WHAT IS SENIOR STEPS?

Our Senior Steps service is designed to offer a support service to people aged 60 years and over, to encourage you to be as independent as possible, rather than doing things for you.
We use experienced and specially trained workers & volunteers to provide the service, and have strong links with existing specialist resources.

WE CAN OFFER

Senior Steps offer an informal assessment and from this Assessment we develop an Action Plan just for you. This demonstrates what type of support you may require and our support can include:

Short Term Support
.	A home safety check
.	An income check (Ensuring you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to)
.	Linking you to other services
Befriending
.	Giving you time to talk
.	Helping with mail
. .	Getting to appointments
Long Term Support
. . . . . .. .	Allowing our clients to remain as independent as possible in their own homes
.	Involvement in negotiating your support package
.	Helping to get you out and about
.	Prompting with medication
.	Prompting with personal hygiene
.	Advice about healthy eating
.	Income check
.	Home safety check
.	Help with practical tasks
.	Help with shopping
.	Sitting service for carers

HOW TO PAY FOR THIS LONG TERM SUPPORT

In order to fund our long term service we are required to charge £13.00 per hour for a minimum of one hour support. We can negotiate the level of support appropriate to your needs. We can support you in completing an application for attendance allowance in order to meet the costs of our service. You may also be able to purchase our service through the direct payments scheme. Your worker can take you out and about in the car if you wish at an extra cost of 50 pence per mile.

CRB CHECKS & ID BADGES

All our workers and volunteers undergo CRB checks (Criminal Records Bureau) and you can be assured that they are trustworthy and any information you tell them, will be treated with the up-most confidentiality.
All our workers carry an official Senior Steps identification badge, so that YOU can be sure that you know who you are letting into your home. We encourage you to ask our workers for their ID badges, they will only be to pleased to comply.

Senior Steps GEMS is only one part of the service we offer, and offers on-going low level support, often called befriending, to clients referred by Senior Steps

GEMS - Standing for Giving Emotional and Motivational Support, uses specially trained volunteers to provide the service.

WHAT DO THE GEMS DO?

Many of our clients experience loneliness or isolation and it is often a great benefit to receive regular visits from someone who can call in and spare the time for a chat.

Here are some examples of things a GEM maybe able to do for a client:

.	Help with shopping
.	Help with tidying up
.	Giving time for the client to talk
.	Helping the client to get out and about
.	Helping with mail
.	Getting to appointments

BECOME A VOLUNTEER

Senior steps are always looking for new volunteers, if you are thinking about volunteering or know somebody who is please CLICK HERE for further information.

TO MAKE A REFERRAL OR DOWNLOAD OUR BROCHURES

To download a copy of any of our Senior Steps leaflets please click in the links below:

Senior Steps Service Guide
Service Guide to the GEMS
GEMS Volunteers wanted

To make a referral to Senior Steps please download a referral form, and return it to us by fax or post it to the address below.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SENIOR STEPS TEAM PLEASE CLICK HERE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on the Senior Steps Service please contact:

Yvonne Davies - Manager of Senior Steps
Phone 01623 672063
Fax 01623 658128
Email: seniorsteps@buildingblocks.org.uk