AM’s concerns for exploitation of elderly ex miners

Gwenda Thomas AM today issued a warning to all ex miners living within her constituency after she made investigations on behalf of an elderly miner who had been presented with a £4000 bill for solicitor’s fees.

The gentleman had been contacted by telephone and then visited by the solicitor’s representative claiming that they had been given his information by the NUM. He was then persuaded to seek compensation for deafness even though he had already successfully claimed over 10 years ago. His original claim negated any further compensation which has led to the presentation of this extortionate bill for administration costs and medicals.

Mrs. Thomas has warned Wayne Thomas the Area Secretary for the National Union of Mineworkers, who are now using this information and will be instructing their volunteers to display posters warning ex miners of this practice.

Wayne Thomas stated, ‘Unfortunately there are many firms of solicitors contacting ex miners throughout the UK insinuating that their approach has been endorsed by the NUM, simply to give them credibility. They are trawling mining communities in South Wales, telling people who have had previous settlements for hearing loss, that they can claim again from British Coal, which they cannot.’

Gwenda Thomas AM has also learned that when the miners are told that they cannot claim further, they are then targeted again by an offer of assistance to claim for Industrial Disablement Benefit through the DWP.

‘This is a dreadful form of abuse of the vulnerable and elderly,’ expressed Mrs. Thomas. ‘There are no charges for anyone applying for this benefit and for unscrupulous people to try and profit from this is appalling and discredits those solicitors who have worked hard for our miners in the past. ‘

Mrs. Thomas then urged anyone who believes that they have been targeted in this way to contact either her self or the NUM directly, who will be able to advise them of the best course of action.

‘Do not agree to, or sign, any agreement until you have sort advice,’ emphasised Mrs. Thomas, ‘and do not pay anyone to help you apply for Industrial Disablement Benefit. My advice is to contact the Welfare Rights Unit at Neath Civic Centre who are qualified to give you free assistance.’

Age Concern NPT Trustee Vacancy

Gwenda Thomas AM for the Neath Constituency has been asked to help Age Concern Neath Port Talbot’s search for a new trustee.

‘They are looking for an additional representative on their board, particularly from the Pontardawe area, to help represent the elderly members of our diverse local community’ advised Mrs. Thomas.

‘Ann Collins and her team organise a fantastic service for our pensioners in Neath and the surrounding areas with projects such as the Social Rehabilitation and Befriending scheme, and promoting independence through neighbourliness, with volunteers helping the elderly to get out and about and socialising. A bid to extend this service to cover physical as well as emotional wellbeing is also in the pipeline.’

‘Big Lottery funding has given a huge boost to services over the last few years with a new combined regional application in place to continue their Independent Advocacy provision, something for which I have seen an increasing demand during my time as Neath’s representative within the Welsh Assembly.’

‘These volunteers assist pensioners to deal with a full range of issues and work together with them to gain the confidence to deal with the problems of every day life.'

Mrs Thomas added, ‘I recommend that anyone interested in becoming a trustee or a volunteer should contact the Chief Executive, Ann Collins, for further information. ’

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Contact Details:

Ann Collins
Chief Executive
Age Concern Neath Port Talbot
Niberian House
Monastery Road
Neath Abbey Business Park
West Glamorgan
SA10 7DR

Helpline　 01792 818200
Email Addresses:
ageconcern@neathporttalbot.org.uk for general enquiries
　
　

Local AM reassures pensioners

Gwenda Thomas AM has been contacted by worried pensioners after a rumour has been gathering pace around her constituency that the concessionary bus passes will shortly be scrapped as a consequence of the UK government budget cutbacks.

Mrs. Thomas advised the concerned pensioners that the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government has had made it consistently clear that it has no plans whatsoever to scrap the highly successful and popular concessionary travel scheme.

Neither are there any plans to change the entitlement or eligibility criteria for the half a million people in Wales who currently benefit from the scheme.

‘I would like to reassure local people who benefit from the free bus pass scheme that there will be no change to the scheme – all that has happened is that the Welsh Assembly Government has simply run an audit of the reimbursement mechanism between the Assembly Government, local authorities and bus operators.’

