news headlines, stories and reports

The report recognises the challenge brought by an ageing population, and at the same time celebrates longevity as something to be embraced, not feared.

Click here to download the full press release

Transforming Social Care: Putting People First takes place on Tuesday 15 July in central London. Delegates will hear from Ivan Lewis, Minister of State for Social Care, how the government plan to address the needs of people using social care services who have hitherto had to fit their lives around the services, rather than having the services to meet their needs and aspirations.

Click here to download the full press release.

Counsel and Care gives its support to the Alzheimer's Society's new report The Dementia Tax - Charging for people with dementia for inadequate care: the evidence for change.

Click here to download the press release

Counsel and Care has launched a new campaign to produce a national manifesto for older people for the next General Election. VotingAge, a campaign run by and for older people, is seeking the views of older people across the country on issues that affect their lives.

Our three consultation events will provide you with the opportunity to contribute your opinions towards this manifesto. Click here to register for the consultation event for Leeds on the 29 July. Events also take place in Southampton on 21 May and in London on 23 June. See more details on our events page.

If you are unable to attend our events and would still like to contribute to the campaign, please contact us and a copy of the Green Paper can be sent to you for a written response. Or you can download a copy of the Green Paper here.

Click here to download the full press release.

Ascertaining Wishes: A Good Practice Guide: advance care planning for care homes for older people follows a research project undertaken by Lancaster University with Counsel and Care, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and care home provider Friends of the Elderly. The project aimed to describe current advance care planning practice in care homes for older people; to what extent this is currently undertaken, and to highlight good practice already in use, in order to develop the guide.

Click here to read the full press release

Counsel and Care has welcomed the launch today of the new strategy for carers and in particular the increase in planned respite care. The charity said it hoped further funding would become available to boost carers' income and help carers stay in work.

Click here to read the full press release.

Counsel and Care will be raising funds at the Asics British 10k London run on Sunday 6 July 2008. 19 runners, made up of staff, trustees and friends of Counsel and Care will be running to help the charity raise funds to support the 250,000 older people, families and carers currently reached through its advice and information, and through its campaigning and influencing work.

Click here to read the full press release.

Counsel and Care stands firmly in support of the Coalition on Charging's call for government to undertake a thorough review of home care charges, especially the impact of rising costs and restricted eligibility criteria on the lives of older people and their carers.

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here to read the report on the NCIL's website.

Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, said:
"For too long older people with dementia living in a care home have had to endure impersonal care and treatment. ... However, this new report from CSCI gets right to the heart of what makes good quality care. It takes a person-centred approach, with effective communication between the older person and staff to ensure that the care and support they receive is tailored to their individual needs."

Click here to read the full press release.

This new award - Social Care Personality of the Year - was made in recognition of the significant contribution made by Stephen Burke, and his colleagues at Counsel and Care, to the social care sector this year. Announcing the winner, Mary Bryce, Chair of Ceretas, said that Counsel and Care's work is respected and acknowledged both by government and senior management in the social care industry.

Click here to read the full press release.

4Children is helping to challenge stereotypes and bring older and younger people closer together by hosting its 'Safe and Stronger Communities' conference in central London on Wednesday 18 June. This conference, supported by Counsel and Care, will bring children and youth sector workers and professionals who work with older people together to learn from experts, share experiences from existing work and help shape policy.

Click here to download the full press release and here for more details of the event, including how to register.

Stephen Burke, chief executive of Counsel and Care, said: "I welcome the appointment of Sir Michael Parkinson as the National Ambassador for Dignity. It is vital that any discussions around the care debate also include promotion of dignity and quality in care, rather simply discussing who pays for what. The extension of the Dignity in Care campaign recognises that people must experience dignity in care as the rule rather than the exception."

Click here to read the full press release.

National charity Counsel and Care has welcomed today's launch of the debate on the future of care and support in this country. We want to encourage everyone to take part in the debate and have set up a blog to ensure the views of older people, their families and carers are included.

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here to add your comments to our blog. We look forward to reading your views!

Counsel and Care welcomes the publication by the Commission for Social Care Inspection of their star ratings for quality in care homes and care agencies. They should enable older people, their relatives and carers to, at-a-glance, pick out the details of an 'excellent' home from those of an 'adequate' home.

Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, said: "Any up-to-date and accurate information that can be provided to an older person or their relative or carer about a care home will always be of value, especially as, unfortunately, a move to a care home often happens during times of great stress or illness. Many people are often left with little more than a list of names of homes when having to make such a choice.

Click here to download the full press release.

Counsel and Care has launched a new campaign to produce a national manifesto for older people for the next General Election. VotingAge, a campaign run by and for older people, is seeking the views of older people across the country on issues that affect their lives.

Our three consultation events will provide you with the opportunity to contribute your opinions towards this manifesto. Click here to register for the consultation event for London on the 23 June. Events will also take place in Southampton on 21 May and in Leeds on 29 July. See more details on our events page.

If you are unable to attend our events and would still like to contribute to the campaign, please contact us and a copy of the Green Paper can be sent to you for a written response. Or you can download a copy of the Green Paper here.

Click here to download the full press release.

This annual ElderCare Week will take place from 1-7 September 2008 with special activities, including Counsel and Care's Annual Graham Lecture, which this year will be delivered by the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, and a morning debate on 'Right care, Right deal' that we are running with Help the Aged and Carers UK.

Local groups are encouraged to host events to mark this awareness raising week, which will be advertised on Counsel and Care's website and to regional media.

Click here to download the full press release.

Counsel and Care has launched a new campaign to produce a national manifesto for older people for the next General Election. VotingAge, a campaign run by and for older people, is seeking the views of older people across the country on issues that affect their lives.

Our three consultation events will provide you with the opportunity to contribute your opinions towards this manifesto. Click here to register for the consultation event for the South region on the 21 May. Events will also take place in London on 23 June and in Leeds on 29 July. See more details on our events page.

If you are unable to attend our events and would still like to contribute to the campaign, please contact us and a copy of the Green Paper can be sent to you for a written response. Or you can download a copy of the Green Paper here.

Click here to download the full press release.

A completely updated set of 48 factsheets about issues affecting older people, their families and carers is published today by Counsel and Care. They are indispensable guides for anyone who needs to access care and support, or wants to find out more about their benefits and entitlements if they are over 60.

Counsel and Care's advice service is also targeted towards the families and carers of people over 60, as these are often the people involved in ensuring their older relatives receive the care and support they are entitled to.

Click here to download Counsel and Care's factsheets free of charge from our website. Alternatively, telephone our factsheet orderline on 020 7241 8522.

Click to download the full press release.

Counsel and Care has given its support to the findings of the BAPEN Nutrition Screening Week (NSW) survey. The charity is concerned to learn that more than 1 in 4 adults admitted to care homes and hospitals are at risk of malnutrition.

Click to download the full press release.

Click here to order a copy of our publication, A New Appetite for Life, developed to assist care home practitioners with nutrition in care homes. This policy and practice report was written by Mike George and Linda Lennard with a foreword from Baroness Sally Greengross, Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre UK.

Counsel and Care has today launched a competition to search for caring, compassionate individuals who help family, friends and neighbours when they need support. This year's awards are being presented in honour of Rose Hacker, Counsel and Care's oldest supporter, who died in February 2008, aged 101.

Entry forms are available by clicking here

Click here to download the press release

Counsel and Care welcomes the Government's intention to include an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill currently in Parliament that will provide essential protection for many thousands of older people living in care homes.

Click here to download the press release

Counsel and Care, is hosting a major conference to examine ways to improve the quality of life of older people living in care homes.

Click here to download the press release

Counsel and Care welcomes measures highlighted in today's Budget to assist pensioners on lower incomes with their energy bills and to ensure that energy providers further fulfil their social responsibilities towards the most vulnerable in our society.

Click here to download the press release

Accessed from the home page of the Counsel and Care website, the shop provides equipment to provide assistance with walking, sleeping, eating, bathing, and more.Free delivery is available on orders worth £100 or over.

Click to download the full press release.

In a collaborative publishing venture, national charity Counsel and Care and the country's 'self-help' legal publisher, Lawpack Publishing, has just published a revised edition of Caring for loved ones in old age. Aimed at providing individuals, families and communities with help, guidance and assistance in caring for elderly loved loves this valuable book can now be purchased direct from Counsel and Care's website.

Click to download the full press release.

Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, will tell the charity's annual conference that local authorities face a choice - either continue to restrict care and other services or take a new approach and create caring neighbourhoods that are good places for older people to live in.

He will say: "This new approach can be financed in three ways - from better use of existing local resources not just care budgets; by helping individuals make better use of their assets; and through extra investment from local government."

Click here to download the full press release.

With the publication today of our new report, Delivering A Sure Start to Later Life: exploring new models of neighbourhood services for older people, Counsel and Care calls for a parallel agenda for adults that looks at how we achieve positive outcomes for all older and disable people and their carers.

Click to download the full press release.

Click to download a copy of the full report.

Counsel and Care warmly welcomes the Government's housing strategy for an ageing society. It combines the need for both practical action now with ambitious plans for the future to improve homes and local neighbourhoods for older people.

Click here to download the full press release.

Counsel and Care's annual conference on 27 February will focus on making choice and control for older people and their carers a reality, as the debate grows in advance of the care funding green paper. The conference marks the beginning of a series of events in 2008 which will contribute to the debate and the way forward.

Click here to download the full press release.

The annual State of Care report makes a powerful case for urgent, radical reform for older people. It is a national disgrace that so many frail older people are left to fend for themselves.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, said: 'This report shows the sharp reality for older people, their families and carers of a care system in crisis. A crisis of fairness and confidence as well as funding has resulted in 'forgotten' older people who are left without support to navigate the care maze alone, while others with similar needs in other areas get care and access to information. Without urgent change, the move towards person-centred care will be a revolution for the few, not the many.'

Click here to download the full press release.

Two-thirds of people in the UK say they have no plans to put any money aside to fund their social care in older age. Moreover, two-thirds of people are more likely to seek help from family and friends, rather than look to local council support. The results come from a survey conducted for Counsel and Care, Help the Aged and Carers UK by GfK NOP.

This news comes as Counsel and Care, Help the Aged and Carers UK launch 'Right Care, Right Deal', a new campaign calling for a settlement for social care in England.

To show your support for the campaign and receive regular updates, sign up here or call 020 7239 1984.

Click here to download the full press release.

'Personalised care and support: making choice and control a reality for older people and their carers' will take place on Wednesday 27 February 2008 in central London. This conference will promote debate about how the Putting People First initative will be put into practice successfully.

Senior practioners from the health, local government and third sectors will discuss the shape of both current and future social care provision. This major one-day conference will be chaired by Stephen Burke, Chief Executive, Counsel and Care, and speakers include Ivan Lewis, MP, Paul Snell, Chief Inspector, CSCI and Anne Williams, President, ADASS.

Click here to download the full press release.
More details about the event, along with booking information can be found here.

Care homes should be exactly what they say they are - both caring and homely. While there are may good homes, unfortunately things still can and do go wrong.
Your care home - is it up to standard? explains in a user-friendly and accessible way what the key standards are and what older people and their families should expect from the staff and the home.

This guide can be ordered by contacting Counsel and Care on 020 7241 8522 or downloading the publications order form.

Click here to download the full press release.

The Kathleen and Michael Connolly Foundation has provided £5,000 in order for Counsel and Care to run a project supporting vulnerable older people in the Bedfordshire area. We supported 80 older people and their carers in Bedfordshire during 2007, and our aim is to reach over 100 older people in the county this year.

Click here to download the full press release

'Care in the UK' begins on 7 January at midday on Radio 4's You and Yours programme. Ivan Lewis, the care minister will be appearing and throughout the 'care' month, both social care professionals, such as Dame Denise Platt (CSCI), and those with a personal tale to tell, such as Tony Robinson, will get a chance to speak.

The issue of care is one that affects us all. To kickstart the debate on the future of social care, You and Yours also wants to hear your views. Contact the programme via their website and on 15 January, they will be taking your calls on social care. The Department of Health has agreed that the views and suggestions of BBC listeners and viewers will be looked at as part of their national consultation.

Counsel and Care anticipates that with Ruth Marks' appointment as Commissioner for Older People in Wales, people over 60 in Wales will now benefit from having one person who can represent them at a high level and act as an ambassador on their behalf to improve services for older people.

