Heledd Fychan Canol De Cymru - South Wales Central

That’s why holding events like the cost-of-living networking event today in Maerdy community centre is so important. We need both the UK Government and the Welsh Government to urgently take action and support those most in need in our communities.

Thank you to all the organisations that attended and special thanks to Age Cymru for their presentation.

If you or someone you know needs support on this issue or any other, please get in touch. I’m here to help.

Presentation 1. Michael Phillips  Age Cymru 

Experiences and Observations from Age Cymru 

• A recent survey of over 1300 found that there were many issues that affect older people. 
• Covid had left a legacy of ill health and isolation 
• There are many older people who have not re-joined social activities outside the home since the lockdown 
• A fifth of respondents live in relative poverty 
• The choice to eat or heat is a reality for many of these people 
• Inadequate heating is leading to increased illness and disease 
• Lack of public toilets is a deterrent to leaving the house for many people and there are cases of people dehydrating themselves to avoid the need to access public toilets 
• Bank closures have made financial rights impossible for those who are digitally excluded 
• Many people are subsidising their own care out of their savings 
• People are kept waiting a long time for care services, struggling to cope 
• There is £200m pounds of underspend in the Pension Credit pot and Age Cymru have been supporting campaigns on this 
• Petrol is a luxury item for many 

 

MAIN POLICY CALLS FROM AGE CYMRU FOR OLDER PEOPLE

• Increase funding for a Benefit take up campaign
• Find a way of ensuring that people’s entitlement to Pension credit and Attendance Allowance becomes automated to reduce poverty
• There should be no further changes in the state pension age
• Improve workplace experiences so that people can work flexibly and part time
• Keep the triple lock on pensions
• Invest in house repairs and improvements
• Ensure that older people can use transport to get to medical appointments

 

FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS BY ALL ORGANISATIONS 

• Is it possible to have a simplified voucher system for foodbanks?  A bus journey is too far for older people who have already overcome their sense of shame in order to ask for food. 
• We need to respond to the first request for help without referring 
• Some people were of the view that the voucher system increases the stigma 
• Digital exclusion is a highly significant issue leading to organisations needing to invest considerable resources to help people overcome this.  The telephone services of Universal Credit are particularly unhelpful with people being discourage from making telephone applications and from using advocates 
• There are complaints about the attitude of DWP work coaches being discourteous and people being kept waiting up to an hour for a phone call 
• There are worries that the digital switchover will be an opportunity where older people will be more likely to be targeted with scams 
• Geographical povetry – Maerdy, Ferndale and Tylorstown are suffering disproportionately from having no train services and no bank hub 

Banking – the closest branches for many are Caerphilly, Cardiff, Pontypridd or Cowbridge.  Many services cannot be done at the hubs such as closing down accounts, adding signatories, changing names, requesting copies of statements.  

Banking Hubs – People are experiencing poor services with waiting times of an hour in a queue with no guarantee of being seen.  An appointment for one client can take up to an hour leaving more people in a queue outside than can be seen on that day.   

 

Housing 

There was agreement that housing should be suitable for specific age groups to reduce loneliness and isolation and ensure older people are not subjected to anti social behaviour. 

Two creative people were present who offered some thought from a different perspective. 

Richard – When we talk of inclusion what are we including people into? There is a theme emerging on banks in our time.  Financial banks, food banks and the banks of our rivers that are being polluted. 

Spectacle – Carys shared the value of intergenerational working, bridging the gaps and learning that people should not be labelled and grouped just because they are of a certain age. Not everyone likes Bingo! 

 

Attendees from organisations

Ynysybwl Regeneration, Warm Wales, Good Cop Bad Cop, Trivallis, RCT, Citizens Advice, Age Connect Morgannwg, Arts Factory, Manage Money Wales & Community Shop, Dant y Llew CIC, Spectacle Theatre, RCT Together, Gilfach Goch Community Association