If I had a pound for every time someone has said that to me since AWOC was set up in 2014, I wouldn’t have to work for free! Insisting that most older people in the UK are not helped, supported or cared for by their... Continue reading
“I wouldn’t want my children to look after me” “my mum would have said that but she has dementia…..she would have dreaded the thought that my life would be consumed with looking after her but that is actually what has happened” Ming Ho who... Continue reading
I started working in Adult Social Care four years ago, and almost immediately I felt at home. As a Support Worker for unpaid carers, I visited people at home, having received referrals from the community nursing team I was based in. Spending time with carers,... Continue reading
In January this year, AWOC was asked to appear as part of a BBC Breakfast weeklong series on ageing. Excitedly we got suited and booted, and Robin and I descended on Jody’s cosy flat which became a temporary studio. We were interviewed for approximately 90... Continue reading
It’s good to take stock now and then and reflect on things that matter so passionately to you. International day of older people seems a good day to reflect on ageing without children, what we’ve achieved, the disappointments and most importantly where we are trying... Continue reading
We know that language matters hugely – witness the huge efforts by people with dementia to eradicate using the word “sufferer” or “victim” to describe people living with dementia. We asked people ageing without children what they thought of the term elder orphan; this is... Continue reading
The ILC/Age UK paper “the end of formal adult social care?” is a must read for anyone interested in social care and older people. It highlights the ever increasing gap between the numbers of people who need social care & the numbers of people who... Continue reading
Getting older is a fact of life and it may be a time in your life when you can embrace new activities and new ways of living. I read recently that we live until we die which I thought was a nice sentiment. However, for... Continue reading
In 1954 Rev Mary Webster gave up work to care for her elderly parents. In the years that followed she had a growing realisation that her problems of providing care, unpaid of course, to her parents while dealing with her own loss of income and... Continue reading
Our Voices is based on people’s stories – everyone has a story to tell. The story of AWOC is that it was founded when 2 things collided; the first was my own realisation that I definitely would not be able to have children and the... Continue reading