20 Grant Recipient Presentation (00:07:30) PDF 288 KB
Representatives from Age UK and the Tiverton Tourist Information Service will attend the meeting to give a short presentation about their work. A report from the Grants and Funding Officer is attached to provide supporting information.
Minutes:
The Group had before it and NOTED a report * from the Grants and Funding Officer providing supporting information regarding Age UK and the Tiverton Tourist Information Service, who were both represented at the meeting, giving presentations regarding their work.
Age UK were represented by Julian Chidgey, Fund Raising and Development Manager and Deborah Bridge-Elerick, Chief Officer.
Mr Chidgey informed the Group that in the last year Age UK had over 4,500 interactions with local older people, had helped people to access over £650,000 of benefits that they didn't know they were entitled to and that volunteers had contributed 16,500 hours, and driven 60,000 miles to help deliver services.
He explained that in 2011 the population of Mid Devon was 77,800 but that this was predicted to rise to 89,700 by 2024, the largest increase being those of retirement age. As the demand for services grew, they were responding to the need, either by expanding current services, or introducing new ones. Examples of these were:
· In 2012 they launched their volunteer visiting service. Many of those accessing this service had recently gone through a life changing experience such as bereavement, or serious illness. A high percentage lacked self-confidence or suffered from isolation and loneliness. Over the last three years the demand for this service had increased by over 100%. They were also trialling a telephone support service; this would allow them to meet the current local demand for support, without substantially increasing travel costs.
· Their I.T service was also experiencing unprecedented demand. It was now considered that basic IT proficiency was no longer simply a luxury for older people, as so many forms and application processes were now completed on-line. This was compounded by many older people living in rural locations, where visiting the local town to pick up a form was not an easy task. To meet this demand they were offering I.T taster sessions and also giving advice on the use of tablets and mobile devices, which were now far more commonly used than traditional computers.
· Another area where Age UK had been asked to focus, by many local older people, was on services aimed at men. Many older men found it very hard to ask for help and support. A one year trial of the Men in Sheds service had been undertaken during which time they had seen real value and demand. However, to drive this project forward it was important that it was built on solid foundations. With this in mind, they intended to create a permanent base for the project, by the end of this year, at the Haven activity centre, once purchase of the building was complete.
Ms Bridge Elerick went on to explain what Age UK was planning with regard to Dementia Services. She informed the Group that there were 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and that based on local records Tiverton had around 722 people with dementia. The proposed plan was to create the Tiverton Dementia Action Alliance, ... view the full minutes text for item 20