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Uncounted is unseen: has the time come to collect more official data on ageing without children?
Mapping informal carers and their support needs has rightly become a key priority for health and social care in recent years. However, equivalent information about access to informal care, including where there is none, has lagged behind, writes Penny Shepherd MBE of AWOC (Ageing Without Children).
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A unique way to pay for residential care… without selling your home
Every year, thousands of elderly people and their families face the conundrum of how to pay for care home fees – which can typically be between £40,000 and £50,000 a year. We talk to Jeremy Nixey of Alliance member Shaw Lifetime Care, part of the charitable Shaw Foundation, about the unique option they offer.
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Health and social care integration: the myths and the realities from a social worker’s perspective
“It cries out to be released from present day 19th-century asylum-based narratives of social care reform.” Mervyn Eastman has spent over 45 years in and around social care and social work. What does HE see as the way forward for this vital service?
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ADASS Survey Reaction: Prevention and a skilled workforce are key to the future of social care
Sam Monaghan, the CEO of MHA, sets out the key ways in which we can address the crisis in the social care system… including recognising, rewarding and retaining the people already working in it.
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What does it mean to care?
The ramifications of a shrinking and ageing care workforce, the need for cross sector collaboration, the fallout from society not recognising the importance of care… CEO of Methodists Homes (MHA) Sam Monaghan looks back at some of the highlights of this year’s Walter Hall seminar.
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No one wants to think about getting older…
When life is good, nobody likes to consider the inevitable reality that, one day, they are likely to take on a caring or support role for an elderly parent. It’s no wonder this transition is considered by many to be one of life’s most stressful events, for all involved, says Deborah Stone. Which is why…
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The role of housing in meeting the challenge of dementia
In West Yorkshire, a dedicated task force is building an understanding of older people’s housing and care needs with the aim of keeping them in their own homes for longer, writes Yvonne Castle, CEO of Johnny Johnson Housing
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People ageing without children or family: out of sight, out of mind
There’s a widespread assumption that family will support their relatives as they age. But what happens to those without children? Robin Hadley, one of the founders of Ageing Without Children, explains the challenges, not least of which is a lack of data.
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Carers are taking more of the strain
Now more than ever, writes author and consultant Deborah Stone, it is essential to recognise the pressure being placed on family carers of older people. That means it’s time to look hard at alternative solutions, as well as families having meaningful conversations at the right time…