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Independence days

How older and vulnerable people are being supported to live independently in their own homes

"You name it, we do it," says June Dobson.
Along with friends at Buckingham Street Day Centre, she bakes cakes, makes greeting cards, plays quizzes and bingo, and enjoys a nice meal.
"If I didn't come here I'd be stuck in the house all day because my husband Ray can't take me out all the time," says June.
For Ray, June's husband of 42 years, the day centre also has its benefits.
Because he is June's full-time carer, her visits to the centre three days a week mean he has valuable time to himself.
And that means he can go out on his motorbike, visit friends or just catch up with chores like shopping and cleaning.
"It's the centre which helps June and Ray stay together – because, in the nicest possible way, it gives them a break from each other," says Mike Burton, of the council's community support team.
"When you're at home together 24 hours a day, even the happiest of couples will run out of things to talk about, and by attending the day centre they are enjoying time apart which equally benefits their time together.
"One of the biggest reasons why a person may need to go into residential care is because their carer says they can't cope anymore."

The course of a day

June (65), who uses a wheelchair and has arthritis, also has help from carers who visit her east Hull home each morning and evening.
She is one of around 60 older people who regularly visit Buckingham Street Day Centre between 9.30am and 4pm.
As well as being picked up from home in a minibus (and dropped off again), visitors to the centre enjoy morning coffee or tea and toast, before a two-course lunch and afternoon tea.
Other day centres, which cater for people over 55, are Bethune Day Centre, on Bethune Avenue, and Bellfield Day Centre, within the Freedom Centre on Preston Road.
Both centres specialise in caring for people with dementia.
There is also the Fernleigh Day Centre, Waterloo Street, and the George Ashton Day Centre, Ashton Close.
If you would like to enquire about attending a day care centre, contact your local area team on 300300.

June Dobson (far left) and friends at the Buckingham Street Day Centre

Telecare and Lifeline service

For vulnerable and elderly people living alone, another service run by Hull City Council to help them live at home independently is the Telecare and Lifeline service.
Whether it's a medical crisis caused by a heart attack or stroke, or being unable to get up after a trip or fall, the service puts you in touch with emergency help, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Lifeline service has helped thousands of vulnerable people in Hull for over 20 years.
It works using a small box (known as a 'hub') which is installed into the phone socket your home and has a sensitive built-in microphone and loud speaker.
In the event of an emergency, the system can be activated remotely by a panic button, which can be installed on the wall, worn as a pendant around the neck, or activated by a pull cord installed in easy reach in the home.
The Telecare sensors and detectors can also be installed around the home to send an alert automatically should they sense a problem such as smoke, heat, flood, inactivity or a fall.
"You don't have to use a telephone to call for help in the usual way," says Mike Burton, home care organiser with Hull City Council.
"You just need to be within speaking and hearing distance of the hub, because when you press the button, it automatically sends an alert to the hub which in turn makes an automatic call to the control centre."
In most cases the control centre can deal with the situation over the phone and a relative or carer are informed if you wish.
In more serious cases the emergency services are required and the control centre stays on the line with you until help arrives.
Mike concludes, "These services are all about helping people live as independently as possible for as long as possible within their own homes."

info

For more information about the Telecare and Lifeline Service, or about other ways in which Hull City Council is helping elderly and vulnerable people to live at home, call 300300, or visit www.hullcc.gov.uk