the AKS TimesThe Abbeyfield Kent Society Newsletter - 2011 Issue one

We’ve reached the top!

Society celebrates naming and topping out of Watling CourtA topping out ceremony has been held to mark the completion of building work at The Abbeyfield Kent Society’s new Extra Care Scheme, Watling Court. Society Chairman Bobby Barnes unveiled the weathervane and announced the new name, which has been chosen by Nathan Sizer, aged 8, from Riverview Junior School. The project is due for completion in August 2011. Page 3

Connors complete development workWork on the new rooms and improved facilities at Connors House in Canterbury has been completed. Page 8

565 years dedicated to careThe Society recognises the hard work and development of its work force with an awards ceremony at Commissioner’s House. Page 4We evaluate the last three years

We have been very busy, but how far have we come? And where next? Page 6

WelcomeWelcome to the first issue of the AKS Times, the new look Abbeyfield Kent Society newsletter. We aim to keep you up to date on all the latest news from across the Society, and inform on any topics which affect our residents.

Issue one will bring you up to speed on all the work we have done towards the end of 2010, and what we have to look forward to in 2011.

Since our last newsletter, we’ve celebrated Christmas and the New Year. With the new year underway, The Abbeyfield Kent Society are looking ahead to the rest of 2011, with plans and new initiatives in place to help tackle a growing number of issues affecting residential care and supported homes for older people in Kent.

The AKS Times is divided into Society news, which details what the whole organisation has been doing, Sector news, updates of current affairs which affect our residents and how we are planning and coping with them, and around the homes, covering all the events that have been going on around the Society’s fifteen homes.

We hope you like the AKS Times, and we welcome your feedback. Please feel free to contact the media team on 01634 723007 or email media@abbeyfieldkent.org

Enjoy the issue.

Abbeyfield Kent launches new online presence

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August 2010 saw the launch of a new online presence for The Abbeyfield Kent Society, across three web-based platforms.

A new website was launched in August 2010, offering a significant improvementon the Society’s former online presence. This enables visitors to keep up to date on all the Society news, make a donation, pinpoint home locations across Kent, find out information on events and fundraising occasions and search for jobs.

The site offers a much higher level of functionality for both The Abbeyfield Kent Society and the user; ease of use for browsing visitors is much improved and the Society can now manage the site in-house, enabling regular updates on information and news. Visitors will benefit from access to improved information about each of The AbbeyfieldKent Society’s homes; with each location having a dedicated page detailing a little about the property, the level of care it provides and a selection of images.

In addition to the new website, the Society joined social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. The expansion allows the Society to reach potential new customers, existing residents, budding volunteers and prospective employeeswith much greater ease.

You can now find and follow the Society at the following locations:

www.abbeyfieldkent.orgwww.facebook.com/abbeyfieldkentwww.twitter.com/abbeyfieldkent

Society news

Gravesend Extra Care Scheme is namedThe Abbeyfield Kent Society held a Topping Out Ceremony and Naming Ceremony to mark significant steps in the Gravesend Extra Care Scheme.

A selection of guests were invited to the new building, on the site of the old Valley Lodge home in Gravesend, to see how the building is progressing and watch the ceremony. Topping out ceremonies take place to mark the completetion of construction work, and the Society unveiled a specially made weathervane to mark the occasion. Incorporating the Society logo and the Kent Invicta, the new weathervane was kindly donated by contractors Osbornes, and unveiled by Chairman Robert Barnes.

After the topping out, guests went along to a nearby hotel to enjoy the official Naming Ceremony.

The project is not yet finished, but Watling Court has already started developing links with the community. The Society created a community partnership with Riverview Junior School, a local primary school, towards the end of 2010. As part of the partnership, the school was visited by members of Abbeyfield

Kent staff, who talked to children about all the work that goes into a building, and why people need to move into all kinds of residential homes, including extra care. When the 56 apartments are complete, children from the school will visit the residents throughout the year, continuing to build on an already successful relationship.

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Society news

Robert Barnes shows off the new weathervane

Robert Barnes and Nathan Sizer unveil the name

The most exciting part of the emerging community partnership was the naming of the project. Pupils from the school were all welcomed to put forward a name for the new building, and over 100 suggestions were made. Robert Barnes and Leon Steer evaluated all the suggestions the children made, before deciding on Watling Court, which was chosen by eight year old Nathan Sizer. The name was suggested because the new home is alongside the old Watling Street. Nathan unveiled the name with Robert Barnes at the Naming Ceremony.

Watling Court should be ready to receive its first resident by August. Check our website for further information.

Residents enjoy Christmas with Lantern ParadeIn celebration of Christmas, the Society held a Christmas service and Lantern Parade for its residents at The Friars in Aylesford.

