Category: Age UK Resources

Have your say in We Are Undefeatable’s public consultation!

During September, We Are Undefeatable are gathering ideas on how to support older people with health conditions to get active.

We Are Undefeatable is on a mission to support and inspire people living with long-term health conditions, find a way to get active that works for them. The campaign, developed with 15 charities, including Age UK, and backed by National Lottery funding from Sport England, runs throughout the year and is promoted across channels including; YouTube, TV, and social media.

From 4 – 30 September 2023, We Are Undefeatable are gathering ideas from the public and professionals on the type of tools and resources that are most needed to support older people with health conditions to get active. These ideas will shape what We Are Undefeatable provides in the future and how the campaign works with partners locally and nationally. We Are Undefeatable are calling on local Age UK staff to take part in the consultation, and to share it with their beneficiaries and wider local networks.

They’re keen to hear from people who live with health conditions, care for others who do, or have a professional interest in the area – for example those who work in the local charity or voluntary sector, healthcare professionals, sport or physical activity or in local or government.  

If this sounds interesting to you, here’s some ways that you can get involved and support the public consultation:

  • Take part in the consultation, and share your thoughts and experiences
  • Encourage others to take part. For example, your beneficiaries, your colleagues, stakeholders and partners
  • Download our comms pack and assets to share the consultation with others. For example, on social media, add to newsletters, internal staff updates, etc

Click this link to complete the online questions. Here you will find FAQs and information on alternative ways that people can complete the consultation.

Thank you for your support!

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Reminder: Join Carers Week 2023 5– 11 June

Find out how you can get involved in Carers Week and join the call for action.

The annual awareness week, which highlights the essential contributions of unpaid carers, takes place next week from 5 – 11 June. We previously provided a pack with resources for you to join us in promoting the week and join the campaign’s call for greater cross-Government action in support of unpaid carers.

This is also an opportunity to highlight the work you do to support unpaid carers too, by promoting your carers services. You can register any events or services you will deliver for carers during the week on the Carers Week website and use the hashtag #CarersWeek whenever you promote something online.

What’s happening during Carers Week?

  • Monday 5 June – The Carers Week report will be published. You can share this from the Age UK Campaigns Twitter account.
  • Wednesday 7 June – Age UK will attend a Parliamentary drop-in, where we will facilitate conversations between unpaid carers and MPs.
  • Friday 9 June – Older carers day. Age UK will publish a press release to coincide with this day which focuses on the experiences of older carers.

Throughout the week, Age UK will also publish a Discover article, featuring an interview with a carer, as well as a new video on our social media channels, featuring another storyteller and promoting the Age UK Advice Line. Keep an eye out for these on our website and our social media channels.

Join the Carers Week Call on the Government

This year, we are joining the Carers Week call for greater cross-Government action in support of unpaid carers. The Carers Week campaign is asking supporters to write to their MPs to support this work and ensure carers get the recognition and support they need. You can join the campaign by sharing the link and using the social media template posts below:

Twitter:

We need a whole system approach to support unpaid carers.

This #CarersWeek, write to your MP and ask for greater cross-Government action in support of carers: https://carersuk.e-activist.com/page/129142/action/1?ea.tracking.id=sc-t

Facebook:

Unpaid carers provide an essential service to their loved ones, often providing 24 -hour care. They can’t do this without help.

This #CarersWeek, to ensure carers are recognised and supported, we are calling on the Government to commit to greater cross-Government action to better identify and support unpaid carers. Join the campaign and write to your MP: https://carersuk.e-activist.com/page/129142/action/1?ea.tracking.id=sc-fb

World Elder Abuse Day 2023 – 15 June

Training and resources to mark World Elder Abuse Day on 15 June.

World Elder Abuse Day was launched in 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the United Nations (UN). Whilst older people aren’t a homogenous group, the term ‘elder abuse’ is a term used globally to describe the intentional or negligent act of abuse and harm by any person towards an older adult.

