New hotline to tackle elderly isolation in Ludlow
A new number is being issued to elderly people in and a around a county town who may need a little extra support.
Various groups and individuals involved with the elderly turned out to a barbecue and meeting event to discuss how better to support older people in Ludlow, particularly those suffering form isolation and not knowing who to talk to about it.
The barbecue event was organised by Hands Together Ludlow along with Shropshire councillor for Ludlow South, Vivienne Parry, at the Helena Lane day centre.
Councillor Parry said it was part of a push to make Ludlow more "dementia friendly".
She said there were 400 people in the Ludlow area known to have some form of dementia, but it was not only for them.
She said: "People from all different groups came to the meeting. The idea is not to start a new group but to have all the existing groups pull together.
"There will be just one telephone number that we have had printed on cards that are being handed out.
"What we want to do is talk to the elderly about how they are coping and their concerns
"It's partly to help make Ludlow a dementia-friendly town but also for people who might not have dementia but are lonely and isolated and don't know how to get hold of anybody to help," she said.
She said with the proportion of older people in the population growing it was important to have more support networks in place.
"I'm from the baby boomer generation and once we get into our 80s there are going to be a lot more people who can't get the care they need or who need money," she said.
The new Hands Together Ludlow number for elderly people with concerns is 01584 879233.
