily think of as a career path. But if youre looking for a rewarding career in a growing field, it worth taking an interest in our ageing population.

“Ageing is integral to everything in society,” says Dr Paul Nash, postgraduate programme director in ageing studies at Swansea University. “If you want to make an impact in society you can make it directly through working with older adults, or indirectly through changing policy or challenging stereotypes. Also innovatively, by designing products that older people actually want and that address the needs of an older consumer base.”

A number of postgraduate courses in gerontology, or ageing studies, teach students about the social and politicial implications of an ageing population, as well as providing modules in working directly with older people.

Healthcare and social work probably has the most obvious link to working with older people and having an impact on their lives. But specialising in geriatric medicine might not have been what you imagined when you first pictured becoming a doctor or nurse.

Dr Terry Quinn, lecturer in geriatric medicine at the University of Glasgow says: “There been a PR issue in the past. Geriatric care and the care of older adults hasnt been seen as exciting or sexy. It not cardiology or intensive care or the things that you see on TV that get people initially excited about healthcare.

“But actually it very rewarding and is the reality of contemporary healthcare. Most people receiving healthcare now are older adults.”

As our population ages, there also an increase in demand for graduates who have the skills to deal with illnesses that particularly affect older adults, such as dementia.

Ian McMillan, head of division of occupational therapy and arts therapies at Queen Margaret Universitys, says: “As dementia becomes more prevalent in society it is critical that we ensure our healthcare graduates better understand the specific needs of people with dementia, their carers and their families.”

Informing yourself about the specific needs of older adults, either by choosing modules on an undergraduate course or specialising in geriatric care at postgraduate level, will prepare you for the reality of a career in healthcare. But it can also be a particularly rewarding career path that you might not have considered.

“If you are a cardiologist you focus on one thing, but as a geriatric specialist you are potentially looking at a whole range of processes,” says Quinn. “That variety makes for an intellectuatlly stimulating and interesting job.”

Dr Jenni Harrison is in her fourth year of postgraduate medical training at the University of Leciester, specialising in the care of older people. She says: “Geriatric medicine is not neccessarily something that grabs people as a thought of something they might like to do. But it a potentially very rewarding career in medicine.

“I enjoy speaking with a patient family and the holistic approach: making sure the patient has enough help at home and that their wider problems are looked at. It makes you feel like youve set something up that will help things in the future.”

There plenty of demand for geriatric specialists, says Harrison, and it can prove a flexible career path, with the opportunity for community, hospital and medical research work.

A degree in social care could also lead you towards specialising in the care of older adults. Dominique Brady is currently studying for a master in social work at Middlesex University, and says: “Sometimes people think working with older adults is just about basic needs and personal care, and that it less creative, less flexible, less challenging and rewarding than working with younger people.

“But I really dont think that true. Working with older adults can be incredibly challenging but also incredibly satisfying.”

Brady hopes to work in either a hospital team or local authority after graduating. “I really value the life experience that older people have – you can get a lot of insight from working with older people. I think it also a group that is very marginalised in our society, their voices can often be lost. You need people to work with and advocate for older people because they are a group that has a low status in society but is also very valuable.”

There are many charities dedicated to issues affecting older people, and the right degree can lead you towards meaningful work in this area. Marcus Green did a PhD in social statistics and gerontology, and now works for Age UK, managing the social and economic research team.

He says: “We do research that might inform our policy, positions and statements on particular issues that affect older people such as the provision of social care and the social care system. We need to do more to support older people to for example work longer, but with the correct support to do that. Were in need of good brains and innovators.”

So what kind of degree might be relevant to study if youre interested in doing this kind of research?

Green says: “Any degree in the social sciences would be very applicable to this kind of area. If youve got a background in politics too then you know a bit more about the behaviour of government and the particular policies that affect older people.”

There are other benefits to working in a growing field, says Green. “It also fairly rewarding in terms of salary because this is a growing area so there tends to be more investment and funding available.”

A career in researching the issues faced by older people could see you directly impacting policy and therefore people lives. But there are also business implications of an older population, and savvy students could be picking up on the “grey market” as an exciting area for growth and innovation.

Athina Vlachantoni, a senior lecturer in gerontology at the University of Southampton, says: “Increasingly services and products that are developed will have to take the older person into account.

“Im in my 30s now but by the time Im in my 60s, one in three people around me will be an older woman aged over 70. You have to change the way you think about everything from coffee shops to restaurants to products.”