This year’s theme is ‘Addressing Gender Based Violence in Older Age’. For more information visit the UN website.  

In the past 5 years, in England and Wales 44% of those women known to be killed by men, were aged 50 and above.

At Age UK, we are hearing from increasing numbers of older women who are or have been subjected to harm and abuse. Whilst we acknowledge men are also at increased risk as they age, this is predominantly experienced by women, so shining a light on gender-based violence and all forms of abuse is welcome.

We launched a partnership with Hourglass earlier this year and all colleagues from our Age UK network are invited to a free WEAAD23 Hourglass Webinar.

To view the Safeguarding Speaks webinars we hosted last year click here.

Age UK’s Safeguarding Lead Carrie Bower was interviewed recently about domestic abuse in later life & World Elder Abuse Day 2023. You can view the full interview here.

Introducing the new Age UK Media Toolkit

View and download the latest version of the Age UK Media Toolkit!

The Age UK Media Toolkit for local partners has been updated and is now available for download here. This handy toolkit, developed by the Age UK Media Team, is a practical guide offering useful information for partners on best practice for dealing with the media.

Content includes getting your organisation in the news, interview tips, writing professional media releases, working with storytellers and guidelines on what to do in a crisis communications situation.

If you have any further enquiries about the Age UK Media Kit, please contact Hannah Barker-Green, Senior Media Officer, on 020 3033 1427 or email Hannah.barker-green@ageuk.org.uk.

cLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE AGE UK MEDIA TOOLKIT!

Videos to Help Raise Awareness About Digital Inclusion

Take a look at a new series of videos from Age UK’s Digital Inclusion Team which partners can use to keep raising awareness of digital inclusion services.

Age UK’s Digital Inclusion Team has produced a series of useful videos to promote the importance of digital inclusion services. We hope that these videos will be useful for local Age UKs/Cymrus to use as part of awareness raising activities and promoting digital inclusion services more widely. Find out full details below.

Recently, we spoke with Jean, Ruth and Dereck, who wanted to share their stories about getting online to inspire and motivate other older people to give it a go.

“Have the confidence and go for it” Dereck

These short videos showcase the varied experiences that older people face when getting online, and highlight the ways in which older people can benefit from being online, from video calling to accessing health services. By hearing from their peers, we hope that these videos motivate older people to get online and help instil confidence in their ability to learn something new.

These videos are designed for local Age UK/Cymrus to use as part of awareness raising activities and promoting digital inclusion services more widely. They can also be used to point family, friends and older people towards helpful resources available on the Age UK website, such as the ‘Making the Most of the Internet’ and ‘Digital Instruction guides’ pages, and to encourage and support older people who want to learn about using technology and getting online. 

Currently hosted on the Age UK website, these will be made available – along with shortened social media clips – on Brandhub in April, so that you can use them as part of your own awareness raising activities and promotional materials. 

In the meantime, you can access the full videos on the pages below:

If you have any questions about these videos, please get in touch with servicesdigital@ageuk.org.uk.

Reminder: Dementia Awareness eLearning Available

A quick reminder to access the Dementia Awareness e-learning before December 2023.

This is a quick reminder that our Dementia Awareness e-learning course is still available for completion on the Age UK e-learning platform until December 2023. Of those that have already completed this training, 93% would recommend this course to a colleague. Find out full details below, including how to access it.

How do I access this e-learning?

If you already have an eLearning account, you will be able to log in here and search “dementia e-learning”.

If you need to sign up, please complete this form.

Please note that registration to the e-learning site may take a few days. You will receive an email with your log in information once you have been registered.

If you have any questions on access to the e-learning site, please contact: adviceunit@ageuk.org.uk

What other e-learning is available from Age UK?

For a number of years, Age UK has provided a range of e-learning options to support Partners’ delivery of training online to your staff and volunteers. This includes the Age UK e-learning Platform and Grey Matter Learning – find out all about both training platforms here.