Stephen Burke, our Chief Executive said: "We are encouraged by this appointment and wish to see the same for England in the near future. ... England, like Wales, should also benefit from having an older people's champion."

Click here for the full press release.

The Caring Choices report published today shows a social care system in crisis: a crisisof funding, fairness and confidence. The Government has promised a 'radical rethink' of the care system. Counsel and Care calls for this reform to be ambitious: the new care system must be simpler, fairer, consistent, transparent and flexible in order to make a real difference for this and future generations of older people.

Click here to download the full press release.

Informal and private care is plugging a funding gap of £25k for every disabled person over the age of 65 in Britain today says A Charter for Change, a new report from Counsel and Care. Coming ahead of a Green Paper on Social Care, we are calling for 2008 to be 'the year of the care debate' and urge Government to adopt our radical new framework for the future of social care.

Click to download the full press release.

Click to download a copy of the full report.

We support the recommendation made by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) for a reform of Carer's Allowance. It is clear that the current system of supporting carers is no longer fit for purpose.

Click here to download the full press release.

CSCI's new report into use of restraint in the care of older people is a important one for both care staff and families and carers. There is a need for open debate and clear guidance so everyone involved is aware what is 'good' and what is 'bad' practice when trying to ensure the older person stays safe and protected while still able to exercise their right to make choices and to take risks.

Click here to download full press release.

Today's launch of the Putting People First initiative will spearhead the drive to put more cash and control into the hands of older people using care in Britain, says Counsel and Care. While we welcome the resources diverted from the NHS to fund the initiative, we do call for extra funding to deliver universal information, advice and advocacy to give older people the support they need to exercise real choice and control.

Click here to download the full press release.

Talking about death and dying is society's last great taboo. This means that we often don't prepare properly for death and serious illness until it is too late. To break down these barriers, and to ensure people are aware of their rights and entitlements when they or their loved ones near the end of life, Counsel and Care has today published seven new factsheets.

Click here to download the press release.

Click here to view all our factsheets.

Speaking today at 'Delivering the future of housing for older people and an ageing population' conference, Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care will say: "Care begins at home. Older people want to stay living in their own home for as long as possible. We need to make that easier by investing in repairs and adaptations, telecare and other practical support both in the home and getting out and about. Older people also want better information and advice about the help available and how to make the most of their housing assets."

Please see here for the full press release.

This week, StartHere launches its online signposting resource designed to direct people towards the most relevant organisation for the help they require. Counsel and Care is one of the charities involving in piloting its service.

Click here to view StartHere on our 'helping you' page.
Click here to download the full press release.

Counsel and Care gives its support to the recommendations made by the Alzheimer's Society's new report Home from Home: quality of care for people with dementia living in care homes.

Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, said:
"Counsel and Care will work alongside the Alzheimer's Society and its partners to ensure that older people with dementia living in care homes receive proper needs assessments and appropriate care, and that their families and carers are treated as equal partners in the care partnership."

Please see here for the full press release.

More investment in preventative care will lead to reduced hospital admissions and substantial savings for the NHS,Counsel and Care's annual conference on Sure Start to Later Life will hear today (27 November 2007).

Creative approaches involving older people in care, health and housing services can promote better lives for older people in their own homes rather than institutional care.

Click here to download the full press release.

Much more could be done by employers and Government to support the growing number of carers who work and want to work, says Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care.

Carers should been given the same rights at work as parents - particularly by extending tax breaks for childcare vouchers to care vouchers.

Click here to download the full press release.

Better support and recognition of carers of older people, particularly older carers, are critical to proposed reform of social care, says Counsel and Care in A New Strategy for Carers , its latest policy paper published today.

Whilst Counsel and Care welcomes recent measures made by Government as part of the new deal for carers, much more needs to be done. Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, said: "Carers save the country more than the NHS budget alone. ... All carers, and the growing number of older carers, need to be better supported and empowered so that they have a say in shaping services for themselves and the people they care for."

Click here to download a copy of Counsel and Care's latest policy discussion paper.

The full press release can be read here.

Extreme weather can affect older people more severely than other groups and often existing health conditions can be adversely affected by weather conditions.

With winter up ahead, our factsheet 26 covers how to cope with extremes of temperature, making sure that you keep safe and well. It also covers energy saving tips and Government schemes available to help with energy costs.

