Winter Pressures
How Age UK Hertfordshire can help
If winter is a difficult time of year for you or an older loved one, Age UK Hertfordshire can help
For guidance on winter wellbeing, our Information & Advice team are a good place to start. Our advisors have a wealth of information about the local support available, and will provide clients with an informative ‘Winter Wrapped Up’ booklet and thermometer, as well as a list of useful numbers for support over the Christmas period. The team will always check on benefit entitlements, as in some cases they can help clients to identify extra funds towards their heating bills for a warmer, healthier winter.
Other sources of help
When it comes to winter health, our partnership with the Hospital and Community Navigation Service (HCNS) is particularly important. Each month, the HCNS supports around 750 people who have either come out of hospital or are struggling to cope with poor health. When visiting a client’s home, there is much that the team can do to ensure a safe and comfortable environment, from checking that heating and water are in working order to ensuring that there is plenty of food and provisions to meet immediate needs.
Similarly, though Help in the Home is primarily a cleaning service, our clients can sometimes benefit from their weekly or fortnightly visit simply by having someone to check on their wellbeing. Our Home Helpers make 500 visits each week to help keep older people stay on top of household tasks, during which time they can also listen to client’s concerns before seeking any further support needed from Age UK Hertfordshire.
Age Uk's befriending team
Our Befriending team provide companionship year round, but these friendships can be especially important during the winter with the increased focus on family and loved ones, which can make feelings of loneliness all the more intense.
Local 10 to 3 Clubs, along with the Clitheroe Day Centre in South Oxhey, are also helpful in this respect, providing social spaces for older people across the county. The clubs run year round, but our staff take particular care to coordinate with local Christmas initiatives, ensuring that any clients who don’t want to be alone will have somewhere to go.
A similar kind of support is offered by Hertswise, a partnership (including Age UK Hertfordshire) who support people affected by dementia. Like the 10 to 3 Clubs, Hertswise Hubs celebrate festivities in a group environment, alleviating feelings of loneliness by helping everyone to get involved. The team also continue their 1:1 visits with more vulnerable clients over the Christmas period, when support can be most difficult to find.
For more information about any of the above services:
Call our Information & Advice team on 0300 345 3446.
Visit the AgeUK website here