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Poorest pensioners still benefit from Labour policies

Gwenda Thomas AM today received messages from several Neath constituency pensioners who had received notification of their £ 80 electricity bill rebate agreed between the previous Labour government and energy suppliers.



‘I have received messages via my constituency office from qualifying pensioners who had no idea that this rebate had been awarded to them,’ stated Mrs. Thomas. ‘One pensioner rang the office to check if the letter she had received was genuine saying that the extra £ 80 would be a ‘welcomed relief in these difficult times’.’



If you were 70 or over on 26th March, receiving the guarantee credit element of pension credit, were responsible for the electricity account where you live and not on a discounted tariff, you should receive notification automatically and it will be discounted on your next bill.



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More details on the scheme can be found on www.direct.gov.uk/energyrebate

Bringing the community together

Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, brought different age groups closer together today (Monday, 02 June) when she launched the consultation of the Assembly Government’s first draft Intergenerational Strategy for Wales at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.

The draft strategy is a key action point of the Assembly Government’s ‘Strategy for Older People in Wales’, that recommended a development programme be established to promote the development and improved awareness of the benefits of intergenerational links.

As a consequence of identifying the importance of promoting intergenerational relationships and cooperation Wales is the first country in the world to build the United Nations Declaration on older people into a national policy.

The draft Intergenerational Strategy for Wales contains a number of examples of good practice in Wales and a source of further advice on how intergenerational approaches are an effective way to address a number of key government priorities such as building active communities, developing respect and understanding across the generations, promoting citizenship, regenerating neighbourhoods and addressing inequality.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, said:

"Ensuring that people from across the generations work together, share their experiences and expertise is vitally important - which is why intergenerational practice is and will continue to be a key priority issue for the Assembly Government’s Strategy for Older People in Wales.

"We have been funding development work for the last four years but now is the time to step it up a gearBy developing a greater understanding and respect between generations we increase our chances of building more cohesive communities which is why today’s launch of the consultation is not only important news for the older people in Wales but for the country as a whole.

A number of projects have been established to bring younger and older people together throughout Wales. Working with Schools, Libraries and Community groups the projects have included butter making, cookery, fashion shows, film making, history, gardening, community improvement projects and many more.The draft strategy will now go out to consultation until 30 August and it is anticipated that the Intergenerational Strategy will be formally launched in the Autumn.

Western Mail Colimn: Bridging generation gap is important

Gwenda Thomas explains how the strategy for older people will work

THE second phase of the strategy for older people in Wales is set to build on the achievements of the first phase, which has seen the introduction of popular schemes such as free bus travel and free swimming for older people, and the appointment ofment a Commissioner for Older People – unique to Wales.

The strategy was originally launched in 2003 and the first phase aimed to raise the profile of older people’s needs and ensure that their views were sought in the development and delivery of local services.

I am proud to be able to say that the strategy has been successful and has been recognised internationally as best practice for the way to engage in which older people have been engaged in the decision making process.

The new phase of the strategy, – from April 2008-2013 – will be supported by an additional £7m from the Welsh Assembly Government to ensure that it is effectively implemented. It will concentrate on four key strategic and cross-cutting themes – engagement with older people; economic status of older people; health, wellbeing and independence; and implementation. Overall, this will help older people to stay independent and active for longer.

Indeed, as the number of older people grows, the challenge that this places on society grows too. One key to addressing this challenge is to unlock the potential for older people to play an even greater role in their communities.

Too often older people are treated as passive recipients, rather than active consumers with their own views. We must challenge this misconception and support independence rather than enforcing dependence, and our policies and services should reflect individual need rather than being predetermined by chronological age.

When creating services for older people we must recognise that they are as diverse as any other group in our society in terms of age range, gender, orientation, race, culture, religion and health; and, correspondingly, they have a wide range of goals, needs, knowledge and abilities.
As part of One Wales we are committed to developing a Wales that is inclusive and offers equity in opportunity and treatment to all people who live in Wales. For older people this is particularly significant.