Preparing for a career that takes into mind an ageing population requires an attitude change more than anything else. As an engineering or architecture student could you be thinking about buildings and services that take into account the needs of an older population? And if youre doing a fashion degree: what do older adults actually want to wear? Chances are it not always a cardigan and ankle-length skirt. Thinking differently about what you choose to study, and what you choose to do with it, could lead towards a career that has a real and exciting impact.

Taking an interest in our ageing population when picking your degree or while at university could make a difference in changing the way older people are perceived. Vlachantoni says: “By educating more people about the process of ageing and the issues faced by older people you are making the topic of older people much more prevalent in society.”

Peer Mentoring Befriending Project

“If you care for someone with dementia it may be that you are experiencing feelings of isolation and could do with someone to talk to”

Manchester Carers Forum have a group of volunteers who have direct experience and understanding regarding caring for someone with dementia.

A volunteer can keep in regular contact with you by telephone and by visiting you at home, giving you opportunities to talk about the issues that matter to you.

For More Information Contact Jackie at Manchester Carers Forum on

0161 819 2226 or 07813091797

Dementia Poster

Only one fifth of people with hearing problems wear a hearing aid

Just a fifth of people with hearing problems wear a hearing aid, a study by The University of Manchester has found.

The study, published in the journal Ear and Hearing, looked at the habits of 160,000 people in the UK aged 40 to 69 years. It found 10.7 per cent of adults had significant hearing problems when listening to speech in the presence of background noise – but only 2.1 per cent used a hearing aid.

One in 10 middle aged adults had substantial hearing problems and were more likely to be from a working class or ethnic minority background.

Dr Piers Dawes, from The University of Manchester Audiology and Deafness research group, said: “This is the first study to describe the prevalence of difficulties understanding speech in background noise in a large sample of the population, anywhere in the world.

“It shows hearing aids remain significantly under used despite significant improvements in both technology and their provision, and a high proportion of people who would benefit from treatment may not receive effective intervention.

“Reasons for the lack of uptake might be lack of awareness of treatment options, lack of recognition of their difficulties, finding hearing aids uncomfortable or finding them of limited help.”

The University of Manchester team is the first group in the world to gain access to the large UK database from the UK Biobank allowing them to study the habits of 160,000 UK adults.

Professor Kevin Munro, Ewing Professor of Audiology at The University of Manchester who also worked on the study, said: “There still seems to be a stigma attached to wearing a hearing aid, where as there is little stigma now associated with vision loss and wearing spectacles. “This might be because eye care also involves lifestyle choices – it available on the high street without the need to see a GP and onward referral to an audiologist in hospital, which emphasises illness and frailty.”

The research entitled: “Hearing in Middle Age: A Population Snapshot of 40 to 69-year-olds in the United Kingdom” was published in the journal Ear and Hearing on 10.

Age UK: Befriending services

We all know what it like to feel lonely, but did you know that around 1 million older people regularly go an entire month without speaking to anyone?

At Age UK one of the ways we try to beat loneliness in later life is through our befriending services. Here, we explain how befriending works, and meet some of the older people whove benefitted from befriending, as well as some of the amazing volunteers who make this vital service possible.

The problem of loneliness in later life

Loneliness is a massive issue for people in later life in the UK. Half of all people aged 75 and over live alone, and 1 in 10 people aged 65 or over say they are always or often feel lonely – that just over a million people.

Shockingly, half of all older people consider the television their main form of company.

Joy, 88, from Stockport, found herself on her own after her husband passed away: My husband died and left me on my own. I managed to cope with things and get by at first. But in the last two years it got very lonely and miserable. I saw my daughter once a week, but the rest of the time I was on my own with nobody to talk to. I thought, “This cant go on with me by myself”.

– Read what happened next to Joy
– Call in Time – read Barbara story

Age UK befriending services

To tackle the problem of loneliness among older people, Age UK has developed befriending services. The service works by assigning each older person a befriender, who provides friendly conversation and companionship on a regular basis over a long period of time.

Many local Age UKs provide befriending services, some by telephone and some where a volunteer visits the older person at their home. This vital service provides a link to the outside world and often acts as a gateway for other services and valuable support.

Age UK also provides a telephone befriending service called Call in Time, which consists of a regular daily or weekly phone call. The relationship is structured so that each befriender makes the call at a regular pre-agreed time. All befrienders are volunteers, who freely give up their time to help lonely older people.

– Find out more about Age UK telephone befriending service
– Meet the befrienders
– Read why befriending is so important

Visit the page and watch the videos at:

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/health-wellbeing/relationships-and-family/befriending-services-combating-loneliness–/