What People Say About Us

“Working with Agewell is just fantastic. They can pick up and follow through once the patient has left the health service.  We come and go as people need us, but Agewell is constant.  They are there offering help and support all the time.  We’ve built an excellent relationship with Agewell and know we can trust them to take up where the health service leaves off. They are filling a gap and helping individuals to reintegrate back into their community.”

Helen Bessant, Integrated Care Services (ICARES)

 

“Without Agewell we would really struggle. They are fabulous. It is so helpful to have one central point of contact who we can refer to.  We go to the Agewell website, put in what we want and Agewell makes it happen every time.  Being able to refer for befriending, exercise and social integration is extremely good.  What has made a massive difference is also being able to access money for day-to-day items.  We don’t have funding for adapted cutlery or kettle tippers but Agewell has been able to purchase these items for individuals.  This can mean the difference between an elderly person making a cup of tea for themselves or having to wait for a carer to come in and do it for them, so they can continue to live independently.”

Faye Holtum, Occupational Therapist 

 

“Our aim is to try to prevent relapses and failed discharges from hospital. Having Agewell on board is enabling individuals to maintain their independence after discharge.  Agewell has access to a wide range of support in the community which is helping to empower and re-enable individuals and help with their social inclusion   Agewell is a valuable part of the model we are trying to create ie enabling individuals to return to their own homes from hospital with ongoing support so they can remain independent." 

Kim Roberts, City Hospital

 

“The national Ageing Well programme enjoyed working with Agewell and in particular its chair, Edna Barker. Agewell demonstrates a willingness to work with all agencies and services in the area to ensure that older people are valued and are seen as assets to their community and not just as the sole responsibility of Health and Social Care.”

Virginia Saynor, Improvement Manager, national Ageing Well programme, Local Government Association

 

“Agewell is a phenomenon - a social invention which gives older people a voice and forces services to change and improve. More power to their elbow I say.”

Dr John Middleton, Director of Public Health for Sandwell

 

‘Agewell gave us the confidence to grow and their unstinting support helps us to continue to meet the needs of our visually impaired community. They are greatly valued partners in our quest to serve people coping with sight loss.’

Graham Price, Sandwell Visually Impaired

 

"Agewell ensures that older people are in the driving seat when it comes to influencing and shaping future services so that people can 'age well'."

Andrea Pope-Smith, Director of Adult, Community and Housing Services in Dudley.

 

“Agewell is an excellent partner to do business with. They have clear views about the direction that we should be taking in the borough to develop services for older people and they have the ability and networks to mobilise key influencers in the community to bring about change. The services we commission and provide are more effective because of the collaborative work that we undertake with Agewell.”

Rob Bacon. Chief Executive of the Black Country NHS Cluster

 

“There is no other organisation as established and effective in consulting with older people and gaining their participation in the West Midlands.”

Geoff Foster, Chief Executive of Cares

 

“Agewell cares passionately about the wellbeing, care and the future of the people of Sandwell and we look forward to a stronger partnership in future years. The work Agewell does is invaluable to the community and l would encourage everyone to join and become involved.”

Sandwell Councillor Patricia Davies

 

“Agewell is a remarkably well-informed organisation that seeks to translate the best of developments in health, wellbeing and care of older adults directly into the community where they can have immediate impact. Their emphasis on always putting older people themselves at the centre of any decisions and initiatives is a key feature of their success.”

 

“Agewell did a great job of championing the case of older people. They proved very challenging to Sandwell PCT which ensured that we continually took account of older people when developing services.”

Richard Nugent, former Chair of Sandwell PCT and Non-executive Director of the Black Country NHS cluster.

 

"Agewell ensures that the views of Sandwell's older people are both heard and represented within key decision making bodies across the borough. The organisation has strongly challenged various developments in health and social care and has ensured that people's dignity is paramount.”

Cllr Darren Cooper, Leader of Sandwell Council

 

“Agewell does fantastic work to help encourage and support older people to enjoy healthy, active and sociable lifestyles.  We have worked with Agewell for many years and are always delighted to support them and work in partnership on new projects and initiatives for older people.  Aiming to provide a good choice of quality accessible services, activities and opportunities for older people is at the heart of this partnership.”

Mark Wildman, Marketing and Business Manager, Sandwell Leisure Trust

 

“The Agewell Falls Prevention group restored my confidence and helped me to get out and about again. I have seen a big improvement in my balance and mobility.”

Jinder Ubhi, Agewell Member

 

“I was feeling lonely and bored until Agewell stepped in and provided some company for me.  Dawn visited me every week for 10 weeks.  She took me shopping and out to local activities.  We’d have a chat and put the world to rights!  Dawn was good for me and helped me a lot.”

Erminia Sillicorn, Agewell Client  

 

“As an Agewell member I’ve tried to make a difference by putting the ordinary older person’s point of view across because it’s not always heard.”

Margaret Everson, Agewell Member

 

“I love Agewell and the work it does.”

Doris Strange, Agewell Member

 

“Agewell worked with us recently to contact over 500 of our older patients and discuss with them over the phone the benefits of having their flu jab. They suggested that having a conversation with another older person, rather than a medical professional, might be more helpful. It was a very good idea and it worked. The Agewell staff are very kind and very professional and they deliver on schedule.”

Dr Samar Mukherjee, a GP at Aston Pride and Newtown Health Centres, and Chair of the Locality Commissioning Group and the ACOS Locality Commissioning Group.

 

“Agewell owes its success to its caring ethos, its flexibility and its willingness to go the extra mile. I find it reassuring that Agewell is here to support my patients no matter how elderly or frail.”

Dr Ian Walton, a Sandwell GP and mental health lead for Sandwell & West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group.