Please click here to download factsheet 26: 'Health difficulties caused by hot and cold weather'.

For more details, click here to download the press release.

National charity Counsel and Care welcomes the content of A fair contract with older people, the timely new report from CSCI, which looked into people's experiences of finding a care home.

Click here to download the full press release.

National charity Counsel and Care has published two new guides for involved professionals on improving care for older people living in care homes. The guides aim to improve quality of life for older people by improving both food and activities in care homes.

Click here to download the full press release.

Counsel and Care has today welcomed the move towards the personalisation of services and local investment that can involve more older people in shaping their own care services.

Click here to download the full press release

Counsel and Care welcomes today's spending review announcement of a 'radical rethink' of social care for older people. The proposed Green Paper offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop a lasting settlement, providing a fair and affordable sharing of the cost of care for our ageing population.

Click here to download the full press release

Counsel and Care welcomed the commitment today by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to better care and support for older people, their families and carers.

Click here to download the full press release.

'My death, my choice', a fringe event at the Labour Conference on 25 September, will focus on the real challenges for caring and carers at the end of life. The event presented by Counsel and Care, the National Council for Palliative Care and Sue Ryder Care, will examine the challenges the first-ever End of Life Care Strategy faces, and how we ensure it succeeds.

Speakers include:
Ivan Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health
Eve Richardson, Chief Executive, National Council for Palliative Care
Stephen Burke, Chief Executive, Counsel and Care
Paul Woodward, Chief Executive, Sue Ryder Care

For more information, click here to download the flyer.

Counsel and Care has announced the publication of two step-by-step guides to using direct payments for older people, their families and carers.

They were developed as part of the Keeping Control project, which involved direct consultation with older people.

These guides can be ordered by contacting Counsel and Care on 020 7241 8522 or downloading the publications order form.

The full press release can be read here.

Three-quarters of the public are prepared to pay 1p extra on income tax in order to fund better and fairer care for older people, according to a YouGov survey published today.

This survey was commissioned by Lawpack Publishing Ltd and Counsel and Care to accompany the publication of their book, Caring for loved ones in old age, and the launch of the first-ever ElderCare Week (3-9 September 2007).

The full press release can be read here.

Counsel and Care together with Lawpack Publishing has today announced to publication of a new book on everything you need to know about 'care in old age'.

Published to coincide with the first-ever ElderCare Week, Caring for loved ones in old age provides individuals, families and communities with help, guidance and assistance in caring for elderly loved ones.

The full press release can be read here.

Counsel and Care's 'Keeping Control' project examined reasons why there was low take-up of Direct Payments by older people. It sought ways of encouraging involvement in this beneficial scheme.

The project culminates with the launch of the Brief and Complete Guides to using Direct Payments for older people on Thursday, 13 September 2007 in City Hall's London Living Room. It is organised by Counsel and Care and supported by the Mayor of London and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

More details, including how to order copies of the guides, can be found here.

Counsel and Care is holding a debate on older people and new technology and its annual Graham Lecture on 6 September 2007 at the BT Centre in London.

Chaired by Kim Catcheside of the BBC, the debate is entitled Older people and technology: choice, control and flexibility, and will involve a host of expert speakers.

Esther Rantzen CBE will give this year's lecture, entitled 'Warning'. The theme of the day is intergenerational relationships, with the winners of Counsel and Care's creative writing competition My Grandparents and Me being announced. The Duchess of Gloucester, Counsel and Care's patron, will present the awards.

The events form part of the first ever Eldercare Week from 3-9 September 2007.

The full press release can be read here.

Click here for Stephen Burke's appearance on Radio Five Live during ElderCare Week to promote the care issues facing older people.

The first ever ElderCare Week, organised by Lawpack Publishing Ltd and Counsel and Care, aims to highlight the care issues facing older people and how they and their families can get the best advice and plan ahead.

This national awareness week will take place from 3-9 September 2007 with special activities, including publication of Caring for loved ones in old age, written by Counsel and Care and published by Lawpack Publishing. The week will also highlight Counsel and Care's advice service for older people, their families and carers.

The full press release can be read here.

See here for link to Stephen Burke's appearance on Radio Five Live during ElderCare Week.to promote the care issues facing older people.

