Practical assistance: Dignity in care videos

What is the video about?

This film shows a number of innovative schemes across the country that offer practical assistance for people with care and support needs. It features Age UK support in Leicester, to carry out minor repairs at home for people who live on their own; to ensure their living environment is safe. This enables people to live in a secure environment, which is important to promote independence. It can make a huge difference having someone come in to fix a curtain rail or fit in a new grab-rail – to assist in movement.

We also hear that Janet doesn’t like parsnips and dumplings. So, as part of the Casserole club, Clare goes to visit Janet every Wednesday and brings her a freshly cooked meal. Clare is one of the chefs of the Casserole club and loves to cook. Clare always stays for a chat and Janet looks forward to her visit every week. On the day of filming, pork chops and rice pudding were on the menu. And also in this film on offering practical assistance, Mazie in Newcastle is on the phone. She’s part of the ‘phone neighbours’ scheme where she can chat to another member of the network. She’s built strong friendship through this network and says: 'You don’t feel so lonely and you can get away from your problems. We’re friends'.

• Video transcript Open

  Words on screen: title

  Dignity in care: practical assistance

  Kaye Turner, Age UK Newcastle, Deputy Head of Health and Wellbeing

  Practical support can range from the social aspect of it, it’s about having those social networks so people don’t become isolated in their own homes really, but it can also be the smaller things such as minor repairs to your home.

  For maintaining dignity I think it’s important for people to be able to have a clean home, to have a tidy garden, but if support services are put in place earlier it can prevent crisis occurring and those are the kinds of things that can really effect people if they are not able to do those things themselves.

  VO/words on screen

  A neglected garden could highlight a person’s vulnerability to exploitation or abuse

  Jackie Johnson, Care Services Co-ordinator Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland

  These days we are promoting more services for people to maintain their dignity and stay in their own home and the Handyperson service does promote this by offering practical help and support.

  VO/words on screen

  Practical assistance: The Handyperson Service

  Jackie Johnson

  The service started because people need the service to enable them to stay in their own home and we’re there to help them with their day to day tasks and jobs that they need doing.

  It can be anything very simple like a curtain rail or putting up pictures or shelves.

  William McAlpine: (opening door)

  Hello?

  Duncan, Handyperson Age UK, Leicester Shire & Rutland

  Hello, I’m Duncan from Age UK

  William McAlpine

  Oh yes, good, I’ve been waiting to see you.

  Duncan

  I understand you want some rails fitted

  William McAlpine

  That’s right yes, for getting in and out.

  Jackie Johnson

  We do grab rails which also enables them to remain independent and giving them that safety as well.

  William McAlpine

  Bit higher I think, not too high.

  When I do something it has to be perfect. Every bit of decorating in this house, you can see now has been done by me. Well I’ve had these guard rails, not guard rails, but these rails to get in and out of the front door and the back door. Although I’m 87 and I’m very lucky to be so agile if you can call it agile, I’m not very agile, but my biggest problem is that I can’t walk very far.

  Well I could tell you a few tales about just recently this year where I’ve fell. I don’t think there will be a stage when I couldn’t get out but there might be you never know because I’ve got problems, my knees are a bit arthritic if that’s the word.

  Jackie Johnson, Care Services Co-ordinator Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland

  By just doing simple tasks, this makes them secure and having a nice environment to live in is really important for people because it promotes their physical and mental wellbeing, it promotes their independence.

  William McAlpine

  I suppose I could have tried to do it but some of the things that I have done, I’ve been a bit pushed to do them you know what I mean.

  Jackie Johnson

  There is a charge for the service, some people pay either cash on the day or we do actually invoice them. Some people do pay through their personal budgets.

  William McAlpine

  If I had the choice of living somewhere else I would say no I want to stay here

  Hello

  Duncan, Handyperson Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland

  There you are, all done Sir

  William McAlpine

  I think they will be quite useful, very much so now. I’m glad I’ve had them done anyway, yes, I’m glad I’ve had them done. I thought I might need one the other side as well but no, if I use my other hand it doesn’t matter really.

  That is fabulous.

