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   Combining to Care helping vulnerable pensioners
At the beginning of January, Salix Homes celebrated the success of the Combining to Care (C2C) partnership pilot in Manchester. It was held at the Sure Start Centre, Longsight and attended by the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Harry Lyons and older people who have been touched by C2C in some way. Combining to Care was launched in November 2010 and ran until the end of September 2011. Salix Homes worked with over 20 partners including Manchester City Council, British Gas, the Department of Work and Pensions and Age UK. The aim of the pilot was to reach out and improve the lives of vulnerable pensioners by encouraging over 55s to find out about the services, benefits and help available to them in Greater Manchester. We organised ‘vulnerability training’ that was delivered by the DWP for our staff. Staff then distributed leaflets and posters to encourage older customers to ring the Age UK Advice on 0800 169 65 65 or visit their local Age UK or Age Concern. The pilot also tested different ways of doing things. These initiatives included: * Printing “keep warm and well” messages on 80,000 Pharmacy bags which were distributed through 80 pharmacies in Manchester * Developing a short training programme to help local partners to identify and serve vulnerable customers better * Trialling a dedicated 0800 number called “Care to Chat” to bring together isolated pensioners Charles Breslin from British Gas and Chair of Combining to Care said “C2C has shown it is possible for many diverse organisations to work together successfully and see real results. Our aim was to help vulnerable older people in Manchester. I believe we have made a difference.” Mervyn Kohler from Age UK attended the event and wrote in the Age action Alliance blog, “I’ve been in Manchester to an event showcasing the work of the Combining to Care (C2C) partnership, and it is impressive and exciting, and is implementing all the features and aspirations of the Age Action Alliance.” For more information contact Bora Oktas at bora.oktas@salixhomes.org or on 0161 779 8863. Photo: Salix Homes' Bora Oktas with a local resident at the celebratary event Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
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