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Quote ‘Find enclosed herewith a cheque to help you carry on your good work.’
From a 95 year old pensioner living in a (not AgeCare) nursing home.
Why do older people need my support?
In 2003, some 600 care homes closed and the frequent scandals reported in the media are testimony to the bleak future facing many older vulnerable people. The 2004 Parliamentary Select Committee on Elder Abuse reported that an estimated half a million older people in this country are abused. In large measure, low standards of care are due to a lack of professional training but, in a sector under great financial pressure, many homes cannot afford to train staff.
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How will supporting AgeCare help?
In AgeCare homes we deliver care of the standard that we believe older people have a right to expect, not hope for. However, care of this standard is very expensive and public funding falls woefully short of what is needed. We are not a rich charity and our main source of income is fees from our residents. Government bureaucracy has forced up annual resident fee increases in the charity sector to an average of about 9%. We are aiming to hold ours to 5%. However, not everyone can afford this and, each year, we subsidise care for the most needy by £250,000; some 5% of our total budget.
No one is ever asked to leave one of our homes, because they can no longer afford the fees. To tackle low staff training levels, we developed our own staff training programme, called the AgeCare Awards. This is now delivered not only in our four own homes, but also in nearly 50 others nationwide.
To find out more about the Awards visit our Awards web site www.agecareawards.org.uk. The development costs of this programme were funded entirely from charitable donations without which it would not have been possible.
Find out more about our other current and future projects on our Projects Page.
Without the support of donors like you, many of these projects could not be funded. Supporting us is not difficult and need not cost a lot, but each and every donation makes a real difference and is much valued.
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How can I give financial help?
You can help us by:
Legacy Giving. The number of people over 85 will increase dramatically in coming years and the need for the help we offer vulnerable older people will be greater than ever. By leaving a legacy to AgeCare you will help us to carry on our work long after your lifetime and meet this challenge. All such gifts are free of inheritance tax.
For further information, contact your solicitor or the Legacy Manager at Great Russell Street
by e-mail or telephone 020 7637 4577.
Donating
You can donate by:
- Making a one-off donation at www.justgiving.com/agecare/donate via our easy to use and secure payment system.
- Alternatively, cheques can be sent to 47 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3PB.
Give as You Earn donating. Give As You Earn is the UK's largest and most successful payroll giving scheme. Any employee or pensioner paid under PAYE can donate us via the Charities Aid Foundation web site www.cafonline.org.
Giving direct from your payroll is very simple. You can give as much as you like and donations are tax-free.
Donating Shares. Do you hold windfall shares or small numbers of particular shares, perhaps as the result of an inheritance that generate more paperwork than income? They would be of real value to us and there are not insignificant tax advantages in donating them to us. You can claim tax relief on the market value of the shares, any associated brokers costs. Additionally, you will not have to pay any Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on any increase in their value since you bought them.
If you are a taxpayer, you can make even more of your donation by using Gift Aid, which allows us to claim the tax back. This will be done as part of the registering process if you use Direct Debit or Give as You Earn. You can print the relevant form, if you wish to send us a cheque.
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Will my donation be used efficiently?
We ensure that money is spent to maximum effect by minimizing administration costs, waste and over capacity through our Best Value programme. This was implemented in October 2003 and will save an estimated £100,000 each year.
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How else can I help?
Volunteering by joining a Friends Groups at a home. The Friends organise fundraising events and, even more importantly, participate in and arrange a wide range of outings and social activities for the residents, which are very much appreciated. You’ll find it rewarding and often great fun, and you don’t need special skills or even to commit a significant amount of your time. Contact the Manager of the home nearest you
Spreading the word You can help us by telling people about our website or forwarding a News Letter to spread the news about our work.
Sponsoring us by participating in or organising an event. You could run a marathon or jump out of an aircraft, as some of our supporters and staff have done but, equally, you could consider organising a rather less strenuous activity, such as a raffle. If seeking sponsorship or other donations, you could set up your own page on the JustGiving site www.justgiving.com.
If you’re not sure what to do, but want to help, contact the manager of your nearest home or the fundraising team on 020 7637 4577.
In return, if you would like us to, we will keep in contact with you to let you know what is happening in the Society and how the generosity of supporters like yourself is making a real difference to the lives of vulnerable older people.
Click here if you want to find out more about how you can support us or if you would like to be added to our mailing list. Your details will not be used for commercial purposes.
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Further details at www.giveasyouearn.org
Download the Give as you earn individual joining form |