Addressing the implications of an ageing Wales is not a quick fix – and one of the real challenges for the strategy over its next phase will be to evolve our approach so that issues about ageing and older people are mainstreamed.

As phase two of the strategy begins, I look forward to working with the new commissioner for older people Ruth Marks, who takes up her post next month.

This post will be at the heart of our wider vision for the future governance of Wales and will act as a very practical tool to help older people speak out about problems or issues of concern, and to seek redress when things go wrong.

Over the next five years I expect to see the good work already started to continue and develop further.

One key area of work is breaking down stereotypes. Research tells us that many older people in Wales are unable to live the lives that they want or deserve because they feel marginalised and discriminated against, with too many barriers preventing them from making a contribution.
These barriers prevent older people from using their knowledge and skills for the benefit of our economy and everyone in our society.

It is therefore essential that we take action to combat the prevalence of age discrimination and to build upon the role older people play in our society so that they are fully engaged in decision making.

To do this the Assembly Government is working with young and older people to help shape its future policy on intergenerational practice – people from across the generation gap working together to share experiences and expertise. Re-establishing links between generations is a very effective way to dispel myths and fears and encourage mutual respect between young and old.
I am also encouraged by the work being carried out across Wales to ensure that older people receive respect and dignity when in a care setting.

There are many challenges ahead, for example in addressing poverty among pensioners, making life-long learning a reality for more and increasing economic activity, to mention but a few
One of the real challenges for the strategy over its next phase will be to evolve our approach so that issues about ageing and older people are mainstreamed – that is they are integrated on an equitable basis in all aspects of public policy. We are on the right road and making steady progress.

Gwenda Thomas AM is deputy Minister for Social Services

Living longer, living better – launch of second phase of Older People’s Strategy

Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas will today [Thursday, 13 March] launch phase two of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Strategy for Older People at the Living Longer/Living Better conference at the Marriott Hotel, Cardiff.

The second phase will build on the achievements of the first phase, which has seen the introduction of popular schemes such as free bus travel and free swimming for older people, as well as the appointment of a Commissioner for Older People.

Originally launched in 2003, the first phase of the strategy aimed to raise the profile of older people’s needs and ensure that their views were sought in the development and delivery of local services.

It has been successful in achieving that aim with strong support from older people and age organisations. The strategy has also been recognised internationally as best practice for the way in which older people have been engaged in the decision making process.

The new phase of the strategy, from April 2008-2013, will focus on a range of key strategic areas including continuing to improve the health and well-being of older people and ways of enabling them to stay independent and active for longer.

Gwenda Thomas said:

“Older people now have the opportunity to live life to the full and are making an invaluable contribution to their families and their communities.”

“There are of course many challenges ahead. We must, for example, shed the stereotypes that surround older people, address poverty amongst pensioners, make life long learning a reality for more and increase economic activity.

“’One Wales’ strongly signals our commitment to developing a Wales that is inclusive and offers equity in opportunity. For older people living in Wales this is particularly significant.

“We are already on the right road, with the introduction of schemes such as free bus passes and free swimming for Older People and establishing the ground-breaking ‘made-in-Wales’ Commissioner for Older People.

“But addressing the implications of an ageing Wales is not a quick fix - and one of the real challenges for the strategy over its next phase will be to evolve our approach so that issues about ageing and older people are mainstreamed.”

Local Authorities and other partners, including the voluntary sector, were originally allocated £13million to ensure that the first phase of the strategy was effectively implemented. An additional £7 million for the next 3 years has now been added to this amount, making a total investment of £20 million, to ensure the effective implementation of the Strategy.

The Strategy for Older People is available at: http://wales.gov.uk/about/strategy/strategypublications/strategy_olderpeople/?lang=en

"Valuing Older People" Event at Ystradgynlais Welfare Hall - 14 February 2008

Gwenda Thomas AM, Deputy Minister for Social Services and Joyce Watson, Labour AM for Mid & West Wales.