Kathy Lawrence
What can a pharmacist do for your parent?
Written by Rebecca Lenton Pharmacists can do more for our parents now than ever. Whilst they don’t offer the same expertise as a doctor they can certainly ensure that our parents are living well and managing their medication successfully. We explore the ways in which pharmacists can help our parents with their pills and prescriptions. […]
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Will the “Friends and Family Test” make a difference to hospital care?
Written by Kathy Lawrence Patients now have the opportunity to rate their hospital experience. Kathy explains how the survey works and wonders if it will give the right answers to improve our parents’ experiences. At the beginning of 2013 the UK Government announced that it would be making more use of a “Friends and Family” […]
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In praise of district nurses
This week’s storyteller has chosen to be anonymous.When the chips are down, district nurses can be relied upon to take the time and effort to care for our elderly and ill parents at home. At 25 minutes to 1 on Monday we received a phone call from a district nurse to say that dad was […]
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Tips on extracting your parent from hospital
Written by Kathy Lawrence If you’re new to parents as in-patients in hospital, then here are a few tips from those who’ve learned from experience. Every hospital trust and private group has its own structures and systems, but here are some pointers to help you get out of the building calmly with most of the […]
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Tax benefits for older people
Do my ageing parents still have to pay tax? What benefits and schemes are there to help them? When you’re helping relatives and friends to manage their finances as they get older, there are several questions you may want to clear up regarding their finances. Tax professionals Tax Rebate Services offer the following pointers. Attendance […]
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NHS Continuing Healthcare: why it’s important to have a coordinator
Claiming NHS Continuing Healthcare in the UK is an uphill struggle. Our expert Roger Burgess explains why it’s so important to ensure an independent coordinator is appointed. Note: This article was originally published in February 2016, and the Framework it discusses has since been updated. While much of this article is still relevant, there […]
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NHS fully-funded care for people with primary health needs – part 2
Following his discussion of who can claim NHS Continuing Healthcare funding in part 1 of this article, independent adviser Roger Burgess explains the steps that applicants will go through to make their claim. He provides comment and advice based on his experience of helping others to make claims. Note: This article was originally published in […]
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NHS fully-funded care for people with primary health needs – part 1
People with a ‘primary health need’ could be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare financial support but it’s not a service that’s widely advertised. Expert Roger D Burgess describes what he has learned from helping families to make their claims. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in February 2016, and the Framework it discusses has […]
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Tips on safely managing money for the less mobile
Handing over a bank card to someone else is a breach of Ts&Cs. So how can those with limited mobility withdraw cash and manage money? Helen Doyle, Head of Policy & Research at the Payments Council, offers some advice. Managing finances can be tricky at the best of times, but imagine finding yourself unable to […]
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How to claim a lost pension
Update. A useful article written in February 2020 on how to track down missing pensions. Written by Rebecca Lenton Once your parent passes retirement age it’s likely they’ll be living off a number of pension pots. With most people moving jobs an average of 11 times during their working career it can be easy to […]
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