How to get involved with Age UK’s “We Can’t Wait For Care” Campaign

As Age UK kicks off our “We Can’t Wait For Care” campaign, we’d be really grateful for your support in spreading the word. Find out all about the campaign, including how you can get involved.

Age UK is launching our new social care campaign “We Can’t Wait For Care” and we hope you can join us! Please read on for more details of the campaign from Age UK’s Campaigns Team, including some ways your organisation can help to spread the word and some of the next steps.

2.6 million people over the age of 50 in England are unable to get the social care they need, with half a million people stuck on waiting lists. We have written an open letter to the Chancellor, asking him to use the Spring Budget on Wednesday 15 March to tackle care assessment backlogs, reduce waiting lists, and ensure all older people can get the care and support they need.

In the coming weeks, we will provide a local media pack for the campaign, to support you in securing local newspaper, radio, and television coverage of the current pressures on social care and the impact on older people.

There are lots of ways to get involved in the meantime though, please read on for full details.

If you have any queries, please contact luke.pilot@ageuk.org.uk. Thank you, as always, for your support.

How to get involved

We’re asking our supporters to add their signatures to the letter and we’d be very grateful for your help to share it as widely as possible.

Here are a few ways you can get involved:

If you have 5 minutes…

Share the letter online

You can share tweets from the Age UK and Age UK Campaigns Twitter accounts to share the letter with your followers.

Alternatively, you can use the following social media templates to create your own message:

Tweet 1:

2.6 million older people in England are unable to get care.

Sign our letter to the Chancellor today telling him that they #CantWaitForCare any longer: https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/117503/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=LAUK

Tweet 2:

Half a million older people are stuck waiting for care.

Millions of unpaid carers are doing their best to keep their loved ones safe and well at home.

They #CantWaitForCare any longer. Ask the Chancellor @Jeremy_Hunt to act now: https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/117503/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=LAUK

Facebook:

2.6 million older people in England can’t get the social care they need, while half a million older people are stuck on waiting lists. In the meantime, they’re struggling to go to the toilet, eat or wash because they can’t do these things unaided. The Chancellor must use the Spring Budget to ensure all older people can get the support they need. Sign our letter today: https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/117503/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=LAUK

If you have 10 minutes…

Send a letter

We are collecting letters from everyone affected by the current crisis in social care. Whether they can’t get the care they need, know a loved one who is waiting for care, or are an unpaid carer themselves, we want to let the Chancellor know how the pressures in social care are affecting their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

Can you ask your colleagues and service users if they can send letters for the Chancellor to us? We would love to receive letters from the people you help in your communities, by 20th February, or you can share the following details so they can send a letter themselves:

To send a letter by post, free of charge with no stamp required, letters can be addressed to:

FREEPOST
Age UK Campaigns

Alternatively, letters can be emailed to campaigns@ageuk.org.uk

If you have longer…

Write to your MP

Ask your MP to write to the Chancellor, on your behalf, asking him to help older people get the care they need. This is a great way to make sure the Chancellor takes notice.

We can also provide support should you arrange a meeting with your MP on this subject.

Get in touch with luke.pilot@ageuk.org.uk if you’d like help writing a letter. MPs will be especially interested to hear about the challenges with social care in your local area, so you could include insight from your I&A teams on your local social care provision.

Storytellers

We are always looking for older people willing to share their experiences of social care, to work with us in our national campaigning and media work. This is incredibly effective in drawing attention to the challenges people are facing and how the Government must act. Do you know anyone in your region who might be interested in working with us? Please get in touch with luke.pilot@ageuk.org.uk if you have any suggestions.

Thank you!

Thank you as always for your support with our campaigning work! If you have any questions, please do get in touch with Age UK’s Campaigns Officer Luke Pilot – luke.pilot@ageuk.org.uk.

