Advocating Change for Older People
We’re the only UK based national organisation supporting independent advocacy services for older people.
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As part of #volunteersweek2021 we are celebrating all the wonderful "invisible" work done by lovely, caring people. Here is Lisa, a great friend of Together and also a great friend to Enid and Jean, for whom she undertakes vital tasks like assisting with weekly shopping, and of course those all-important social interactions.
Thank you Lisa! And thank you to everyone who does what they can to make life easier for those in their communities! We are very grateful for all you do.
www.opaal.org.uk
• If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen or their family member (resident in the UK by 31 December 2020), you now have less than 30 days left to apply to the EU #SettlementScheme to ensure you can continue to live, work, study, access to free healthcare and benefits after 30 June 2021. Apply today at: gov.uk/eusettlementscheme
Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)
gov.uk
The EU Settlement Scheme for EU citizens and their families to remain in the UK after it leaves the EU ('Brexit'): who's eligible, how to apply, how much it costs.
Today is the start of Volunteer Week 2021! So we wanted to add our thanks to all the wonderful volunteers out there who make such a difference to all our lives!👏❤️😍 Where would we have been over the last 12 months without people willing to step up and lend a hand?
We would particularly like to thank all our volunteer advocates, who have given so much, so freely, to help others! Watch this space this week to hear more of their stories and what it has meant to the people that they have helped!
But let us start this week by saying to every volunteer the world over! Thank you! We appreciate all you do!
Click on the link to find volunteer advocates near you!
opaal.org.uk/
Interesting article by Liz Twist, the Labour MP for Blaydon and member of the APPG on loneliness, reminding us all that once lockdown restrictions are eased, we still need to be in the fight to combat loneliness for older people.
What practical steps should we be asking our government to take on this important issue?
www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/in-the-age-of-social-distancing-we-must-combat-loneliness-b...
www.politicshome.com
Government must “design out” loneliness from people’s lives by building housing, neighbourhoods and infrastructure with social connection in mind.
Let’s talk about delirium – simply because it is something that can affect many people, especially older people, and it can be triggered by illness, stress, or by being hospitalised.😞
So what is delirium? Delirium is that state of worse-than-usual mental confusion, which is brought on by an unusual amount of stress on the body.
Have you ever seen an older person very confused after coming out of an operation? That’s delirium. It means that people can have memory problems, language problems, they can feel disorientation and not know where they are or what has happened to them. And the symptoms can vary, with different times of day leading to more severe symptoms than others.
So what kinds of stresses on the body can lead to delirium? Well it’s quite a long list, but here are a few:
❎Infection
❎A serious medical illness e.g. heart attack or kidney failure
❎Dehydration
❎Lack of sleep for long periods of time
❎Pain
❎Poor vision and hearing, which can get a lot worse if the person is lacking their glasses or hearing aids
❎Alcohol withdrawal
So anyone with an older person in their life needs to be aware of what delirium is and what to do if you spot it. As it is a sign of stress on the body, the cause of that stress needs to be found and resolved. And of course, before that happens, anyone in a high state of confusion is at a far greater risk of experiencing harm in some other way, such as a fall.
So have delirium on your radar – and let’s all stay safe together.
www.opaal.org.uk
Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev from Pexels