On a crisp December afternoon, residents, family members and employees from the Society’s homes across Kent, from Canterbury to Edenbridge, joined the congregation at The Friars Relic Chapel, on Sunday 12th December, to sing carols and hear the Christmas story.

The Friars is an ancient religious house of the Order of Carmelites, dating back to the 13th Century, and its picturesque setting offered the perfect background for a festive occasion.

The Society has recently established a community partnership with Gravesend’sRiverview Junior School, and to celebrate the school’s choir came along to entertain the residents. Lead by Choir Master, Mitchell Curtis, the group sang contemporary Carols Midnight and Snow Song. Cydney Mayegun, a 10 year old pupil from the school, also joined in with a reading of the Christmas story.

Following the Christmas service, visitorsat the event, took part in the Lantern Parade.

The whole congregation collected lit candles and formed a procession outside the Relic Chapel, around the grounds at The Friars.

Leon Steer, The Abbeyfield Kent SocietyChief Executive, commented: “It was extremely important for us to make sure we did everything we could to make this Christmas very special for all our residents. Obviously not all of them could make it to the ceremony, but we ensured that Christmas services and parties took place at all of our homes. The Lantern Parade went tremendously well, and I was delighted to see the look on our residents’ faces.Everyone at the Society, residents and staff, are already looking forward to next year’s event.”

The day was such a success that the Society is already planning next year’s event, keep an eye on the website for more details.

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Riverview Junior School Choir entertain the congregation

Abbeyfield residents and visitors enjoy the Lantern Parade

Society news

565 years dedicated to careIn November, The Abbeyfield Kent Society recognised the hard work of its work force with an awards ceremony at The Historic Dockyard, in Chatham.

The Society provides care for over 450 older people across 15 homes throughoutKent, employing the service of over 500 people. To acknowledge the hard work their members of staff put in, the Society invited each member of staff who has served for 5,10,15, 20 or 25 years, along with those who have worked hard to gain an NVQ whilst working, to Commissioner’s House, in Chatham’s Historic Dockyard for the awards ceremony.

The total amount of service for everyoneinvited amounted to 565 years, which equates to 206,225 days of providing care for Kent’s older and vulnerable community.

Society Chairman, Robert Barnes, commented: “I salute people who, in addition to holding down a job and running a home, are motivated to improve themselves with courses like NVQs. I was delighted to acknowledge these qualities through our awards ceremony.”

Thanks to kind contributions from Leeds Castle, Dickens World and Kent Life, a raffle took place on the day, raising valuable funds for the Society’s “Who Cares?” Campaign.

Leon Steer, Chief Executive commented: “The work that the Society does is extremely important, and we could not do it without the dedication and commitment of our employees. I am extremely proud of each and every one of the members of staff who work tirelessly to provide such high levels of care to our residents.”

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Aurora Deko celebrates five years service

Society news

Society Chairman Robert Barnes addresses the crowd

Commissioner’s House, Chatham Historic Dockyard

With Christmas and memories of heavy snow and flu outbreaks fading fast, we are busy getting on with our lives in 2011. That is how it should be, of course, but this is also the time of year when people take stock and look back before they move forward.

With this in mind, we thought this would be a good time to see how far The Abbeyfield Kent Society has come over the last three years or so. We think we have come rather a long way.

The top team that manages the Society has certainly changed as the Society’s needs have changed. We anticipated the need to apply for a grant from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to fund future building projects so we wanted the

team to include people with experience of working with the HCA as well, of course, as the technical skills required to turn the bricks and mortar into first class homes. It takes a long time to get the right people in the right jobs but our Executive Team is fully fit for purpose. We have the right mix of skills and experience across a very wide range of disciplines we need to run the organisation effectively, skills complemented by the knowledge and experience of our Board of Trustees. Not only did we get that HCA grant, but we also entered into a loan agreement with Triodos Bank NV to fund major projects, especially Watling Court. Triodos is a bank that has a reputation for ethical lending and we are delighted

The Abbeyfield Kent Society ready to meet the challenge of changePast Masters

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Society news

to have them supporting us. Securing the finance was a tremendous achievement for what is, after all, a small housing association that specialises in providing care for elderly people, some with associated health challenges.

This would not have been possible if we had not attained three green lights from the Housing Corporation in 2008 for the quality of our development services and governance systems and practices.

Our existing homes have performed well over the last few years with recognitionfrom the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who are responsible for looking at how well – or badly – care homes like ours are managed. In one period, four homes were awarded the much coveted3 star rating by the CQC. Although the CQC no longer give star ratings, we believe that we continue to apply the very highest care standards in the way we treat our residents and other service users.