A group of leading employers and charities including Counsel and Care today call on Prime Minster Gordon Brown to help carers balance work with their caring responsibilities by giving a tax break for care vouchers. Employers would provide the vouchers as a benefit to help their staff who are carers.

The full press release can be read here.

Click here to download the full report.

Counsel and Care today publishes its annual care charging survey, which shows an ever-tightening squeeze and increasing costs for older people needing care and support.

The full press release can be read here

Click here to download the report.

Counsel and Care has today welcomed the new National Framework for Continuing Care, but has expressed concern about the level of the new single nursing care rate, and the long term funding of social care.  The charity is also keen to see how health and social care partners will integrate services for true joint working.

The full press release can be read here

The Hospital Saturday Fund has donated £1,000 to Counsel and Care. Gloria Hunniford presented the donation at a reception held at The Tower of London, which included a private viewing of the Crown Jewels. The donation will help 100 older people with advice, information and factsheets on getting the best care and support they need.

The full press release can be read here

Counsel and Care has today welcomed the new Supporting People strategy launched by local government minister Phil Woolas, but expects to see appropriate levels of funding in the next Comprehensive Spending REview.  The minister has urged the third sector to take up the opportunity to help to deliver Supporting People services to vulnerable people.

The full press release can be read here

Big lottery funding helps kickstart one stop shop on care advice for older people, their families and carers.

A pioneering one stop shop on care advice led by a unique partnership involving several national older people's charities and a financial advice company has been awarded start-up funding by the Lottery. The new service aims to make it easier to get quality advice and information on care for our ageing population.

The full press release can be read here

New deal for carers - have your say
The Government is developing a national strategy to shape support for carers. The Department of Health is leading this work which includes a nationwide consultation with carers and voluntary organisations.

For further details please click here

Carers Week 11-17 June 2007
Relationships put to test under strain of caring.
A new, in-depth survey of 3,500 carers has uncovered the negative impact that their role can have on the relationship they enjoy with their partner.

The full press release can be read here

With a new Prime Minister shortly to take office and the outcome of the 2007 spending review due in October, it’s a crucial time for the future of care and support for older people.

The full press release can be read here.

Counsel and Care has launched a competition celebrating the special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.

The aim of the competition is to choose the best examples of creative writing from grandchildren and grandparents that celebrate the relationships between the generations.

The full press release can be read here

This summer a major conference supported by the Department of Health and Counsel and Care, will discuss some of the innovative ways in which the health and well being of older people can be improved by moving the focus from partnership towards integration of services through Local Area Agreements and by making more use of the third sector.

The full press release can be read here

New coalition launches national debate on the future of long term care funding

Counsel and Care has joined forces with fourteen other organisations to host seven regional debates across the UK, which aim to address the current failings of care system and look at potential solutions.

The second Caring Choices event will take place Friday 25 May in Birmingham

For further details and  dates of each event please click here

‘Crime and Older People: Reducing fear, building confidence’ will take place on Wednesday 4 July 2007 in Westminster. It is organised by Counsel and Care and supported by the Greater London Authority and Crime Concern.

The conference will promote a debate around crime and older people and practical responses to the issues. It will focus on intergenerational work, neighbourhood policing, financial abuse and transport with case studies of successful local schemes. The event follows on from the Mayor of London’s older people’s strategy launched last autumn.  

The full press release can be read here

A completely updated set of 40 factsheets about issues affecting older people, their families and carers is published today by Counsel and Care.

The full press release can be read here

Counsel and Care today publishes a new factsheet for older people who work in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond.  ‘Older People in Paid Employment’ is a guide to their entitlements and rights as older workers.

The full press release can be read here

Counsel and Care's campaign for tax breaks on care vouchers is growing as hundreds of people sign a new petition on the No.10 website

The full press release can be read here

The aim of the competition is to choose the best examples of creative writing from grandchildren and grandparents that celebrate the relationships between the generations.

Entry forms are available by clicking here.

The full press release can be read here.

Welcoming the framework, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, Stephen Burke said: "The Secretary of State has set out a productive vision for the future of health and care services, as well as providing a framework for it to take place.  Older people in particular will benefit from this joint commissioning agenda, and hopefully the current barriers to people receiving crucial low level services which prevent further more serious ill-health will be broken down."