You may also be interested in our earlier post about an online briefing we’re holding with the Electoral Commission to discuss the new Voter ID requirements coming into force for the first time at the English local elections.

Click here to find out more and book your place.

Reminder: Free nuisance call-blockers available for older people in your area

Through Age UK’s Scams Prevention and Support Programme, we are offering free trueCall call-blockers for older people referred by local Age UKs.

This is a quick reminder that – through Age UK’s Scams Prevention and Support Programme – we are offering free trueCall call-blockers for older people referred by local Age UKs. To register your organisation’s interest, please complete the form below by Tuesday 24 January. Read on for full details.

What is a call blocking unit?

trueCall call-blocking units are designed to protect vulnerable people by dramatically reducing the number of nuisance calls they receive. It simply plugs in between the phone and the phone line and intercepts any unrecognised callers – friends and family get through, but nuisance callers don’t. In independent trials carried out by Trading Standards, trueCall Secure blocked 98% of nuisance calls for older and vulnerable residents. You can watch a video on how it works here.

We have had great feedback so far from the 16 partners who have given out call blockers as part of our Scams Prevention & Support Programme. As an example, an 81-year-old who has used the system didn’t previously have caller ID, so felt she had to answer the phone every time it rang just in case it was a friend or family member. “Since having the unit installed, I’ve not had a single nuisance call come through, it’s been a weight off my mind.”

We would now like to expand the offer of free trueCall call-blocking units out to the rest of the network.

What can each household expect to receive?

A referred household can receive free of charge:

  • A call-blocker
  • Delivery
  • Free installation from a trusted engineering company, QubeGB.

Please note:

Any other associated costs incurred by the Age UK/Age Cymru involved, such as administration time for your own staff, are not covered.

QubeGB installers have received dementia awareness/vulnerability training and will happily wear a face covering if requested.

Will I have to provide monitoring?

There is no reporting requirement, but you will need to share the client’s name, address, and reason for referral with us so we can get them a call blocker.

How many older people can I refer?

We are asking your organisations to estimate how many older people you would expect to refer until June 2023 via the form below. There is no upper limit on the number of referrals per se, but as there is no budget for administration costs, we ask that you make an informed estimate at this point. We have distributed around 200 units so far, and we have purchased another 800 – so there are plenty of units to go around!

Can I find out more information?

If you would like to find out more, trueCall will be holding information sessions on Tuesday 17 January, which you can sign up for via the form linked below. You can also message Age UK’s Ellie Chapman at: elinor.chapman@ageuk.org.uk.

How can I apply?

If you would like to express your interest in this opportunity please fill in this quick form by Tuesday 24 January.

Free nuisance call-blockers available for older people in your area

Through Age UK’s Scams Prevention and Support Programme, we are offering free trueCall call-blockers for older people referred by local Age UKs.

Do you work with older people in your area who are struggling with nuisance calls and phone scams? Through Age UK’s Scams Prevention and Support Programme, we are offering free trueCall call-blockers for older people referred by local Age UKs. To register your organisation’s interest, please complete the form below by Tuesday 24 January. Read on for full details.

What is a call blocking unit?

trueCall call-blocking units are designed to protect vulnerable people by dramatically reducing the number of nuisance calls they receive. It simply plugs in between the phone and the phone line and intercepts any unrecognised callers – friends and family get through, but nuisance callers don’t. In independent trials carried out by Trading Standards, trueCall Secure blocked 98% of nuisance calls for older and vulnerable residents. You can watch a video on how it works here.

We have had great feedback so far from the 16 partners who have given out call blockers as part of our Scams Prevention & Support Programme. As an example, an 81-year-old who has used the system didn’t previously have caller ID, so felt she had to answer the phone every time it rang just in case it was a friend or family member. “Since having the unit installed, I’ve not had a single nuisance call come through, it’s been a weight off my mind.”

We would now like to expand the offer of free trueCall call-blocking units out to the rest of the network.

