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Advice and cash boosts elders
A HOST of new services to help the borough’s older people were rolled out this week.
Westminster Council has pledged £300,000 to be put towards holding more social events, including tea dances and magic shows for its older residents and launching two new advice lines to help people cope with meeting utility bills and loneliness and isolation.
Now in its second year, Every Older Person Matters aims to improve quality of life for the 25,000 over-65s who live in the borough.
The initiatives have been welcomed by campaigners, who say a growing number of old people live in isolation and need urgent support.
Irene Kohler, director of Westminster Advocacy Service for Senior Residents said: “Older people need to be empowered and in theory these new services are to be commended. In Westminser and especially the West End, there are a lot of old people who are hidden by the relative wealth created in the areas. The problems are threefold. People are isolated.
“They have very little information about services and they often can’t access the services even when they know where they are.”
On Wednesday elderly residents in Soho will make their voices heard at the fifth annual Westminster Senior Residents’ conference aims to identify priorities for elderly people living in Soho.
The all day event is at St Anne’s Community Hall, 55 Dean Street on April 30.
Call 020 7434 2083 for details. |
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