The full press release can be read here.

'Meaningful and effective involvement' sets out guidelines developed by Counsel and Care in collaboration with older people themselves.  The guide aims to provide support for organisations who want to develop better ways of involving older people in debates and decisions about the services they run.

The guide, written by Jan Reed and Glenda Cook suggests using a model of involvement called the '7 I's framework'.  The seven component of the framework are:

• Intention
• Inclusion
• Information
• Infrastructure
• Integration
• Influcence
• Impact

To order please download a publications order form from here.

Click here for the full press release.

Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care said today: “The army of carers in the UK need more support, guidance, information and resources to help them continue in their caring role.  Up to now, support for carers has been patchy – in some local areas respite services and benefit take up is excellent, but too many carers go without the support they are entitled to, or risk their own health because they cannot access the essential support they need.  The new national carers’ strategy is a great opportunity to address these needs."

The full press release can be read here.

Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care will today (12 Feb 07) address the annual Counsel and Care conference about independent advice and advocacy for older people.  He will call on Government to support the delivery of independent advice and advocacy nationally and locally to ensure that older people can make informed choices wherever they live.

The conference will take place at Thistle Marble Arch, London.  Details can be obtained from www.neilstewertassociates.com.

The full press release detailing Stephen Burke's comments can be read here.

The Counsel and Care advice service can give comprehensive advice about all issues affecting older people, and particularly about care homes and any concerns people may have about the care they or their relative receives.

Click here for the full press release.

The charity today calls for an independent care complaints commission to be set up to help older people and their families flag up their concerns about poor care and see urgent action taken to deal with complaints.  A new body could also help staff who suspect neglect and abuse to whistleblow and protect over 400,000 older people living in care homes.

Click here for the full press release.

Our factsheet number 26 Heath Difficulties caused by Hot and Cold Weather covers how to cope in very cold and very hot weather, making sure that you keep yourself safe and well.  Please click here to download factsheet 26.

Stephen Burke is chairing the 'Work, Families and Carers' conference which gathers employers and stakeholders from across the sectors, who are interested in successfully managing the new rules for carers.  From April 2007, near relatives who have caring responsibilities for their older relatives will have the right to request flexible working to better balance their family life with work life.  The growing number of such carers in the workforce means that this is an issue which is essential for employers, so that they are making the most of their workforce.

Read the full press release here.

Real choice, real voice: older people in control looks at how care services can be reshaped to deliver the goals of the health and social care White Paper Our health, our care, our say.  The smarter commissioning of advice, advocacy and information, early intervention, Individual Budgets and Direct Payments, and telecare, the paper argues, are key to delivering the original Independence, well-being and choice vision set out by the Government.

The report also diccusses the role of the third sector in delivering services, and examines how organisations from all sectors, including private providers, can better meet the needs and aspirations of older people, their families and carers.

Recommendations are made for action by central and local government, service providers and commissioners.

The report can be downloaded by clicking here.

Counsel and Care’s response to the Commission for Social Care Inspection’s State of Social Care report can be downloaded from here.

With our ageing population, urgent action is needed to stop the Care Gap widening.

Older people face major problems getting the care and support they need in Britain today.

This new policy paper exposes the Care Gap - the difference between what older people need and what care and support is available.

To download a press release about Closing the Care Gap click here.

Click here to download the report in full.

The keynote speaker will be Department for Trade and Industry Minister, Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP and the conference will be chaired by Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care.  Other speakers include Imelda Redmond of Carers UK, Lynne Keeble of Accor Services, Matt Dean of Byrne Dean and case studies from Higher Nature and DX & SMS Group.

Details and booking arrangements for the conference can be found at www.symposium-events.co.uk.

'Empowering older people - delivering better choice and control through better independent advice and advocacy' will take place in London on Tuesday 20th February 2007.

The keynote speaker will be James Purnell MP, Minister for Pensions Reform at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).  Delegates will also hear contributions from Janet Walden, Programme Director - Promoting Independence at the Department of Health; Hugh Pullinger, Head of Older People and Ageing Society at the Department for Work and Pensions; Anne Williams, Vice-President, ADSS; Rodney Brooke, General Social Care Council; and John Galvin, Elderly Accommodation Counsel.

More details about the event, along with booking information can be found here.

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