UK kids still live close to parents
Research conducted by Age UK Personal Alarms has found most adults surveyed remain closely involved with their parents lives with over half (57 per cent) living within 10 miles of them.
More than half (54 per cent) of adults visit their parents at least once a week, and 28 per cent call them at least once a day.
The survey revealed that people are doing as much as they can to help parents over 60, with 55 per cent offering their parents company and emotional support; 43 per cent helping them with shopping, and nearly a third lending a hand with general housekeeping. Another 32 per cent make the effort to get them out of the house on trips as well.
Many over 60s are active and healthy, but their children still want to ensure they are looked after. Only 30 per cent of respondents feel they do enough to support their parents, and two thirds worry about them when they cannot be around.
It’s often everyday life that gets in the way of people supporting their older relatives as much as they would like to: just over a third wish they could do more but either don’t have the time or live too far away. In addition, two thirds worry a lot about their older relatives when they cannot be around.
Yet there are ways of increasing the support to loved ones who need it, even if time or geography is an issue, as 22 per cent of respondents said that their parents have some professional help with everyday tasks such as cleaning or cooking, while 16 per cent said their parents have a personal alarm so that they can summon help whenever they need it.
Gordon Morris, Managing Director of Age UK Personal Alarms, said: “The results of our survey illustrate how much people are doing to help out their parents in later life, but of course it is only natural to worry and to wish we could do more.
“It is encouraging to see that the majority of our respondents intend to spend an occasion like Christmas with their parents. The festive season and the quiet period we see in January often prompts us to consider whether our parents are adequately supported the rest of the year.
“Tools like a personal alarm exist for exactly this reason, and we can understand why just under one in six of our respondents would like their parents to have one. A personal alarm can provide peace of mind for both parents and children, that assistance is available should it be required.”
The Age UK Personal Alarm service can help people in later life retain their independence. The device ensures people can get help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It works by connecting a customer to a dedicated Response Centre which is staffed round the clock.
The Age UK alarm system operates a two-way speech link to enable the person who has raised the alarm to talk to an operator within seconds. The operator can then contact the chosen keyholder – most often a friend, neighbour or relative - who can visit and offer assistance. If there is no contact available, or if the situation is more serious, the emergency services will be contacted. Around 45,000 people in the UK rely on a Personal Alarm from Age UK.
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