Older people in Cumbria who struggle with social isolation and loneliness can now receive additional new help.
Cumbria County Council has joined forces with Age Concern and Cumbria Primary Care Trust to help more older people find the company and support they need.
The county council is investing an extra £100,000 this year in its Promoting Independence Project –an Age Concern-managed scheme which helps older people who need extra support to live at home.
The scheme provides older people with an assessment of their needs and then helps them get the support they require; whether it is new friends, access to local groups, household adaptations, voluntary support services or a list of approved trades people to tackle jobs around the house.
Now, thanks to the boost in county council spending and a pooling of resources with the Primary Care Trust, the scheme is being expanded to provide support for older people suffering from social isolation - a condition that can lead to depression, increased frailty and other problems.
Cumbria County Council’s Director of Adult Social Care, Jill Stannard, said: "Cumbria has a significantly ageing population with one in three people expected to be of retirement age by 2028.
"Providing the sort of individual care and support which older people increasingly expect means we have to be more innovative in finding ways to support people in their own homes.
"By pooling health and social care resources we can provide more support to more people through an expansion in services like the Age Concern-managed Promoting Independence Project.
Sonia Mangan, Director of Age Concern South Lakeland, said: "Our locally based project workers visit older people in their homes to help them plan the assistance and advice they need.
"The charities are delighted to be able to work with local older people in this way, we understand that an extra bit of help at the right time can make all the difference."
Cumbria Primary Care Trust's Director of Corporate Affairs Ross Forbes, said: "This new expanded is another example of using joined-up working and joined-up thinking to deliver the best possible results for the people who matter - those who use the services."
The Promoting Independence Project is available to people living in Cumbria aged-55 or over.
To apply for the service or to get more information, people should contact their local Age Concern office at:
* Barrow –01229-831425
* Carlisle –01228-536673
* Eden –01768-863618
* Northwest Cumbria –01946-66669
* South Lakeland –01539-728118
ENDS
Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228-606337
Note
Cumbria's five local Age Concern Directors are available for interviews on the new, expanded Promoting Independence Project and can be contacted directly on the numbers shown above.