InfoIslington - Islington Reference Library

Islington Older Peoples' Champion

Men are being encouraged to apply for one of two Islington Older Peoples' Champions roles - by saying the one thing they would like to see change in Islington to help older people.

Islington's Older Peoples' Champions were appointed in 2011 and have worked to represent the borough's 17,600 pensioners and give evidence to the council's older peoples' services. Older people make up 9 per cent of Islington's population. The position - previously held by Virginia Lowe - will be filled in the new year after prospective candidates have been shortlisted. Applications from men are welcomed. Islington has fewer men in the over 65 section of the population but the council is keen to recruit anyone who has understanding and experience of issues faced by older people. Current Older Peoples Champion Frances Davidson will continue to serve until June 2014.  Part of her remit will be to promote older people, visiting community groups, the housebound and patients at Whittington Hospital. For further details see here.

Safeguarding Adults Strategy 2010-2013

The Islington Safeguarding Adults Partnership is made up of different organisations in Islington. These include statutory, voluntary and independent sector organisations. All are involved in the care, support and safety of adults at risk in the borough.

We have to do four main things:

Promote Rights: 

 

 Prevent Harm:

 help people to stay safe; help everyone understand what abuse and neglect are and how to report them.

Protect from Harm:

respond to concerns in a timely, consistent and caring way; protect people in ways they find acceptable.

 

Perform Well:

 be able to show that what we do works well and makes a difference.

Ward level summary measures of deprivation and the older people's and children's indices

To supplement the published government data from the Indices of Deprivation 2010, GLA Intelligence has produced further measures at ward and borough level for London.

Northumberland Park ward in Haringey and Stonebridge ward in Brent are the only two wards in London that appear in the most deprived ten London wards on every summary measure of the IMD.

Overall, Tower Hamlets has the highest proportions of both children and older people in income deprivation, while Westminster includes the wards with both the highest and lowest proportion of children in income deprivation.

Transport Services for Communities with Specific Needs

Islington Council supports a range of transport services for communities within the borough who have specific transport needs, such as people with disabilities or the elderly. These include:

• Accessible buses - the PlusBus 812 runs Mon - Fri between Hoxton and Angel.
• Blue Badges - disabled parking scheme.
• Freedom Passes - older and disabled people can use public transport for free.
• Taxicard - offering subsidised taxi fares.
• ScootAbility - offers short term loan of mobility vehicles to residents with mobility impairments.
• School transport - please talk to your school to find out more.
• Social services transport - Islington's Short Breaks schemes for disabled children may include transport to and from the scheme as part of the package.

Signpost: a Guide to Services for Older People in Islington

A practical guide to services for older people in Islington dated June 2011.

Supporting People Strategy 2010-15

Supporting People is a working partnership between

• Islington Council
• The Probation Service
• Islington Primary Care Trust (PCT)

Provider organisations, service users and their carers are also involved in the partnership. The aim of this partnership is to deliver locally relevant housing related support services to help vulnerable people live independently in the community.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) directs many elements of the programme, but the services that each programme provides reflect the local needs of the communities they serve.

Supporting People offers vulnerable people the opportunity to improve their quality of life through greater independence. This is achieved by providing housing related support to prevent problems that can often lead to tenancy failure, hospitalisation, institutional care or homelessness. It can also help smooth the transition from accommodation based residential support to independent living .

The stategy can be downloaded here.

Links for Living Care Support Directory

 Links for Living is a new Council online directory for adults who are looking for ideas for a healthier, more fulfilling and independent life. It will be particularly useful if you or some one you look after is disabled or has health or social care needs. You’ll find suppliers who provide support at home, as well as details of care homes, local transport and advice organisations and practical information about housing and money matters.

Can equity release help older home-owners improve their quality of life?

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is working with three local authorities - Islington, Kensington and Chelsea and Maidstone and the equity release industry, voluntary bodies and relevant government departments to develop equity release packages that help older people access funds without threatening their entitlement to benefits. These equity release schemes are expected to run until summer 2011. See the report here.

Mental Health of Migrant Elders

This article published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2001 compares the rates of dementia in Islington amongst migrants compared to people born in the UK and found that ethnic or migrant status is not in itself a predictor of dementia or depression in older people.

Services for Older People

Signpost provides contact details of services for older people in Islington.