  Duncan

  You can use that for stepping in and out.

  Karen Moses, Befriending Services Age UK Newcastle

  Practical assistance is extremely important because it offers people the opportunity to stay in their own homes, to stay in their own communities and remain connected.

  VO/words on screen

  Practical assistance: The Befriending Service

  Pamela Woodford

  Hello

  Penny Ladhar, Befriender

  Hi, are you ok?

  Pamela Woodford

  Well this is Penny, she’s my Befriender, she comes every Wednesday. It started out four years ago and some days she comes on a Wednesday and some days she comes on a Thursday, but it doesn’t make any difference to me as long as she comes.

  I prepare tea for her and have that ready more or less and she tells me what she’s done and I tell her what I’ve done, which now is not all that much.

  Penny Ladhar

  It literally is just a friendship, you know what I mean, it’s nothing like, I’m not caring for her at all, it’s literally, this is a friendship, a normal friendship.

  Pamela Woodford

  I know I’m not going to be on my own all day. Well it means everything to me I don’t know what I’d do without it now.

  Karen Moses, Befriending Services Age UK Newcastle

  Our specific aim is to reduce social isolation amongst older people and more broadly to offer friendship choices and independence.

  The befriending relationship was going really well and we developed a phone neighbour’s scheme which is a peer to peer friendship support group where we would link 3 or 4 people who will ring each other once a week by phone and the friendships naturally unfold.

  VO/words on screen

  Practical assistance: Phone Neighbours

  Karen Moses

  The main thing is to keep people connected, they are chatting with peers.

  Pamela Woodford

  Hello

  Maisie Daziel, Phone Neighbour

  Hello is that Pam? Oh hello

  I’m Maisie and I live on my own and I have a lovely view from my window. The only sad thing is we used to be a lovely community spirit here but people get old or they pass away or move on.

  How are you?

  Now I’ve got phone neighbours through Age UK

  Oh I know, it’s wicked

  Well you don’t feel so lonely, there’s always somebody there at the end of the phone, you can talk about things, you can get away from your problems. We’re friends, that’s what we are, we’re friends.

  Karen Moses, Befriending Services Age UK Newcastle

  I would say it creates a community for people to belong to and it gives a sense of self-worth, you still have a lot to give.

  Maisie Daziel

  Right, I’ll let you get on with your packing

  Being in phone neighbours gives me something to look forward to and somebody to talk to, but you know, I wish we had some men in phone neighbours because I’m trying to get myself fixed up! (Laughs)

  Bye for now

  Pamela Woodford

  Bye

  VO/words on screen

  Practical assistance: The Casserole Club

  Clare Bradford, Casserole Club Chef

  I was on Facebook one evening and Casserole Club popped up, clicked on the Casserole Club banner and it explained all about it. Basically, you sign up, once you’ve passed all the checks you can pick a person, people that are nearest to you, which has ended up being Janet and then you cook for them. You are given some contact details. I spoke to Janet, she told me some of the things she liked and disliked.

  Janet Oran, Casserole Club Diner

  I don’t like parsnips and I don’t like dumplings.

  Clare Bradford

  So now we cook every Wednesday, I go and visit her and I give her, her meal.

  Normally I cook my meal and then plate it up for Janet. I really love cooking and using all fresh ingredients so it’s nice to share that with someone as well. Usually we would share a drink or something and have a chat and she normally would eat after I’ve left. It seemed like an amazing idea and also meeting someone new who ended up being totally amazing anyway and just an amazing opportunity for both people.

  Janet Oran

  I’ve been living here nearly ten years, I am hopefully reaching 93, hopefully. It’s someone to look forward to, it’s nice to have a meal prepared because you haven’t had to think about it.

  It’s really miserable this morning and it’s going to get worse over the weekend.

  I know when she’s coming and usually what time, she usually tells me and then she rings the intercom

  Hello!

  Clare Bradford

  Hi!

  Janet Oran

  Then she comes in and I just sit and wait and then when she g

  Clare Bradford

  Hey Janet, how are you?

  Janet Oran

  Hi

  Clare Bradford

  Got your dinner for you, shall I put it on the table?

