Care & Repair: Helping nannies and grampies all over Wales

It’s Care & Repair Week and charitable body, Care & Repair Cymru, has a simple message for older homeowners up and down Wales. If you are worried about living in poor housing, 'we can help you'.

They say that many thousands of older people face housing related difficulties every day ranging from serious disrepair, dangerous electrics and leaking roofs. Thousands more can’t get around their homes, up and down stairs or use basic facilities such as toilets and baths. During the winter months, government figures show that thousands more are hospitalised or even die because they live in cold homes, and are too afraid to turn on the heating because of the cost.

Care & Repair Cymru Chief Executive, Chris Jones, said: 'Last year, we helped almost 30,000 older people with their housing problems. Most of the people we help are aged over 60 and their average age is 75. 10 per cent of the people we help are over 90. Last year, twenty out of our twenty two agencies helped people aged 100 years old or more. We help them tackle a wide range of housing problems by visiting them in their own homes, assessing their housing problems, making sure they claim everything they are entitled to, help them access grants or other funds, find them a reliable builder, supervise the work, or do the work ourselves with one of our skilled tradesmen.'

'Now more than ever, our services are important not only because they help improve people’s quality of life by keeping them safe, warm and independent, but also because they keep them away from places they don’t want to be - ambulances, hospitals, GP surgeries and residential care homes. These places are the last place many older people want to be. By helping them live safely at home, we reduce the demand being placed on our increasingly stretched NHS and Social Services.'

Our message to older people for Care & Repair Week is that if you are living in poor housing and want some help, they can help you.

Telephone 0300 111 3333 anywhere in Wales to be connected to your local Care & Repair Agency, or you can visit www.careandrepair.org.uk for lots more information about Care & Repair.

You can view Care & Repair Cymru's new infographic and video for Care & Repair Week below. Please feel free to share on your social media sites, using the #crweek14 hashtag.