Helping Older People Stay Safe and Independent at Home

Age Concern Hampshire’s Help at Home Service continues to provide vital practical support and companionship to older people across the county, helping them stay safe, independent, and connected in their own homes. 

By assisting with everyday household tasks such as cleaning, shopping, meal preparation, and light domestic chores, the service helps reduce the risks that can arise when these activities become more physically demanding.

As people get older, routine chores like bending to clean, carrying shopping bags, reaching high shelves, or moving around cluttered spaces can significantly increase the risk of slips, trips, and falls.

 Research shows that one in three people aged 65 and over experiences a fall each year, rising to almost half of people aged 80 and over. Many of these falls happen in the home while carrying out everyday tasks and are a leading cause of injury, hospital admission, and loss of independence among older people.

Without support, older people may feel pressure to push themselves to complete chores they are no longer physically comfortable doing, increasing fatigue, isolation, and the likelihood of accidents. 

Regular visits from a trusted helper not only ensure tasks are completed safely but also provide companionship, reassurance, and social connection, which are essential for maintaining confidence and wellbeing.

“Even simple tasks like shopping, cleaning, or preparing meals can increase the risk of falls as people get older,” Hannah Park, Head of Operations told That's Health.

“Our Help at Home Service provides reliable practical support alongside friendly companionship, helping people feel safe, confident, and supported in their own homes.”

Age Concern Hampshire operates the Help at Home Service across the county, arranging visits to suit individual needs. To find out more visit: https://www.ageconcernhampshire.org.uk/our-services-hampshire/help-at-home or call 01962 868545.

Age Affects Risk Of Being Diagnosed With Cancer At Advanced Stage

Older women with breast cancer face a higher risk of being diagnosed with the disease at a late stage, while the risk of an advanced stage diagnosis of lung cancer decreases with age, a new study shows.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Eastern Cancer Registration and Information Centre (ECRIC) said the study showed that efforts to diagnose cancer early need to be better tailored to different age groups.

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, used ECRIC data on stage - a measure of how advanced the cancer is when diagnosed.

The research aimed to find whether there was a link between age or socio-economic background and being diagnosed with advanced stage cancer.

Researchers looked at around 17,800 women with breast cancer and over 13,200 patients with lung cancer in the east of England who were diagnosed between 2006 and 2009.

They found that compared to women aged 65-69, women aged 70-74 had a 21 per cent increased chance of a late stage breast cancer diagnosis.

The chance of an advanced breast cancer diagnosis became higher as women got older - even accounting for the effect of screening. For example, it was 46 per cent higher in women aged 75-79.

In contrast, it was less likely that older patients would be diagnosed with advanced stage lung cancer than younger patients.

Compared with people aged 65-69, people aged 70-74 were 18 per cent less likely of be diagnosed with late stage lung cancer and this chance decreased further with age - for people aged 75-79 it was 26 per cent lower.

For breast cancer, the study also found that late stage diagnosis was more common in women from deprived backgrounds. For lung cancer, late stage diagnosis was more common in men.

Dr Georgios Lyratzopoulos, study author based at the University of Cambridge, said: "Patient awareness of the signs of breast cancer is known to be lower among older women and this may explain why breast cancer is diagnosed later among this age group.

"But it is puzzling why older patients have a lower risk of advanced stage lung cancer. More research is needed to better understand this pattern."

The researchers added that the strong likelihood of older women being diagnosed with late stage breast cancer was worrying given that the risk of the disease increases with age.

Dr David Greenberg, study author based at ECRIC, said: "Collecting staging data has proved difficult in the past but this data is vital to understanding how to improve the diagnosis of cancer. ECRIC has the most complete information on stage. A modernisation programme for cancer registries aims to improve the collection of such information nationwide by end of 2012."

Sara Hiom, director of information at Cancer Research UK, said: "If cancer is caught early, patients usually have a better chance of beating the disease as more effective treatment options are available.

"We have made great progress in improving cancer survival rates in the last 40 years, but there is still more work to be done to help more people survive cancer.

"Collecting information on stage at diagnosis is vital to do this and we must think how to target messages appropriately to the right audiences.

"Cancer Research UK works to raise symptom awareness, and encourage and enable people to go visit their doctor as soon as their notice anything unusual for their bodies."

Bupa care homes' residents have their watering cans at the ready as they prepare to 'grow their own' for 'Community Crops'

'Community Crops' is a Bupa care homes initiative which promotes the health benefits associated with gardening and growing your own fruit and veg.

The project is being supported by young people involved with The Prince's Trust, who are working with Bupa homes, including nursing care homes, across the UK to help sow and grow the crops.

Residents have also been inviting local schools and community groups to lend a hand with planting and start their own vegetable plots.

Caroline Davy, Bupa's community affairs assistant, said: "This is a great way for our residents to appreciate the fresh air, stay active and get a real sense of achievement by tending to the crops and watching them grow.

"For our residents who were keen gardeners before they joined us, 'Community Crops' offers a great opportunity to get involved in gardening again, but it also helps minds as well as bodies.

Particularly for our residents receiving dementia care, sharing stories about 'dig for victory' and the tradition of growing your own are excellent memory triggers to aid connections with the past."

Helen Thurston, from The Prince's Trust added: "'The Community Crops' campaign is a fantastic project which provides our Prince's Trust XL club members with the opportunity to get involved with their local community. It enables young people to engage in a positive way with a different generation and learn about the importance of healthy eating."

Altogether, the Community Crops campaign has taken root in gardens and greenhouses in over 300 care homes across the UK.

FACTFILE:

Bupa Care Services runs 305 nursing and residential homes in the UK and cares for almost 18,500 people. Its homes are open to everyone - with over 70 percent of UK residents receiving state funding. It offers Alzheimer's Society-trained Dementia Champions in its UK specialist care homes and over 25% of its beds in the UK are registered for specialist dementia care. Bupa Care Services employs over 27,000 people and owns care homes in Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.

Bupa's purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives. A leading international healthcare group, it offers personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.

With no shareholders, Bupa invests its profits to provide more and better healthcare.  It is committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.

www.bupa.co.uk/care-homes