Over the course of the month, weather conditions have caused the country to be in a crisis situation. The Met Office issued a red alert for the highest parts of the UK. The North East reached a heavy amount of snowfall and an amber alert was issued by the Met Office for the region.
The storm – now named Storm Emma – continued to bring more chaos as the ‘Beast from the East’ continued to make its presence felt over the following days.
Age Concern is a charity specifically concerned with the needs and interests of older people based chiefly in the four countries of the UK.
SR News spoke to Leah Starling from Age Concern, who said: “the conditions were horrendous, they affect all of us in some way but especially the elderly people who can’t get out of their houses because of their age and medical conditions.
“The ‘winter watch list’ is a list set up with all the names of the vulnerable old people who need the most help in winter and bad weather conditions. We ring them up and see if they need assisting in anything – for instance we make sure they have shopping, have their medication and make sure their heating is working and, if not, we have people which will help with all of these things. “
Leah further on goes on to say “we saved lives and saved the NHS”.
Jimmy Polard is a elderly man who has benefited from the services of Age Concern during the snowy weather.
“Age Concern have been a big big help to me, I am getting on now and have arthritis so couldn’t get out in the snow,” he said.
“Thankfully, there are people like Leah and charities that help those who need it. I thank them dearly. I asked Leah if she could go to Tesco and it was no problem. Fantastic!”
Charities and services like Age Concern are vital for the elderly to have access to. For more information, visit their website at https://www.ageuk.org.uk – or visit a local charity near to you.