We have considerably increased awareness of the Society’s presence in the county through achievements such as the launch of our website, multiple local and county events, and the launch of the ‘Who Cares?’ appeal. This allows us to help fund places in our homes for those who cannot afford to pay the fees required to cover their accommodationand care costs. The compassion and companionship we provide is free!

Winning the Kent Messenger Charityof the Year award for the Dartford & Gravesham area reflects how well we have done in Public Relations terms.

We were one of three finalists in the Best Business in Adult Social Care awarded

by KEiBA – the Kent Excellence in Business Awards.

We have invested – and will continue to invest – in maintaining our homes to the highest standard so that they not only meet our residents’ needs now, but also continue to be fit for purpose well into the future. The age of some of our homes makes this quite a challenge but one that we are equal to.

We have also continued to invest in our staff to make sure we recruit and retain people who have the skills required and the commitment needed to give our service users an excellent service tailored to their individual needs. We are justly proud of our people and know that their commitment is solid and reliable.

We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to our many volunteers who give up a great deal of their free time to work selflessly alongside our staff. They don’t get paid a penny but their contribution is priceless.

As we face 2011 and beyond, we arebetter placed than ever in our history to meet the challenges and the opportunities ahead of us. We’re in good shape and we are raring to go so, bring it on!

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Society news

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as The Lord Mayor of Canterbury. They haven’t stopped talking about the visit since he left; he has made the residents here feel very happy.”

In celebration of Christmas, The Lord Mayor of Canterbury visited the residentsat Connors House, to brighten up the day and wish them a Merry Christmas. The Lord Mayor of Canterbury spent the afternoon chatting to them, listening to their stories and being shown around the home.

Visits like this make a big difference to the residents, particularly around the Christmas period. The Lord Mayor’s visit made a big impact on the home, creating a buzzing atmosphere.

Christine Devlin, Home Manager at Connors House comments: “Our residents have thoroughly enjoyed The Lord Mayor’s visit. It really makes such a difference to them to be able to have that sort of interaction with a figure such

Connors House Home Manager Christine Devlin and The Lord Mayor of Canterbury.

Connors House development. An en-suite bedroom (bottom left) and bathroom

(bottom right)

Around the homes

The Lord Mayorof Canterbury wishes Connors House a HappyChristmas

Connors development now completeConnors House in Canterbury has now completed their brand new development. This includes 6 en-suite bedrooms, a staff room, an activity room, a new kitchen for the residents, hairdressers, medical room and an en-suite respite room. Once fully furnished Connors House will be holding an open day, visit our website for updates.

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Greensted celebrated Christmas with two special events for visitors and residents. A Christmas Fair in November raised £640 for the home.

Then on 13th December the home threw their residents, families and staff a fun-filled Christmas party. Everyone enjoyed the entertainment provided by Unique, along with a lovely buffet made by the Kitchen staff, accompanied by drinks, singing and dancing!

In the lead up to Christmas, the home was also visited by the local Brownies and Primary School to sing carols, giving the residents a very special Christmas.

The residents’ enjoyed a trip to the Hazlitt Theatre on 23rd December for the annual panto, as well as a delicious Christmas Lunch on the 25th completingGreensted’s festive celebrations.

Volunteer presented with top awardOne of The Abbeyfield Kent Society’s most dedicated volunteers, Jo Passmore, was presented with a covetedRoyal Patrons Award at the Society’s Annual General Meeting at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

Mrs Passmore was nominated for the award in recognition of her outstandingvoluntary service to the Society. The charity’s President, Baroness Neuberger,presented Mrs Passmore with a sterlingsilver Royal Patrons badge and a certificate signed by His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales.

Mrs Passmore comments: ‘I’m absolutely delighted. I feel the award is on behalf of all who worked together to build Margaret Fisher House.’

Mrs Passmore has been a committedvolunteer for The Abbeyfield Kent Society for over 25 years.

Residents, friends and family enjoy the Christmas party

Around the homes

Greensted celebrates festive season

Rogers House unites the generationsRogers House welcomed a younger crowd of guests in to the home for a visit. Fairview Primary School in Gillingham brought 50 of their bright and eager children to spend the morning chatting to the residents.

This outing was not only to join the older generations with the younger, but to show that charity can go a lot further than donating money, and doing a good deed can go a long way. Volunteering time is just as valuable to local communities and Abbeyfield Kent residents as making donations, which allow the Society to continue to give them the excellent quality of life that they deserve.

Rogers House home manager Lucy Dixon explained the difference it makes to the home when the children visit, ‘The atmosphere is so brilliant when the kids come in to see the residents. Both sides get such pleasure from talking to each other and finding out that, no matter what the age, you can still have lots in common.’

One of the biggest problems older people face is loneliness and isolation.

