Vulnerable People

In our digitally driven society, it is easy to forget that there is still a meaningful proportion of homes that are not connected to the internet or have easy access to a laptop, tablet or smartphone. A recent Ofcom report found that six per cent of households were unconnected – not a huge percentage, but one that equates to about 1.7 million households.

By far the largest proportion of these homes without internet access had residents aged 75 and above, and included those households in the lowest income bracket and most financially vulnerable. It is not a far stretch to consider that a large majority of these are probably in social housing.

Charis CEO and chairman Graham Ayres outlines the winter preparations the company is making to help housing associations with administering support grants for their more vulnerable residents.

The good news is in - Ofgem has decreased the energy price cap to its lowest level since March 2022. A seven per cent drop to £1925 will potentially be followed by a further drop to £1823 in October according to Cornwall Insight. This is great news for householders who can finally see some breathing space.

However, the landscape is not going to change for millions of residents who are still falling through the cracks when it comes to balancing income with outgoings which continue to be disproportionately high.

As part of their ongoing support to Willowdene Rehabilitation, Aico have facilitated the redecoration of the reception area of the facility and the production of a corporate brochure.

Through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, ‘Aico in the Community’, Aico have supported Willowdene Rehabilitation throughout 2020 as part of ‘Everything Shropshire’, the nominated charity of the year in support of the High Sheriff of Shropshire Dean Harris. The ‘Aico in the Community’ programme provides each Aico colleague with multiple days to participate in CSR activities, with many colleagues choosing to volunteer at Willowdene Rehabilitation.

Armitage Shanks, the renowned commercial washroom solutions provider, has enhanced its industry-leading DOC M package alongside new research around sight loss and dementia.
 
For the last few decades, Armitage Shanks has worked closely with occupational therapists to create the most inclusive solutions which guarantee compliance in commercial and residential care sector washrooms. Now, the manufacturer has adapted its DOC M offering to comprise more visually distinctive products. Due to the colour’s optimum visual properties, Armitage Shanks’ easy to specify DOC M packages now include red toilet seats, hinged arms, toilet roll holders and back rests.

With the care system in a state of flux, and the number of people suffering from dementia continuing to grow, a boiler’s ability to provide warning signs that trigger a visit will become invaluable, says Terri Taylor, Marketing Coordinator, Intergas Boilers.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month and, on 21st September, we celebrated World Alzheimer’s Day. The campaign was launched in 2012 to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia, (there are a number of different types of dementia, but the most common is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for about two-thirds of cases). We’re all aware that this is a global issue - it’s estimated that the number of people living with dementia will increase by over 200%, from 50m in 2018 to 152m in 2050 - but closer to home there are currently 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and, as much as knowledge and research is growing every day, there is no cure.