Research finds support need

A pilot project being carried out in Bingham to identify the needs of the elderly has found people living at home need more support.

Rushcliffe Community and Voluntary Service launched the project in the town in April.

It tries to help the elderly to stay in their homes and retain their independence by helping them to access information, support and services available such as transport schemes, improving home security and a list of any social activities in the area.

A project worker, Mrs Jessica Molineaux, said she had met several community groups in the area including Bingham U3A, Bingham Tape Scheme and Bingham WRVS to find out what sort of support was already available.

She has also spoken to staff working in adult social care, the NHS, the housing department and the library service.

She said she was hoping to write a report based on their feedback.

Mrs Molineaux said: “We need to try to gather some people together around a table to say this is what we feel are the gaps and how we might resolve them.

“It’s much more about chatting to people and saying what would work in Bingham. There appears to be a need for some support for people living at home.

“Some people have family to support them but others don’t. Some people are lonely and would like some social interaction.

“There are already a number of community groups. U3A is one of them but that is for more active people.”

Mrs Molineaux said there was a need for providing a befriending scheme and also short term respite for carers.

She said she had found that public transport in Bingham was good.

“The results do confirm a little bit of what we thought we might find,” she said.

A meeting is due to take place next month for the various groups to discuss these issues.

The project is due to end in July.

Anyone wanting more information should contact Mrs Molineaux at Rushcliffe Community and Voluntary Service on 0115 9816988.