Like all of The Abbeyfield Kent Society’s homes, Rogers House practices the Eden Principles, a concept which helps eradicate loneliness, helplessness and boredom.The Eden Principles encourage creativity and novelty through contact with animals, plants, family and friends. The school visit was an extension of the Society’s commitment to the Eden Principles.

Thanks to a kind donation, the staff room was revamped and Lucy was on hand to help out with the work.

As a result of December’s bad weather, the home’s Christmas Bazaar was cancelled; but all the hard work was still worthwhile, as the items were sold off over Christmas, raising £500.

More news from Rogers House

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Ethel Evans meets pupils from Fairview Primary School

Lucy Dixon mucks in with the building work

Dawn dresses up for Halloween with Rogers resident

Around the homes

Edward Moore House is Full of LifeEdward Moore House in Gravesend held a Nintendo Wii tournament for its residents, in celebration of Full of Life- Older People’s Day 2010. In keepingwith this year’s theme of ‘getting and staying active in later life’, The Abbeyfield Kent Society ensured their residents had fun whilst taking part in a slightly more unusual physical activity.

Cheered on by fellow residents and carers, the competitors played Wii bowling for the Full of Life afternoon. The members of staff at Edward Moore House served a selection of cakes and pastries for the players and spectators, who had made signs to cheer on the home’s elite bowlers.

The tournament was hotly contested but eventually won by Margaret Wyatt, who overcame the challenge of her fellow residents to be crowned Edward Moore House Wii Champion 2010.

Margaret commented: “We had a tremendous day. I was delighted to win the tournament; the trophy will take pride of place in my room and I look forwardto showing it off to my visitors”.

The Abbeyfield Kent Society places great value in meeting the needs of peopleneeding support to live an independentlife, and maintaining independence is one of the many benefits of staying active and physically fit into later life, and the tournament was an example of that.

Residents at Margaret Fisher House have continued to be kept very busy, in no small part down to the active support group, The Friends of Margaret Fisher House. Trips out have included a day on the River Medway in July, with lunch on board a boat and a nail pamper session, which was enjoyed by the ladies of the home in December, before singers from St. Andrews entertained all the residents and staff with Christmas Carols.

A successful Quiz Evening was organised by Carmel & Pamela for the family and friends of the residents. The quiz took place in October at The Coach House in Laddingford, and raised valuable funds for the home.

The home held its annual Christmas Carol Evening, a lovely “Margaret Fisher Family” event; the dining room was bursting at the seams with residents, children, grandchildren, staff and friends joining together to enjoy a scrumptious tea, mulled wine and carols sung with reverence and friendship.

Margaret Fisher residents keep busy

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Edward Moore House resident Betty Upchurch and home manager Amanda Odd cheer Margaret on.

Amanda and Emma present Margaret with her trophy

Around the homes

Dementia Care

Dementia is now one of the world’s most prolific health problems, it was estimated in 2010 in research for the World Alzheimer Report that it affects around 40 million people world-wide. The estimated total cost of treatment and management - both direct and non-direct medical care - of the problem is over £600 billion a year. At around 1 percent of the total global income, it’s a very costly issue.

To make matters worse, significantly due to the ageing population, there is also estimated to be a 50 percent rise in cases of dementia in the next 20 years, and the cost of individual treatment is likely to increase as well. In the UK alone the number of people suffering from dementia is believed to be around 820,000 and the government claim that the number of people needing continued care has risen by nearly two thirds in the past 3 years.

Government cuts to spending and funding of care, which they claim has risen too high - both on an individual basis and in Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)-has meant that many people have to fund their loved-ones care bills themselves during the latter years of their treatment, which is often an exorbitant outlay.

Many charities and organisations, such as Abbeyfield Kent, are attempting to

combat this issue by lowering the cost of care, developing new and more cost-effective means of delivering care, and directly contributing funding for PCTs and campaigning for the government to increase its funding.

Politics affecting older people and the care industry in 2011

Largely due to the global economic recession and the government’s intended plans to combat this crisis, this year will see rises in a number of taxes as well as significant changes to the way some benefits and tax credits are handledacross the whole of the UK. There are also set to be changes to particular government policies and the amountof local government control over certain matters.

Several of these reforms will certainly affect the care industry and older peoplein general in the UK, as well as specifically in Kent. Changes to housing benefit claims - recalculating the amounts awarded and lowering the maximum claim - is set to make renting

Industry newsWhat’s been happening to influence and affect The Abbeyfield Kent Society residents

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Sector news

property in certain areas too difficult for some. One locality receiving some of the largest cuts are areas of central London where benefits for even a single bedroom property are due to fall by around £100 a week. This in turn will force a number of tenants out of their homes, creating a ripple effect, likely to lead to a rise in the number of new settlers in Northern Kent, moving away from London.

