Angela Gifford
Managing Director of
Able Community Care
01603 764567
Able Community Care has been in the same family for nearly four decades and now provides live-in care services throughout the UK. Since 1980 we have provided care and have met with thousands of families who are seeking an alternative to moving into a residential care home. Meeting people inevitably leads, either at the time of an assessment or even years later, to questions for which people are looking for answers.
Information around all aspects of care is available but the road to finding out, especially at a time of crisis, about specific factors can be difficult and stressful. Able Community Care receives calls and emails on a regular basis with people asking if we can help with their search for information.
Recently these questions have been asked of us…
Angela Gifford, Managing Director of Able Community Care answers your questions…
Question: I volunteer at a day-centre in helping to organise social events, but we often run out of ideas and find ourselves repeating the same event as we did last year. Where can I find some different things to suggest to the team?
Answer: The Elderly Accommodation Council, (EAC) the nationwide organisation which helps older people with a wide range of housing requests, also has an EAC Entertainment Directory of over 1,300 Acts, UK wide, keen to perform in day centres, retirement complexes and care home.
To visit the directory to see if thereis anything of interest go to: www.housingcare.org › entertainment
Question: I wish to find out details with reference to care support which involves family issues, property, finances and other legal issues. I have been advised to approach Social Services but I do not want to do that. I have been told there might be other social workers who do not work in the statutory sector?
Answer: You have been given the correct information as there are approximately two thousand independent social workers and they can be found at the British Association of Social Workers- Independents Directory. Just put your location in and you can find social workers in the area and see details of the work they cover from children to older adults. www.basw.co.uk
There are also other Consultants/Practitioners who are not registered as social workers but have considerable experience of social care and can on a private basis, provide support around the arena of social care in all its aspects.. For example, one local company is A Port In A Storm which can be found at www.aportinastorm.co.uk
Question: Several pensioner friends have mentioned Walking Football but did not seem to know much about it! What age group is it for, are their local clubs, how much does it cost?
Answer: Walking Football began in 2011 and is aimed at adults over the age of 50. Walking Football is played at walking pace with players not allowed to run, either with the ball or without the ball and jogging is also not allowed. Currently there are over 1000 clubs and to find out if there is one near you Google the WFA Directory and put in your location.
Every sports club at every level has costs; walking football is no different. From the price of pitch hire to the cost of the balls themselves, everything has to be paid for. At many clubs, players are asked to pay a small fee – essentially a membership fee – to cover expenses for a set period of time; usually a year.
