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Advice on charges
• AGE Concern Camden’s experience is that many older people have struggled with home care charges and its advice and advocacy services are helping them get the best out of the system.
Some of our casework is impressive but also worrying in terms of the difference intervention has made. One older couple (of Bangladeshi origin, both frail) had their collective charges reduced from £57 to less than £7 per week.
We have fed our casework experience back to Camden Council. Anyone over 60 who wants help with income maximisation, support on reviews of charges or care plans or advice on service rights, should call our advice centre on 020 7837 3777.
Home visits can be arranged.
We run a Talking Therapies Service, a counselling project helping BME communities and those with dementia.
This is being “mainstreamed” using charging income.
The scheme would have folded upon expiry of “soft” external funding without this money.
ACC does and will continue to campaign on various issues and has just set up a consultation action group to improve campaigning and accountability.
Care charges and how the cost of care is paid for are likely to remain key issues in Camden as in other parts of England and Wales.
It’s also important that we sometimes recognise that Camden is much better than most councils in services provided and was one of the last to charge for home care.
GARY JONES
CEO, Age Concern Camden
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