Another issue in Kent is the cuts in funding felt across all its businesses and organisations that will inevitably lead to job losses, for instance massive job losses, up to 1500, are expected this year in the Kent police force. Adding to issues of unemployment, the state pension age is liable to rise from 65 to 66 in the next few years meaning there’ll be even more people working and competing for the same vacancies.

However resources for older people and the associated support they require is going to improve, with the government issuing around £2 billion in additional funds to local governments around the UK in order to better cope with the growth of an ageing population, giving local authorities more power in the control of this economic injection.

Charities and Volunteering

In 2011 there are an increasing number of charities and volunteering opportunities available across the UK and in Kent, specifically in the care industry. With finding decent stable employment becoming a major issue, especially for young people, volunteering has become a useful means for most job-seekers to build up valuable work experience and to get into the role

of regular work.

Of course other benefits to volunteering,and this is particularly true of volunteering for charity work or in an aid role, such as work in the care industry, is being able to help people and the associated sense of satisfaction.

A wide variety of posts are offered to volunteers within the care industry from assisting with administration to unskilled direct work with people requiring care, such as in an older peoples care home. Another benefit of volunteering is flexibility and greater freedom of choice in what tasks you take on and when. For instance, a volunteer at The Abbeyfield Kent Society could help file documents at the Head Office during an afternoon or help with the cleaning at a residential care home during an evening. Volunteering can therefore be an interesting and satisfying experience and one that makes an excellent addition to a CV.

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Abbeyfield Kent volunteer Royston Jenner tends to the garden at St Martins

Sector news

St Martins bring in the harvest

commitment to the Eden Principles, and all the residents enjoyed interacting with the local community and sampling the produce available.

In 2010 St Martins held two fundraising boot fairs, raising enough money to purchase an electronic bingo machine for the residents.

At Christmas the home held its first Christmas Craft Fair. A range of homemade Christmas cards, gifts and jams were sold, and visitors took up the opportunity to stock up on unique gifts.

At the Residents Christmas Party, residents enjoyed party games and karaoke before the star of the party, carer Ruth Thorogood, dressed up as ABBA with two friends, entertainingresidents with the band’s repertoire.

Last Autum, St Martins was treated to a spectacular harvest festival display by local gardeners.

At the start of October, St Martins home manager Jan Moulton put up a notice in the home asking for donations towards the harvest festival display. The notice was spotted by Paul Gladdish, who was visiting his mother Joyce, a resident at St Martins. Paul is a keen gardener and a member of the Larkfield Allotment Society, and took word of St Martins’ request back to the allotment and spread the news.

On the morning of Wednesday October27th, Paul got up at 5am, gathered up a large collection of fruit and vegetablesfrom the allotment and arrived at St Martins bearing a large harvest. Residents and staff at the home were all delighted with the superb display Paul and his friends had put on, some of the gardeners had even gone as far baking fresh bread for the residents to enjoy.

The residents sampled the large varietyof produce as part of their lunch, and carried on enjoying the fruits, vegetables and bread throughout the day.

Like all of The Abbeyfield Kent Society’shomes, St Martins practices the Eden Principles, a concept which help eradicate loneliness, helplessnessand boredom. The Eden Principlesencourage creativity and novelty through contact with animals, plants, familyand friends. The harvest festivalwas an extension of the Society’s

More news from St Martins

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Paul Gladdish shows off the collection at St Martins

Around the homes

The Dynes receives special visitorsThe Dynes was visited by Michael Fallon, MP for Sevenoaks, and the Mayor of Sevenoaks, Simon Raikes, early in the new year. The home, in Kemsing near Sevenoaks, held an open day on Friday 14th January, inviting members of the local community in to the home to have a look around and see what goes on behind the scenes.

The open day was well attended, but the most high profile visitors were the Mayor of Sevenoaks and Michael Fallon MP, who both took time out of their busy schedules to visit the home. The Mayorof Sevenoaks wore his chains of officeduring the visit, and was joined by the Mayoress, his wife Christine.

Simon Raikes, Mayor of Sevenoaks, commented: “It was so nice to come in and have a look around; I was really impressed by the friendly atmosphere around the home. Everybody here, staff and residents look genuinely happy. The Dynes is one of the hidden gems of the Sevenoaks area.”

The pair of dignitaries was given a

guided tour by home manager, Nicky Pett, chatted to residents and viewed the facilities, before enjoying a cup of tea and refreshments in the home’s spacious dining room with residents and staff.

