Older people's 'jobs market' is robust

Ikea is coming to Exeter, so things could be on the up. But that will take a year or two. And not north Devon.

Apparently the south west is still in the doldrums for jobs.

Some of ours are almost as bad, but this lady sure takes the biscuit!

In our case, it's the local authority's Welfare Rights Department that does the appeals for clients. Thank goodness.

phoenix on another claim filled in by her the claimant said that she'd never said that, and she was quite capable of doing the activity!
She is a menace! Always over gilding the lily!
With experience, you learn which advisers give a genuine picture and which exaggerate

Oh Smol that's sad.

I am a benefit uptake volunteer and outreach mentor for age uk,very rewarding....also looking for paid work ...some really sad situations out there,rang a client today to book an appointment,sadly he passed away before we could book him an appointment..

What? The CAB advisor person claims that, or someone that they are dealing with?

(Confused of North Devon)

Most of our local ones are good, but we have one who claims the most ridiculous claims, like saying that someone whose vision is good enough for them to drive needs to be led around by the hand as they can't see where they're going!

I would just like to add that the CAB were brilliant in their help with my debt problems a couple of years ago.

As Mr P would say "Ah, that'll be it then"

To be a volunteer with CAB or AgeUK it helps to be capable of a modicum of empathy. In our CAB the majority of our volunteers are retired people whose experience (and, of course, CAB training) equips them to deal with clients who have got themselves into awkward situations or whom life has treated unkindly.

Dottilind, When I was working for Age Concern (as was), I was visiting elderly people at home, advising on state benefits and any other problems they had. I even represented some clients at Social Security Tribunals. Not work that school leavers or even new graduates could do. Most of the Home Advisors were retired people and very elderly people felt more comfortable with us, particularly when they were having to admit to embarrassing medical problems like incontinence or having to give us details of all their financial circumstances.

My local Age Concern also had a local telephone befriending service and a number of other volunteer roles that older people did. It is also worth visiting your local volunteering centre. Another very small charity I am involved with managed to find some one with book keeping skills to be our treasurer through the Volunteer Centre and I currently volunteer for a heritage charity, an opportunity which I found on the volunteer website run by my local county council. There are plenty of volunteering jobs out there that cannot be done by school leavers where more mature volunteers are welcome.

Please not the cab. I don't work for the midlands tribunal service but I should imagine there would be mass trouble if he joined the CAB.

Is Frank off somewhere today?

Oh dear anno I hadn't thought of it like that

phoenix, what are you trying to do to the CAB?

You're right, phoenix - I think I was imagining in advance the likely fall-out from Frank's good-deedery...

Just a thought, you know, giving something back, helping others to benefit from ones expertise.............

Ariadne!

Heaven forbid!

Frank as you seem to have such a talent for making sure that bodies do meet their obligations, have you thought about offering your services to others who may not know where to start?

Perhaps volunteering at your Local CAB, or even helping other GN'ers to draft letters etc.

I have been retired for a good many years and I have been trying to get volunteering work in charity shops etc, to no avail. When i challenged the powers to be about youngsters working in these shops I was told they had to take the jobs as they were on job seekers allowance and that is why there are no positions for older people, I was gobsmacked as we are not asking to be paid for this work.

And so would I! We had a cup of coffee and a brief bit of retail therapy together today, and I'd employ her. Mind you, I'm not sure we'd get any work done....!