Testimonials

Free resources for older people and those that are supporting them.

Easy-to-use free checklists to enable positive conversations on important issues. Download your free copies and feel free to share!

To help us all better understand the vital role that advocacy plays in the health and social care system, there is also the National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance on what you can expect if you or someone you care about would benefit from some form of advocacy, as they deal with the health and social care system.

This includes guidance on:

how individuals and their supporters should be signposted to formal advocacy (where the advocacy is paid for by the health and social care system); AND
informal advocacy, where a friend, family member or other interested party can help an individual speak up about their needs and wants.

The resources below are designed to help those engaging in informal advocacy for older people.

All checklists are also available in Welsh. Please email admin@opaal.org.uk for Welsh versions.

Mae pob rhestr wirio hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg. Anfonwch e-bost at admin@opaal.org.uk am fersiynau Cymraeg.

HEALTH

Having a heath issue at any stage of life can be a worrying time. And making our way through all the appointments and services can be tricky for any of us – especially if you, or someone you know is struggling to speak up about what they need and want from their health care. Here are a series of checklists, that anyone can download and print for free, that help older people and those that are supporting them to get the best out of some of the difficult conversations that may need to be had, so we can all enjoy the most fulfilling later life.

Each checklist comes in 3 different versions, a plain one, a version in yellow and black for easy reading, and a picture version. Click on the image to find the right checklist for your situation, print it off, and let’s start making these conversations much easier for ourselves.

And if any of the words that the health and social care services use are sometimes hard to understand, here are two hugely helpful websites, that help cut through the jargon and make all the words far easier to understand.

Think Local and Act Personal have an amazing care and support jargon buster – thank you to them!

NHS Confederation also have a really helpful Acronym Buster. Another great initiative from our fantastic NHS