Nicky Pett, Home Manager, commented:“We knew the Mayor and Mr Fallonwere visiting, but we didn’t let the residents know beforehand. They were genuinely delighted to meet them both, and loved having their pictures takenwith them. Neither was allowed to leave until they’d had their picture taken with all the residents in The Blue Lounge.” More news from The Dynes

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The Dynes resident Wyn King meets The Mayor of Sevenoaks and Michael Fallon MP

The Dynes residents have enjoyed lots of trips and days out since the last newsletter. These have included a visit to Hastings, with paddling in the sea, a day out at Poll Hill Garden Centre together with Cream Tea, a shopping trip to Bluewater, and a Christmas outing to see Jack and the Beanstalk.

Like a lot of the Society’s homes, The Dynes were hit particularly bad by the snow in the lead up to Christmas. Members of staff resorted to walking to the home to ensure the residents were cared for.

Around the homes

It’s only natural for us to worry about ageing and what’s going to happen to us as we get older. It is the one thing everybody has in common and it is as unavoidable as paying tax. Questions about how we, as individuals and as parts of our societies, will face up to old age have been brought into focus by recently released data from the Office of National Statistics. These reveal Kent’s population is set to age at a faster rate than the rest of the UK over the next twenty years.

This is representative of a national trend of an ageing population. Across the country, the number of people aged 65 and over has increased by 1.7 million people, while the number of people aged under 16 had decreased. Within 25 years over 3.5 million people

will be aged over 85. When compared to the 1984 figure of 660,000 the evolution of the population is stark.

The situation is unlikely to change any time soon; life expectancy at birth has reached its highest level on record, with males expected to reach 77 years old and females 81. A major contributory factor in the rising life expectancy is an overall improvement in nutrition and diet awareness, medical treatment and housing and living standards.

The national facts and figures show a skew in Kent’s population at a greater rate than the rest of the UK. Currently Kent sits well within the national average with 17.6 percent of the population being comprised of over-65s. By 2031, this figure will rocket to 24 percent.

Kent’s population is ageing at an exceptional rate, raising uncomfortable questions about funding and caring for the elderly.

An age-old question

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Sector news

Part of the reason for the shift can be explained by analysing the data on a regional basis. The statistics reveal a tendency for people to retire to coastal areas. The projected figure for over-65s in Dartford and Medway in 2031 is around 14 percent, but the figures for Thanet and Dover are 28.3 and 29.3 percent, which are among the highest nationally.

While Kent’s scenic coastline is appealing to people of all generations, it is proving a greater draw to people of retirement age. Although this is unquestionably a positive thing for the local area and economy, it raises the question, ‘what is going to happen to the population as it gets older, and who is to look after it?’ According to the Department of Health three-quarters of people over the age of 65 will at some stage need some sort of social care; whether that be help getting out of bed, or help with the shopping.

It is not yet clear whether or not the ageing population will establish an equilibrium of continued health and well being into old age. Dementia care costs accounted for over one percent of global GDP in 2010, and as people live longer, the amount of people who develop dementia will also increase.

Issues such as the “three plagues: loneliness, helplessness and boredom” that older people suffer also need to be taken into consideration as one in five people over 80 are living alone and severely excluded.

The ratio between older and working age people shifting raises an issue: how will the extra amount of care be funded? Last year, the General Election brought to light the stark contrast in political party policies on how the country should pay for long-term care for the elderly, ranging from unaffordable to unrealistic.

It’s a problem that all of us, the whole world, not just the UK, is starting to face up to, and it is one that may be brought into focus for the people of Kent even sooner.

Kent’s scenic coastline is a great draw to the retired community

Notes: All non-credited quantitative data and interpretations gathered from the National Office of Statistics.

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Sector news

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Business or Charity? Both!We are sometimes asked whether we are a business or a charity. It’s an interesting question, but not a valid one! The question implies that an organisation cannot be both. But not only can you be both, to succeed, you must be both.

For many people, the word “business” conjures an image of something cold and impersonal, an organisation there to make money for its owners. A charity, on the other hand, can, for some, suggest well meaning folk doing their best to help others.

Both images are stereotypes, of course, and, in the main, a bit out of date.

The Abbeyfield Kent Society is a charity. It is run for the benefit of vulnerable people in our communities and it is a not-for-profit organisation, which means that if it makes any money after taking away running costs from the fees paid by service users, that money – called a surplus, not a profit – is ploughed straight back into the business.

The Board of Directors – called Trusteesin a charity – run the business as volunteers.

They are not paid for the many long hours they spend making sure that the charity is well run.

But the Society is also a business run on strict business lines. It has a businessplan and very tightly run budgets. It is very efficient and continually seeks ways to cut costs and to eliminate waste. It is very heavily regulated too by various agencies set up by the Government and all those regulators take a keen interest in, amongst other things, how we spend the money we make.

