I thought that this is article below, copied from a Slough Town football website here, was very interesting for the church. Not only because one of our members has recently moved to the place in question, but also that it serves a strong need of the community, a “hot topic” for us at the moment.
Here is the article:
I make no apologies for forgetting about football in this column (well we have had a forgettable last couple of months). Instead I’m going to tell you about my dads amazing new flat. So what? Well this isn’t any ordinary flat, nor is it a room in a ‘care home for the elderly.’ No this is state of the art apartment, where my dad can ‘live
independently but within a supportive environment.’ And what an environment! And what support!
There’s a spacious restaurant, where lunch is included in the rent meaning everyone has to come down and socialize at dinner time and not be stuck in their flats never seeing a soul. Visitors can also eat there -before the Bracknell game I had poached egg on toast for 50p! Next to the restaurant is a lounge overlooking the garden. There’s a gym, a hairdressers, library, cinema, shop, and guest rooms for people when they are visiting. The residents are encouraged to get involved in the running of the place and rooms are also available for hire, so different groups can use the space and make the place part of the community, rather than a gated ‘old-people only’ community. The place is wardened and there is always a nurse on hand with each resident having an individual care package tailored to suit their needs. On top of this is incredibly friendly and helpful staff.
The home at Northampton Avenue is part of Sloughs Extra Care housing and is built on the site of the old Centre swimming pool in front of Herschel school. It’s a partnership between Slough Council and the charity Hanover Housing and another one is being built at the top end of the Wexham Road. Although rent is expensive, my dad isn’t rich or has money stashed away in the Cayman Islands, so with the right advice
and plenty of form filling he should have enough to get by.
I also have to sing the praises of all the council workers I have dealt with, who have bent over backwards to help my dad and I’m sure are sick of the sound of my voice. This is in stark contrast to the utilities and private companies who try and rip people off at every opportunity, and could take a leaf out of the council’s social services department’s ability to communicate properly.
I really wonder how people are meant to cope, especially older people, with the relentless amount of paperwork and bureaucracy that’s needed to get by in our society, especially when moving home. When my dad was first getting grief from a particularly unpleasant occupational therapist, the council told me to contact Age Concern. Like a lot of older people, my dad was insistent he didn’t need help from anybody. Age Concern sent along Rashpal Singh who was so persuasive without being pushy my dad relented and started to access services and money he was entitled too. Rash has taken him to appointments when me or my brother can’t get time off work, knowing where to go and who to contact, generally just being there for him.
Getting old doesn’t always look much fun – but with more Extra Care supportive housing the loneliness and isolation many older people suffer, can be a thing of the past. Slough Council are apparently trailblazers when it comes to support for the elderly, so if Benjamin’s bombs ever do fall in Slough, I hope they miss this amazing new housing development that all the residents of Slough should be extremely proud of.
