techy tea party 2

A Techy Tea Party with Transport for London

Susanna BassDigital Inclusion

“We started the event off with tea, cake and biscuits, and as our guests arrived, my colleagues and I started introducing ourselves and having a chat. I met some fascinating people; someone who used to be a bus driver from the days before our organisation was called ‘TfL’, a lady who was really interested in sociology and how people’s behaviour towards travel was changing, right through to a gentleman who admitted he wasn’t really interested in technology but was just there for the cake!”

Last month, Susanna Bass brought a team of volunteers from Transport for London to one of our Techy Tea Parties and helped to teach digital skills to older Londoners. In this week’s blog, Susanna discusses her experience and explains why these events are so important.

LGBTQ dementia care

Dementia Care in the LGBT* Community

Sally KnockerDementia

“People who are not LGBT* struggle to understand why it might be very important at times in our lives when we are experiencing particular stresses and changes to be with people with whom there is no need to hide or explain who we are.”

This week’s blog – which appears as part of Dementia Awareness Week – sees Opening Doors London’s Sally Knocker explain how dementia care differs for members of the LGBT* community.

Frailty

Why does Frailty Matter to all of us? What can we do About it?

Jackie MorrisCare

Frailty is not a disease itself. It is a constellation of symptoms and signs characterised by a loss of physical reserve. It can be a consequence of a combination of acute and or chronic ill health, poor mobility, weight loss and social isolation.

Frailty matters to us all. This blog will describe what frailty is, what the consequences are, and what can be done to manage it and reduce its impact.

My Living Will

Dying Matters Week – My Living Will

David MetzCare

The second week of May is Dying Matters Awareness Week, which aims to place the importance of talking about dying, death, and bereavement firmly on the national agenda. With that in mind, we asked David Metz to tell us more about My Living Will, a new website that provides guidance and advice about the right to receive or refuse medical treatment in later life.

Mother Tongues from Farther Lands

Mother Tongues from Farther Lands

Dawinder BansalTheatre

This month, British theatre producer Dawinder Bansal launches a brand new theatre show Mother Tongues from Farther Lands. The uplifting, inspiring and emotion-filled show has real stories of South Asian women relayed by female celebrities in a series of gripping monologues. The four-city show was produced after speaking to women of all ages and sheds light on hidden stories within the Asian community.

We had the chance to catch up with Davinder to hear all about the new show and the importance of allowing older people to share their stories and experiences…

The Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight Challenge

Tom LeslieFundraising

We were absolutely delighted when university student Tom Leslie decided to take on the Isle of Wight Challenge on behalf of Age UK London. Tom’s fundraising efforts will go a long way to making sure we continue to make London a great place to grow older. Yet despite already being so proud of Tom for completing the Isle of Wight challenge, it was upon reading his write-up of the event that we truly understood just how gruelling a task this was! Read on to get a small taste of what it’s like to trek all around the Isle of Wight in less than a day…

Harry Brown

Ageism in Film #8 – Harry Brown

Danny ElliottAgeism

“I first watched Harry Brown seven years ago. Before viewing it again this week my memory was of some form of horrific, vigilante buddy-movie starring Michael Caine and Filch from Harry Potter. Time had clearly faded the reality of what the film was about, if not the essence; though a ‘buddy-movie’ this is not!”

In the eighth edition of our monthly series on ageing in film, Danny Elliott discusses isolation and loss of community in the vigilante thriller Harry Brown.

Jo Cox Commission

The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness

George HarveyDigital Inclusion

The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness shone the spotlight on isolation amongst older people between March and April 2017. Whilst loneliness affects people of all ages and walks of life, older people are especially at risk as they are more likely to experience deteriorating health and the death of a loved one.

It is our responsibility to continue to raise awareness around loneliness and the ways in which we can combat it.

Marathon Runner

Marathons and Mental Health

Charlotte CornishFundraising

The mental health of older people in London, and in particular loneliness, is key to Age UK London’s work. We were therefore delighted to hear that Prince William and Prince Harry are using this Sunday’s London Marathon as a vehicle to help end the stigma around talking about mental health.

Yet how does mental health vary by age group? Charlotte Cornish investigates…