Age UK Hereford and Localities

Who we are

Loneliness and isolation affect many people from all walks of life and of course Age UK Hereford & Localities are concerned about the impact that this has on older members of our community. We continue to work tirelessly to provide services to improve quality of life, improve health and well being and reduce loneliness and isolation.
The delivery of direct services to older people is at the heart of what we do. With the support, commitment and skills of exceptional people, staff and volunteers, we have been able to continue providing the following services to support older people, their families and carers during the last year:
• Information and Advice
• Care Call (telephone befriending service)
• Reaching You Home Visiting Service
• Reaching You Help at Home Service
• Day Centres, Coffee Mornings, Lunch Club and Groups
• Foot Care Service

Information and Advice Service
Our team of dedicated staff and volunteers provide a free, independent and confidential Information and Advice Service to people aged 50 and over, and to their family, carers and friends, across the county. As well as identifying potential additional income and grants, the team help people to complete applications and benefit forms, resolve consumer issues, provide impartial information and advice about residential and nursing home fees, paying for care at home, tax, pensions, housing and utilities.
Last year our Information and Advice team supported approximately 1,400 older people, families and carers (the majority of enquiries received were for support related to money issues, people in financial difficulty, struggling to pay bills, keep their homes warm). In the same period the team secured £874,650 in additional benefits, entitlements and grants for older people and their carers in the county. This is money or funding that people were not aware they were entitled to and provided peace of mind for individuals, their families and carers, as well improvement in quality of life, health and wellbeing.
The support provided by our Information & Advice Service delivers the following practical results helping people to overcome circumstances of poverty and deprivation:
• Assistance to claim financial entitlements
• Assistance to access services for health and social welfare support
• Advocacy support
• Access to information and advice for older people
• Improved health and wellbeing
• Benefit checks completed and updated
• Legal services and will writing referrals
• Support to access electronic information and build confidences
• Help with housing issues
• Reduction in poverty
• Reduction in social isolation
• Increased independence

Reaching You Services
There are two strands to our Reaching You Service:
Reaching You Home Visiting Service - volunteer befrienders visit on a regular basis to provide support to older people who may be experiencing a sense of loneliness or isolation. They do this in a number of ways:
• As a new friend, someone who listens, cares and offers confidential support
• By providing regular contact and conversation
• Engaging in activities, maybe going for a walk, playing scrabble or sharing hobbies.

Reaching You Help at Home Service – this service provides practical support, helping people to maintain their independence and remain safe in their own home such as:
• Small DIY jobs
• Light gardening
• Respite Sitting
• Fitting grab rails and key safes
• Transport/Escort to and from appointments and social events.

Social Inclusion
We continue to provide a variety of opportunities for older people to help them remain socially active and combat loneliness and isolation. These include:
Great Western Court Day Centre
Ledbury Lunch Club
Rural Men’s Club
Coffee Mornings in Bromyard and Leominster

Our experienced, enthusiastic staff and volunteers make a real difference to the lives of people who attend these activities, their families and carers. They offer support and friendship, which is particularly important when people’s circumstances change such as deterioration in health or mobility, following bereavement or loss of independence.

Foot Care
Our Foot Care Service is now being delivered in nine different locations across the county, by our team of trained and experienced volunteers. We offer simple toe nail cutting which can become a challenge for older people for a number of reasons including, limited vision, unable to hold nail clippers or reach their toes due to arthritis or sometimes, simply not being as supple as they once were. This is an important service as a lack of attention to foot care and hygiene can create significant problems including pain, infections, reduced mobility and an increased risk of falls.
We have a team of 12 volunteers who deliver this service, this includes toe nail cutting, providing
administrative support and making appointments.
The high quality of our Foot Care Service has received recognition from the Clinical Commissioning Group and is supported by all GP Practices in the County.

Care Call
Our telephone befriending service, Care Call, is delivered by a small team of experienced volunteers. The service aims to:
• Reduce the isolation of older people
• Improve their wellbeing and increase confidence
• Monitor risks as the needs of our service users change
• Enable service users to regain and/or maintain their independence
• Enable service users to access relevant services

Every week our volunteers call approximately 25 people. This regular contact is important to our service users, many of whom are housebound and have little social interaction. Volunteers record details of their conversations on our data base and are able to “pick up where they left off” as it were. For example, they might ask how a hospital appointment went or if the person is feeling better. When needed they can offer advice and help either directly or by signposting to another of our services for additional support such Reaching You or Information & Advice.
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