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£40k Funding To Boost Older People’s Wellbeing

£40k Funding To Boost Older People’s Wellbeing

 

A pilot project run by Age UK Sheffield has been awarded £40,000 to help improve the quality of life for the city’s older community.

The Wellbeing Coordination Pilot was launched in April by the city charity, enabling Age UK Sheffield to provide tailor-made, flexible support to older people across the city to enhance, maintain or regain their independence and wellbeing.

Sheffield was one of just four Age UKs to be selected by the national Age UK organisation for the pilot, which will see the charity involved in monthly learning forums to share best practice and progress with Age UKs in Hereford and Worcester, Coventry and Essex.

The pilot will see Age UK Sheffield’s staff - specialists in the issues commonly affecting people in later life - finding solutions to enable older people to maximise their independence.

Age UK Sheffield will provide wellbeing services to at least 114 people as part of the initiative, as well as using a ‘triage’ approach for 1400 enquiries alongside the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and its own Information and Advice service.

Referrals can be made to the pilot directly from anyone including older people themselves, relatives, GPs, and health, social care and housing professionals.

 Independent Living Coordinator Sarah Hargreaves said:

“One of the biggest challenges facing older people is the co-ordination of their care and well-being.

“Older people’s needs can sometimes be perceived as complex, but, more often than not, they are simple but numerous, and we believe there is no challenge too great.

“The Wellbeing pilot gives us the opportunity to fill a gap in the system and provide a better service by creating a new, fully-integrated model using triage workers and well-being co-ordinators.

“The funding is for 12 months and builds on our experience providing information, advice, advocacy and independent living coordination services for older people navigating the system, impacting on and improving their lives by helping them to regain and maintain their independence.”

The funding news follows the announcement in May that Age UK Sheffield’s Independent Living Coordination service, originally set up as a four-year pilot in 2011, had received £400,000 allowing it to have a longer-term future across the city.

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