Housing and care options for older people

in Wigan Angela Durkin, Senior Housing Policy

Officer, Wigan CouncilJohn McArdle, Chief Officer, Age UK

Wigan Borough

Strategic Background“Connecting Housing with Care”

• To address the emerging demographic trend of an ageing population

• To deliver care more efficiently to deliver savings to the Council’s care budget

• To develop a wider range of suitable housing for people with long term care needs – better use of existing accommodation and build new

• To raise awareness and make it easier to access these options

Housing Needs of Older People

• 26% of people on the Wigan Housing Register are aged 60 or over.

• In 2012, there were 8306 visits to the FirstStop website from people living in the borough and 32 telephone enquiries.

• 77 people aged 60 or over accessed Wigan’s Housing Advice and Prevention Service last year.

• Increase in complex needs amongst the older population due to lifestyles.

Raising Awareness Wigan Citizen’s Panel survey about ageing in Dec 2011

• 10% of over 65s had looked into options available to them.

• 50% had thought about ageing but not done anything about it.

• 40% had not considered the issue of what options would be available to them as they age.

Cont..

Top things that would help in making decisions:

• Access to information, explanations of options.

• Personal financial advice, costs of services and affordability.

• Recommendations from service users

• Knowledgeable staff.

What’s driving us locally?

• Longstanding partnership working

• Recognising the current challenges and need to be more proactive

• Clear information and engagement with older people

• The need to be honest about the resources available across all sectors

• Manage demand and expectations

Our Joint Action Plan • Raise awareness of housing, care and support issues

and the need to plan ahead.

• Ensure that a range of good quality information is available though a variety of means.

• To offer tailored advice and support to older people to make timely choices over their current or future housing related needs.

• Ensure that staff in the council, health and voluntary organisations have the skills and knowledge to discuss these issues with older people and their families.

What have we done?

• Information and advice events

• Partnership working • Over 30 stalls• Entertainment • Workshops

Cont…

• “Should I stay or should I go” workshops for older people.

• “Housing Choices in later life” training for front line staff

• Housing options leaflets• Website information• Bid to FirstStop for Older

People’s Housing and Care Options Caseworker

Key Message

Consider your housing and care options

• Plan early• Talk to family and

friends• Find out what’s

available in your area • Think about what you

can afford• Get help and advice

Age UK Housing and Care Options Caseworker

• Opportunity to bid to EAC/Firststop to become 1 of 15 projects across England delivering housing and care options information and advice in a joined up way

• Margaret came into post on 1st October 2013– basic awareness– single contact signposting/information– in depth casework

Aims of the service

• promoting a joined up approach between agencies and within services.

• delivering a comprehensive, timely and appropriate response determined by objective assessment of a person’s need and circumstances.

• putting the older person in control, and seeking to achieve a balance between their housing situation and the rest of their life.

• establishing the holistic, multi agency nature of assessment and support.

• and, finally, demonstrating value for money.

Partnership working

• Project Board – meets bi-monthly. Representation from housing and social care staff.

• Referrals protocol.

• Joint working on individual cases.

• Information/ community events.

Early findings

• Vulnerably housed clients, potential homelessness amongst older people is significant.

• Financial difficulties exacerbate housing issues for this age group.

• Chaotic lifestyles of some clients, lack of focus on housing difficulties.

• Lots of services but difficult to navigate through.

Where do we go from here?

• Project funded for 18 months, until March 2015.• Evaluation ongoing, supported by Cambridge

Centre for Planning and Housing Research. • Demonstrating significant potential savings and

improved outcomes for clients. • First anniversary approaching, event to gauge

support for future funding/ mainstreaming the service.

• Difficulty of certainty in the current financial climate.