Elderly to receive £2m-worth of funding

Elderly residents in England are soon to benefit from £2m-worth of funding from the Cabinet Office in a move to reduce pressure on NHS services. The money is set to fund numerous volunteer-led projects that are aimed to help elderly residents stay out of hospital as well as help with the transition from hospital to home, where mobility aids can assist with the recovery process and prevent further injury from falls.

On behalf of the Centre for Social Action, the £2m fund will be ordered by the Social Investment Business and be a joint fund from the Cabinet Office and the National Tripartite group. The fund is set to be open to applications until midday on the 13^th June later this year and will hopefully see numerous volunteer led projects set up in its name.

Funds for the future

The fund pot is set to be used to award grants of about £200,000 but the SIB has said that it would consider applications of £400,000 in some ‘exceptional cases’. It is hoped that the new funding will support elderly residents in the country with the transition from hospital to home care, where some will need additional support alongside help from mobility aids and stairlifts to lead a full and independent lifestyle following time spent in hospital.

The Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said of the funding, as reported in this article, “We want to make sure that older people have the support they need next winter. There is already some excellent work being done in the voluntary sector and this partnership is about finding the best programmes and supporting them to do more”.

In light of this new funding scheme, there has been increased recognition of the work charities and the third sector carry out in order to support elderly and vulnerable residents in the country, as many already work with hospitals in order to make the transition as smooth as possible and less stressful for such residents.

While this new funding will hopefully make the transition from hospital care to home life smoother, the installation of home aids and accessible walk in showers and baths can work to prevent hospital visits in the first place and make elderly people more comfortable and independent.

Image Credit: Mikey (flickr.com)