Potential measures to make walking on the streets safer and easier are a right priority for the next Government, according to 57 per cent of people aged 65 and over living in the South West. These are the results of a YouGov poll commissioned by Living Streets and published today (27 January 2015).
The majority (83 per cent) of respondents in the South West say they enjoy getting fresh air when walking outside in the UK, but more than two fifths (46 per cent) of those surveyed say they are put off by broken or cracked pavements. Shockingly, of those who have never been hit by a...
An 87-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries after being in collision with a lorry in Exeter yesterday (19 January).
Police and emergency services were called to Topsham Road around 1.15pm after the elderly pedestrian was in collision with the HGV.
The woman, from Exeter, sustained a serious leg injury and was taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
The driver of the 18-tonne truck, a 43-year-old man, was interviewed by police and has been released while police enquiries continue into the circumstances of the incident.
Devon and Cornwall Police has been investigating an increased number of telephone frauds involving unknown persons randomly calling members of the public on their home telephone numbers and convincing them to part with or transfer thousands of pounds in cash.
The criminals use a number of different stories to get the victim to give away their money. The most recent story involves a jewellery shop.
In December, a victim was persuaded to purchase a Rolex watch from a jeweller in the Torbay area. The victim attended the jeweller’s shop in person. They were being ‘controlled’...
Pavement parking is a danger for older people and legislation should be clearer, says the results of a YouGov poll commissioned by Living Streets out today (09 January 2015).
Over half of UK adults aged 65 and over (51 per cent) have no idea whether or not parking on the pavement is illegal in their local area. As MP Martin Horwood’s ‘pavement parking bill’ receives its second reading in the House of Commons today, legislation needs to be standardised across the country says the pedestrian campaign charity.
While pavement parking is against the law in London and some parts...
Following a recent report by The Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), predicting that half a million elderly UK residents could spend Christmas Day alone, NFU Mutual, the UK’s leading rural insurer, is concerned that the problem of isolation is much greater for elderly people living in rural areas due to a lack of access to reliable broadband.
While the Government is keen to encourage elderly people to use social media and video-calling to contact distant relatives, such systems are reliant on access to reliable and affordable internet access, something which can be a postcode lottery in...
Teams from the Housing Service at East Devon District Council have launched a month-long series of consultation sessions in which they will ask tenants to comment on options aimed at minimising the impact that cuts in Devon County Council (DCC) funding next year will have on over 1,300 elderly and vulnerable tenants.
The options on the table include retaining as many services as possible and either reducing the level of service or charging where previously it was free. The aim is that these tenants will still be able to live independently at home.
Police in Devon are urging pensioners to be vigilant after an elderly, vulnerable couple were targeted.
The warning follows a burglary in which thousands of pounds of cash was taken. The crime occurred between 8.00pm and 10.00pm on Thursday 4th September when three men attended the Devon couple's home clamimg to be HM Customs officers from Exeter.
They stated that they had arrested the occupant’s son and needed to search the property.
They did not offer any identification. The couple, who live in Okehampton, believing they were genuine, allowed the burglars to...
This week, the residents at Angela Court Nursing Home had a wonderful visit from Archie the dog. Archie is a beautiful black ‘Heinz 57’ who is more than happy to receive cuddles and strokes from the residents and staff. His calm temperament means that he loves spending time with people and was a huge hit with everyone at the home.
Using animals as therapy for those living with dementia is a very important activity, research shows that having animals around can have several beneficial results - animals can improve mood and behaviours as well as providing a calming influence. The...
Residents of Angela Court Nursing Home in near Sidmouth were treated to some pancakes with every topping under the sun to choose from to celebrate pancake day.
Angela Court staff provided pancakes for all the residents and then helped them decide what toppings they would like. Fresh fruit, chocolate, syrup, cream and the old favourite of lemon and sugar were all available for residents to help themselves to!
Angela Court is recognised as an Investor in people and cares for some of the most vulnerable elderly in the community; the care team boasts an excellent reputation for...
More people with care needs are choosing to use money allocated to them by the Council, through personal budgets, to pursue hobbies and interests or access local activities, groups and clubs than attend Council-run day centres.
The numbers of people accessing day centres in Devon have fallen by nearly 66% since 2005. Some of the Council’s day centres now have just a small number of attendees, and service users and carers are telling the Council that it needs to modernise.
Members of Devon County Council's Cabinet will propose at its meeting next week (Wednesday 9 October)...
