Longer term unemployment among young and older workers is growing sharply, according to a detailed analysis unemployment figures today (Wednesday) by the TUC. The TUC analysis shows that it is increasingly difficult for the under 24s and over 50s to find work once they lose their jobs. Key findings include: The numbers of young people aged 18-24 unemployed for up to 6 months, and for 6-12 months, are rising more sharply than for the general population. There was a 12.8 per cent quarterly increase in the number of young people unemployed for up to 6 months (390,000 young workers), and a 6 per cent increase in the number of young people unemployed for 6-12 months (80,000 young workers). There are also signs of likely increases in long-term unemployment among older workers, with a quarterly increase of 29.7 per cent in the number of workers over 50 who are unemployed for 6-12 months. The biggest regional increase in unemployment is in Wales (1.7 per cent).
There has been a 22.6 per cent quarterly increase in redundancies, with 156,000 posts being made redundant during the quarter to September 2008. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘These are dire figures. High unemployment is going to be with us for some time now. It is not just an economic problem, but a social problem too. The rise in long-term youth unemployment is particularly worrying.

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11 November 2008
© TUC

The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) is launching the Learning Age project; an exiting new programme of learning aimed at disadvantaged Older People on 12 November 2008. The launch will take place in the Verbal Arts Centre, Derry/Londonderry on Wednesday 12 November starting at 12.30. Renowned actress and older learner herself, Olivia Nash (Ma from Give My Head Peace), will be present to work with a group of seniors who will present a drama on the day. Colin Neilands, WEA Director, explains the importance of the Learning Age Project: “We have been involved in researching the benefits of learning in later life for some time now. Bringing together academic research and our experience of working with older people across Northern Ireland, we believe that taking part in learning can help reduce isolation, keep the body active, stimulate the mind, pass on new skills and even contribute to better health.

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10 November 2008
© CommunityNI

Providing high-quality care services can help prevent neglect and abuse of elderly patients, according to a recent report. Councils with higher overall quality ratings are more likely to have better safeguarding practices in place, the Commission for Social Care Inspection report says. The research is part of the Department of Health’s No Secrets guidance on responding to adult abuse. Neil Hunt, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said people with dementia are vulnerable to abuse through neglect, poor-quality care and discrimination. “This report shows that people already contending with poor quality care are being let down by ineffective safeguards against abuse,” he added. Alzheimer’s Society provides information and education, support for carers, quality day and home care in addition to funding medical and scientific research. In recent news, it has been revealed by US researchers a vitamin found in meat, fish and potatoes my help prevent people from developing Alzheimer’s disease.

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10 November 2008
© CAF

The Growing Old Disgracefully photographic competition has been launched on 6 November 2008 to coincide with UN Day of Older Persons. Open to anyone in the UK aged 55 or over, the competition encourages older people to illustrate the wide variety of ways and places in which older people learn. Judging will take place in early February 2009 and presentations of awards and photographic vouchers will take place at the end of March 2009 in Nottingham.
Further details can be seen at www.niace.org.uk or more information and an entry form please contact Lois Gladdish, Information Officer, Older & Bolder, NIACE, 21 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GE or email: lois.gladdish@niace.org.uk

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10 November 2008
© Heritage North

Many people working for the National Health Service (NHS), including doctors, have an ageist attitude towards elderly people, a charity says. The services provided by the NHS are not meeting the needs of the fastest growing age group population of people over the age of 85, according to Age Concern. Research by the British Medical Journal shows just 62 per cent of the care recommended for older adults is actually received. Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern, said many NHS services are not tailored to meet the needs of our ageing society. “It is shocking eight out of ten older people with clinical depression do not get any treatment because of ageist attitudes held by many in the NHS,” he added. According to the charity, in 2006-07 there were an estimated 2.5 million older people who needed some form of care and support. The organisation says around 6,000 older people with high support needs receive no services or informal care.

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30 October 2008
© CAF

Neighbourhood wardens need to be clear about their ‘brand’ to convince funders and the public of their value, one of Channel 4’s ‘secret millionaires’ warned this week. Speaking at New Start’s Connecting Communities conference, marketing millionaire Carl Hopkins said wardens were unsung heroes – but needed to be clearer about their role.Wardens provide a visible presence to reassure communities that did not exist in the 1980s, Mr Hopkins told New Start. He spent ten days patrolling the streets of Easington, Durham, with the town’s neighbourhood wardens for the Channel 4 programme. ‘We all know the police are there to enforce the law,’ he said. ‘They’re not warm and cuddly, let’s be honest. They could be seen as threatening. ‘A lot of people on the estates where I grew up have something to hide, so the last people they’re going to talk to are the cops. The wardens, if they’re the ears, the eyes, the friends of the community, then with regular and frequent appearances on the streets they should become trusted.’

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29 October 2008
© NewStart

Age Concern and Help the Aged are joining forces. John Plummer asks the chair of each organisation if the merger will have an effect on jobs, what name the new charity will operate under and what will happen to Heyday. In summer 2005, the chairs of Age Concern England and Help the Aged met over coffee at the King’s Fund in London. Catherine McLoughlin, who had just taken the role at Age Concern, raised the idea of the two charities merging.

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28 October 2008
© Third Sector

Retirement has changed from being a time to slow down to becoming a chance for older people to explore new opportunities, a charity says. It is a time for those who have worked all their lives to go out and enjoy themselves and do things they could not do while working, according to Age Concern. Research by AEGON, the pensions advice company, shows less than a third of people say they plan to stop working when they reach retirement age. A spokesperson for Age Concern said modern retirement is very different from what we used to think of it as being. “Some people want to be able to carry on doing their job but for fewer days a week or with reduced responsibility and others want to change their career,” the representative added. The research also showed 61 per cent plan to carry on working after reaching retirement age or want to pursue education or charity work. According to a report, the European Court of Justice rejected Age Concern’s claim that compelling people to stop work at 65 years old breached European Union equality requirements.

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28 October 2008
© CAF

Three projects working to improve the lives of vulnerable people in Walsall, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Shropshire are awarded over £600,000 from the Big Lottery Fund. The funding announced today will provide support for survivors of sexual violence, isolated older people and parents of disabled children.  It is part of BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, which aims to improve the lives of people in need across England. The grant of £391,457 to Crisis Point means that its vital work in Walsall and Wolverhampton helping adults, young people and children to resolve the harmful effects of rape and sexual assault can continue.  The grant of £202,245 awarded today to Community Service Volunteers for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP) in Coventry, will open the door to a variety of volunteering opportunities for older people, reduce feelings of isolation and improve their health and well-being.  Children with additional needs and disabilities, their parents, families and carers can look forward to greater support with a grant of £69,561 awarded to the Telford And Wrekin Council for Voluntary Service in Shropshire.
 
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21 October 2008
© Big Lottery Fund

New proposals to better safeguard vulnerable groups and put an end to ‘needless bureaucracy’ which can deter volunteers from helping Scotland’s children were announced today. The plans are intended to further ensure that people who come into regular contact with vulnerable groups through their work don’t have a history of abusive behaviour while also creating a proportionate approach to vetting, ending the need for multiple disclosure checks. The reform plans, produced following a detailed consultation on the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Act earlier this year, include: A sensible approach so that those who have minimal contact with children - such as a plumber or delivery driver visiting a school - do not have to undergo disclosure checks. A new PVG membership scheme for people working with children and protected adults which will end the need for costly multiple disclosure applications every time their circumstances change and create automatic updates to employers if they become unsuitable. Clearer guidance for employers to help inform their decisions on which positions should become part of the scheme.

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17 October 2008
© Scottish Government