As well as being a business registered with Companies House, we are a charity registered with the Charity Commission. To be a registered charity, we have to meet very strict requirements and must demonstrate that our services benefit the public in some way. And if we’re not a good business too, we would soon not be able to pay our bills, pay the staff and meet our general running costs.

So, to be a successful charity, you need to be a successful business. Happily,The Abbeyfield Kent Society is both!

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Animal magic at The Dynes

Josie and Louise from Paws in Motion put on a show

The Dynes was visited by Paws in Motion on Wednesday 27th October, to entertain residents and visitors with a fun dog show. A large number of residents invited friends and family along to the event, which took place in half term so a range of generations took advantage of the opportunity to watch the well trained dogs put on a performance.

Everyone gathered in the large livingroom at The Dynes to watch the dogs put on a show consisting of feats of agility, flyball, obedience and heelwork. Some of the show was set to music which had the crowd clapping along.

Paws in Motion is run by Louise Ince, who trains the dogs and helped them put on the show on the day. Louise has had most of the dogs from puppies but

the star of the show was Jodie, who was found abandoned on the streets of London at four months old, before being re-homed by Louise when she was eleven months. Louise got the idea to visit residential homes after visiting her grandfather in his home with her dog. The residents enjoyed watching the dog perform and Louise has been visiting homes ever since.

Nicky Pett, The Dynes home manager, comments: “A mixture of residents, staff and visitors gathered to see the show and they all loved watching the dogs; Paws in Motion put on a great show and it was thrilling to see the animals doing such amazing things. I think our residents really enjoyed interacting with the stars of the show afterwards.”

The Dynes resident Kathleen meets Josieand Louise from Paws in Motion.

Around the homes

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On a crisp October afternoon Stella Page settles into her armchair, preparing to divulge her own experiences of World War ll, almost 70 years ago. Surrounded by family pictures, she appears content in her comfortable and welcoming room.

Despite her mother thinking she was too young, Stella signed up to become an important part of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force aged 17. The WAAF was established in 1939 by the Royal Air Force as a successor to the Women’s Royal Air Force, which had been formed in 1918 but disbanded in 1920.

It was late in 1941 that women were first conscripted into service. On 18th December 1941 the National Service Act came into effect. This said that only unmarried women between the ages of 20 and 30 would be called up. They then had a choice of joining the Auxiliary Forces or doing essential factory work. It was agreed at this time that no woman should be called upon to use a weapon under any circumstances.

During the Second World War the recruiting criteria changed. The age range was initially 18 to 43, but this soon changed to 17 1/2 to 44 in 1941. The original strength at the start of the call up was 1734, but in 1941 with the introduction of compulsory call up for women, this expanded to 181,835 by 1943. The original WWI list of jobs remained in place for the women, but now there were many more technical jobs for them to carry out, particularly in

the field of electronics. Women enlisted for a term of four years or the length of the War.

The Royal Air Force had not expected the WAAF to join them until after war broke out. Integration of the new service arm, as quickly and efficiently as possible, fell to Jane Trefusis-Forbes, Director of WAAF, who had been appointed in July 1939. It took Jane until the December to draw up the first WAAF regulations. One of the problems she had to overcome was that of accommodation, particularly accommodation close to that of the men. Wherever the accommodation was, it was regulated that everyone had to sleep with the window open, so during the winter it was necessary to dress in outdoor clothes for bed!

Women in the WAAF performed a remarkable range of duties, including work as aircraft mechanics and sending signals to pilots using Morse code. Looking to add some excitement into her life, Stella took on the role of signaller, stationed in Bedfordshire, when she signed up on the 15th

Northwood Road resident, Stella Page

Around the homes

A resident’s storyWe hear a true and exciting tale from Abbeyfield Kent’s Stella Page from her days in World War II

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January 1942. ‘I was young and looking for an adventure, all my friends were signing up and I felt eager to be a part of the War’, commented Stella. The role of a WAAF member was gruelling, technically challenging, and rewarding at the same time. One job that the women of the WAAF were not allowed to do was to fly, and the general abilities of the women was often doubted in the early years. To the surprise of everyone concerned, whatever the women turned their hands to, they were more than successful in.

Regardless of the situation, Stella has very fond memories of her time in the WAAF, claiming ‘I enjoyed it because it was different; we all just made the best of a bad situation and got on with things.’Looking back at particularly good times,

Stella looks thoughtful, ‘One of my favourite memories was during the Christmas period,’ she enthused. ‘We received a lovely Christmas dinner and were waited on by the Officers. There was always a dance to go to but Christmas was a particularly special time.’