  Janet Oran

  Yes please

  And then in she comes, brings me my meal which is always very nice.

  Clare Bradford

  Pork chop today, Janet and some rice pudding for you.

  It makes me feel like I’m helping Janet out. It’s a way of introducing people which you can then develop however you like, so it should be natural occurrence that neighbours look after themselves. It has just made it safer for people, for the person cooking and the person receiving.

  Janet Oran

  You know you’ve got to eat yourself and you know you’ve got to keep going but it isn’t the same interest as having someone to cook for other than yourself. What Clare provides for me is very good and I’m very happy with it and I’m very satisfied.

  VO/words on screen

  Practical assistance

  Enabling people to access the internet

  Charmian Lovell

  I’m Charmian Lovell and I live at home in my own house and I’ve lived here over 58 years.

  Oh it’s very important to me to be able to be independent in my own house rather than in a nursing home. Since I have been older, I have had considerable support. Paul has taught me everything to do with the screen and the email and then I put John Lewis as a typical example of a shop and John Lewis has been my example of getting miscellany online.

  VO/words on screen

  Online shopping allows people to continue to do things for themselves

  Charmian Lovell

  My years don’t allow me to go too far down the line of email because the world is at one’s fingertips and I’m not really quite up to the world sometimes but I do enjoy endeavouring to play about.

  Paul Caddell, Volunteer

  I am part of her support network, she has other people coming in but I am generally part of that and it’s getting to the point now where she’s looking forward to that.

  Charmian Lovell

  Oh Paul makes a huge difference to me, it means that photographs and memorabilia of all sorts come on the email and if I don’t do it Paul does it for me now. Oh it means a lot.

  VO/words on screen

  Practical assistance. Hospital Discharge Scheme

  Sheila Langston

  Well, I was walking perfectly normally down the road, one minute I was walking normally and the other I was seeming to be flying through the air and then I landed. Bang! Ooh! And I was squealing. I had broken my hip. That was it, I was in the hospital then, I’m really housebound at the moment because I can’t go anywhere

  Julie Docherty, Age UK Sunderland Hospital Discharge Scheme

  So how’s things been this week then?

  I’m Julie Docherty, I work for Age UK Discharge Service Sunderland. It’s offering practical help to people, you know the likes of doing housework, doing shopping if they need prescriptions, beds changing, practical things that people could normally do, but because of them being in hospital they can’t do.

  Sheila Langston

  Julie’s been really a godsend to me, she has indeed and when you think what has to be done, they might be little things but they mean a lot…

  Julie Docherty

  Bye Sheila

  Sheila Langston

  Aha

  …when you’re going around with crutches.

  Julie Docherty

  Sheila at the moment, she can’t really put too much weight on her hip so I come in and I do her shopping once a week.

  I’m back again!

  Sheila Langston

  Are you?

  Julie Docherty

  Yeah!

  Other things as well, like washing, putting shopping away, things like that or making a cup of tea. With our support it means that she’s in her home, she’s with Misty who she loves very much. It’s a learning curve for me and you always have to respect how people live. Because I live a certain way it doesn’t mean that doesn’t mean that’s the right way for them.

  Sheila Langston

  We’ve got a little problem with the stuff that’s on the settee at the moment so she’s going to help me to get rid of as much as we can (laughs). It’s got to go!

  Julie Docherty

  I suggested last week that, how would you feel if we actually did this and Sheila was happy to do it, which is great.

  Sheila Langston

  It’s helped me tremendously, I need someone to rely on.

  Julie Docherty

  We’ll not tape it up.

  Sheila Langston

  And if you haven’t got someone that you can rely on, you’ve had it and she’s provided that for me, it’s a big help.

  Title: Key learning points

  Practical assistance can help people maintain independence and dignity

  Help with small tasks can prevent people from needing a higher level of care

  A neglected garden could highlight a person’s vulnerability to exploitation or abuse

  Helping people to maintain links in the community can promote dignity and reduce social isolation

  END

Who will find this useful?

Care staff, managers, GPs, nurses, commissioners, people who use services and their family carers or friends who are carers.