What can each household expect to receive?

A referred household can receive free of charge:

  • A call-blocker
  • Delivery
  • Free installation from a trusted engineering company, QubeGB.

Please note:

Any other associated costs incurred by the Age UK/Age Cymru involved, such as administration time for your own staff, are not covered.

QubeGB installers have received dementia awareness/vulnerability training and will happily wear a face covering if requested.

Will I have to provide monitoring?

There is no reporting requirement, but you will need to share the client’s name, address, and reason for referral with us so we can get them a call blocker.

How many older people can I refer?

We are asking your organisations to estimate how many older people you would expect to refer until June 2023 via the form below. There is no upper limit on the number of referrals per se, but as there is no budget for administration costs, we ask that you make an informed estimate at this point. We have distributed around 200 units so far, and we have purchased another 800 – so there are plenty of units to go around!

Can I find out more information?

If you would like to find out more, trueCall will be holding information sessions on Tuesday 17 January, which you can sign up for via the form linked below. You can also message Age UK’s Ellie Chapman at: elinor.chapman@ageuk.org.uk.

How can I apply?

If you would like to express your interest in this opportunity please fill in this quick form by Tuesday 24 January.

Safeguarding Speaks… Recordings and Summary

Age UK’s Safeguarding Team ran a webinar series “Safeguarding Speaks…” to mark Safeguarding Adults Week in November. Find out full details below, including how to access the recordings.

To mark Safeguarding Adults Week in November, Age UK’s Safeguarding Team launched a webinar series Safeguarding Speaks…. We’ve recorded each of the webinar sessions which you can access now on the Age UK e-learning platform here. Read on for a roundup of who we spoke to and details on accessing the e-learning platform if you don’t currently have login details.

We ran one lunchtime webinar a day across Safeguarding Adults Week. Find out more about each session below:

Safeguarding Speaks… to Age UK’s (National) Safeguarding Team

Carrie speaks to Age UK’s Safeguarding Team about what safeguarding means at Age UK, who we work with and what we do in terms of supporting teams, the training we deliver and the resources we produce.

Safeguarding Speaks… to Hourglass

Carrie speaks to Richard and Veronica from Hourglass about their services, the challenges for older victim-survivors of abuse and plans for Safer Ageing Week.

You can find out more about how to contact Hourglass here and their research here.

Safeguarding Speaks… to PEGS

Carrie speaks to Michelle John Founder of PEGS. PEGS was set up due to the lack of provisions for parents and caregivers experiencing domestic abuse from their child (including adult offspring). PEGS has four main aims, to support parents, to raise awareness to train professionals and to influence regional and national policy. PEGS can provide support through 1:1 consultation, peer group support, workshops, and programmes. PEGS services are online and telephone-based, and they only work with those experiencing abusive behaviours.

Click here to find out more

Safeguarding Speaks… to Daphne Franks

Carrie speaksto Daphne, about her mother, Joan. After Joan’s death in 2016, Daphne and her family discovered that a man, much younger than Joan has secretly married her. Joan was 91, had dementia and a terminal illness. These events had a devastating effect on their family. Daphne has discovered a huge lack of safeguarding for people who lack mental capacity, when marrying. She will speak to us about her campaign to ensure better protection against such predatory marriage and the changes needed to prevent this from happening to others.

Click here to find out more.

Daphne is an engaging speaker and is happy to be contacted should you want more information or to invite her to speak at any future events – click here to contact her.

Safeguarding Speaks… to Amanda Warburton-Wynn

Carrie speaks to Amanda about their shared passion for raising awareness of domestic abuse in later life, Amanda’s role at Cambridgeshire County Council DASV Partnership, and her independent Research into Sexual Violence and Assault against older people in hospitals.

How to watch the webinar recordings

You can watch the recordings here via the Age UK e-Learning platform.

If you do not have an e-learning account, you can register for one here.