During Stella’s time in the WAAF she had a life-changing moment when she came across a gentleman called Joe who was also in the WAAF and, since meeting, never left each other’s side. After Stella’s 4 years of service came to an end in February 1946 she went on to marry Joe in the September of 1946. Having moved to London, they had two children, Jeff

‘ I enjoyed it because it was different; we all just made the best of a bad situation and got on with

things’

and Debbie. Stella is currently living in an Abbeyfield Kent home, which is based in Whistable.

In surprising the service chiefs, politicians, and the thousands of people they came into contact with in the course of their duties, the WAAF established beyond doubt that the woman’s place was no longer in the home, but anywhere they chose to be. Such was the great sociological effect of the WAAF in service. They made their country proud, and did great and valuable service in many unforeseen roles.

Iron Man Will raises funds for The SocietyWill Barker completed the Royal Parks FoundationHalf Marathon 2010 event in London, raising valuable funds for The Abbeyfield Kent Society.

Already in training for an iron man event later in the year, Will added the half marathon to his preparation schedule. Will completed the 13.3 mile course in a very respectable 1.33.14, meaning he placed 418th on chip time out of over 12,500 runners.

Will and his family have so far managed to raise over £1300 for The Abbeyfield Kent Society.

Will Barker with his medal, having completed the Half

Marathon 2010.

Around the homes

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A Day In The LifeMichelle Wooster - Home Adminstrator at Connors HouseHow to sum up this role? Easy really; challenging, changing, rewarding and fun!

I never imagined that the role could be so varied, one minute I’m answering queries from Head Office, the next organising an event for the home, to dealing with contractors coming in to do work. I am certainly kept on my toes.

Coming from Head Office I think I entered home life with the proverbial rose colour glasses on; the carers sat with the residents chatting and drinking tea, the home manager wafting around doing whatever it is the home manager does and the admin girl gently pushing papers. How far from the rose coloured glasses look was I?

The home manager doesn’t sit down from one minute to the next and is in constant demand; part of my role is to buffer the calls that come in so I do spend a lot of time fielding sales calls from genuine enquires.

The carers do not sit around chatting and drinking tea, but answer every care need of our residents. If they do get a chance to sit down it really is a fleeting second.

And as for me, well I’d love to be able to say I gently push papers around. At the end of the day I am responsible for every bit of paper that comes into and leaves the home, and believe me, I do not gently push anything! Rotas need producing and carers allocated to their shifts. Wages need doing for every

member of staff we have. Meetings need organising, minutes taken and typed. Head Office need their reports weekly, fortnightly and monthly. Files need filing, information needs sending and relatives need helping. Money needs banking and invoices need sorting. As they say on the job description, this list is not exhaustive!

But regardless of all the organised madness and mayhem that comes with this job is the knowledge that playing my little part helps our residents.

I do get visits from time to time, someone who’s convinced they’ve missed their bus or just doesn’t know what’s going on with the day. We sit and chat, put the world to rights and off they go again. Dementia is something that I’ve not come across before now. It is sad to know that these once active people live in a world that I will never fully understand or know. I just hope that by doing my bit I help them enjoy each day that little bit more.

It’s surprising how far just a smile can go.

Around the homes

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Our homes in Kent

Residential

Connors HouseCraddock Road, Canterbury CT1 1YP01227 769774

Dene HolmDeneholm Road, Northfleet, Gravesend DA11 8JY01474 567532

Edward Moore HouseTrinity Road, Gravesend DA12 1LX01474 321360

Greensted16 The Orpines, Wateringbury, Maidstone ME18 5BP01622 813106

Rogers HouseDrewery Drive, Wigmore, Gillingham ME8 0NX01634 262266

St MartinsMartin Square, Larkfield, Aylesford ME20 6QJ01732 842628

Stangrove LodgeManor House Gardens, Edenbridge TN8 5EG01732 864975

The DynesNightingale Road, Kemsing, Sevenoaks TN15 6RU01959 523834

WoodgateTudeley Lane, Tonbridge TN11 0QJ01732 350952

Supported Housing

Barnsole Road159 Barnsole Road, Gillingham ME7 4JH01634 852298

Drewery DriveWigmore, Gillingham ME8 0NX01634 364375

Old Tovil Road105 Old Tovil Road, Maidstone ME15 6QE01622 677793

Margaret Fisher House30 Old Kent Road, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge TN12 6JD01892 834550

Northwood Road59 Northwood Road, Tankerton, Whitstable CT5 2HA01227 771310

St Mary’s15 The Glebefield, Riverhead TN13 3DR01732 460545

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The Abbeyfield Kent SocietyThe Old WharfStation RoadCuxtonRochesterKentME2 1AB

Telephone: 01634 723007

Registered in England under the Companies Act No. 908333Registered under the Housing Act 1974 No. H2362Registered Charity No. 254140