Our first Winter Wellbeing project is here!

Please note: this post is 63 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only

With shorter days and colder temperatures beginning to creep in, many east Londoners are getting ready to swap their craft beers for mulled wine, iced coffees for hot chocolates, and dig out those winter layers to keep warm while out and about. For all of us, keeping active and socially connected in the cold (and often, with a cold) can take a little more effort and discipline, but is worth it in the end.

However, for many older people in east London, the coming colder months can mark the start of a difficult period of heightened loneliness, worries around keeping warm in their homes, and sometimes even choosing between going cold or going hungry with winter bills suddenly rocketing.

We know that older people feeling lonely is already a huge issue in the UK. Two fifths of all older people (about 3.9 million) in the UK say the television is their main source of company. This isolation can become even more pronounced during winter: things like icy roads and darker evenings can make going out and staying connected more challenging.

That’s why at East London Cares we are kicking off our first Winter Wellbeing project, a proactive outreach initiative which connects us with older people living in Tower Hamlets and Hackney to ensure they are able to stay warm, active and connected even on the colder days. We will be chatting with people aged over 65 at GP surgeries, flu jab clinics, supermarkets, chemists, pharmacies. We will also be door-knocking on streets, estates and sheltered housing units to find people who, for whatever reason, are less able to get out and about. This will help us build meaningful and genuine relationships with older east Londoners so we can best support them.

Some of the ways we can help our older neighbours in Tower Hamlets and Hackney to stay warm, active and connected include:

• Delivering free blankets, hats, socks, gloves and hot water bottles to older people who are struggling to keep warm;
• Supporting people whose circumstances are particularly difficult with winter grants of up to £100 which can be used for fuel bills, winter coats and other items to help with the cold;
• Helping connect people to organisations who can provide benefits and energy saving advice as well as help at home with broken boilers, changing providers and installing draught prevention measures;
• Signing people up to our free monthly Social Clubs which run year round – including technology workshops, dances and visits to local museums and galleries;
• Matching older neighbours up with younger volunteers for weekly visits through our Love Your Neighbour programme (which is kicking off in early 2020) for friendship, company and a chat.

If you are a community organisation in Tower Hamlets or Hackney and know an older person who could do with any support over the coming winter months, please do complete an online referral form.

Likewise, if you know an older person who could benefit by anything we are offering here at East London Cares, please do let them know about us, and together we can help make winter a little warmer for our older neighbours.