Attendees of Age UK’s dayclubs in York were devastated to find they were ceasing after September, due to funding cuts from the City of York Council.
The dayclubs take place all over the country, to encourage those 55 and older to come and meet friends, take part in exercise, and join in on a range of activities such as quizzes and games.
Earlier this month a letter was sent out to the attendees of the York clubs saying that the council had decided to discontinue funding.
The letter read: “City of York Council have taken the decision to stop funding the service and although Age UK York has been searching for alternative funding it is now clear that this won’t be in place by the end of September.
“As such Age UK York has taken the difficult decision to close its Dayclubs service on 30th September 2024 at the end of our funded contract with the council.”
YorkMix spoke to Angela Newdick, whose 96-year-old aunt looks forward to attending the clubs twice weekly.
Angela told us just how much the sessions mean to her family: “I can’t tell you how important they are. It’s her lifeline, I can’t stress that more.
“She’s 96 and she has trouble with mobility, she’s taken there and brought back, and she’s met friends there that she can chat to.
“We visit every other day but it’s people her own age, it’s different.”
Cost £150 a month
In York, the dayclubs take place each weekday and cost £12 for a full day, or £4 for half a day. Transport options are also available at a cost, for those who need assistance travelling to and from.
Angela’s aunt has been regularly going to the sessions for a number of years now and while it’s funded by the council, she pays up to £170 per month.
Angela said: “Each month we’re invoiced between £150 to £170 a month, so it’s not free.
“It shocked me, because of York City Council cutting the funding, that means they can’t run them anymore, that just seems crazy to me.”
YorkMix reached out to the City of York Council and Sara Storey, Director of Adult Social Care, said:
“I’d like to thank Age UK York for working with us ahead of this change in provision. Together, we’re committed to supporting activities that meet older residents’ needs – including continued social contact. Research shows that about half the residents attending these Day Clubs have or are awaiting, dementia diagnoses which is why we and NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) are continuing to fund Age UK York’s Dementia Clubs and other provision. Affected residents can be supported to transfer to these and other activities offered by the community and voluntary sector. For others Day Club users, staff at Age UK York and the Council are helping them choose alternatives from activities run locally and advertised at www.livewellyork.co.uk.
“Encouraging social contact and combating isolation are important priorities for the Council so besides the continued funding for the Dementia Day Clubs, we’re working with Age UK York to provide advice and support services for older residents, a shopping service and a befriending service. We’re also promoting local events where residents can make friends without having to travel.
“This difficult decision was made early this year when we asked Age UK York to begin signposting day club users to other suitable activities local to them. We’re reviewing our overall budget alongside existing community contracts that we fund, in order to identify priority areas for funding going forward in line with residents’ identified needs. Our budgets are under on-going and increasing pressures with Government funding not keeping pace with the demands we face.”
What happens next?
Angela is concerned that without these sessions, her aunt’s wellbeing could decline: “She’s been devastated. Yesterday we were worried about her because she said she had nothing to look forward to and had lost her spirit, it broke our hearts.
“I can’t tell you how upset she’s been, when you’re 96 things like that can really affect your health.”
Angela and her sister have been desperately seeking alternatives since receiving the news, but have so far had no luck. “We haven’t come up with anything and we’ve been on to all the sort of agencies that we can think of in York.
“We’re both quite determined, so maybe there is something out there that we don’t know about but we can’t find it at the moment.”
Simon Holmes, CEO of Age UK York, told YorkMix that Age UK will release a statement on the closures this week, which will include details of “both the short term situation and opportunities for the future.”
Have you, or someone you know, been affected by the Age UK dayclub closures? Get in touch at [email protected] and let us know.