SMUG AS A BUG CAMPAIGN

Community team members from the Care Trust Plus older people’s health and wellbeing collaborative recently descended on Victoria Street market, Cleethorpes, to promote the ‘Snug as a Bug’ campaign.

The Snug as a Bug campaign launched in August 2009 and is due to finish at the end of March. During this time the team have been able to help countless members of the public keep well and keep warm during the winter weather by informing them of local agencies that can help them.

Through the hotspot cards system promoted by the campaign (which links in with Citizens Advice Bureau, the pension services, Humberside Fire and Rescue and the North East Lincolnshire Council home energy team) older people can access free checks including home energy checks, fire safety checks and pension and benefit checks.

The team handed out thermal mugs and room thermometers (keeping a room at a certain temperature not only saves money saving but is healthy too).

Martin Wakefield, project manger for the older people’s collaborative, said: “The campaign aimed to bring together relevant organisations that can offer services to older people. By using the hotspot card system, people only needed to sign up once to receive all the free checks rather than having to approach each organisation individually.

“The event was extremely successful with 60 people asking for further information and 20 completing a hotspot card, all of whom will now receive the free checks that can really make a difference.”

NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE IS A ‘GOOD PLACE TO GROW OLDER’

North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus, the Council and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are proud to announce the launch of a new Strategy for Later Life. This strategy sets out an exciting agenda for action over the next three years that will help transform services to people over 50 year of age. It was developed with older people and local organisations including the voluntary and community sectors.

The strategy challenges the myths and negative attitudes about older people. It recognises that they make a positive contribution to community life and should be valued, respected and free from discrimination. It seeks to ensure that older people are well informed and have choice and control over the services they need to maintain their health, well being and lifestyle. The priority actions are wide ranging covering advice/information, community involvement, health and social care, transport, leisure, work, finances and safer communities.

Councillor Malcolm Morland, Older People’s Champion, said “So often older people are talked about in negative ways – we hear for example about demographic time bombs and drains on the economy. Nothing could be further from the truth. They are vital to our families and communities and enrich society with their knowledge, skills and expertise. The new strategy harnesses this and will, through all the local agencies working well together, improve the quality of life and opportunities for all older people across North East Lincolnshire”.

The strategy will be launched at the Advice Day for Older People held annually for the National Older People’s Day at the Memorial Hall IN Cleethorpes on Wednesday September 30 from 10am to 3pm.

If you want to know more about the strategy then contact David Cook, Interim Deputy Director Business and Performance Management on (01472) 325460 or e mail dave.cook@nelincs.gov.uk

Read the Strategy Documentation
A Good Place to Grow Older - Executive Summary (PDF document)
A Good Place to Grow Older – Full Strategy (PDF document)