Pensioners in £57bn of debt

By Mithran Samuel, Maria Ahmed, Derren Hayes and Amy Taylor

Pensioners in £57bn of debt

People over 65 owe £57 billion in mortgages and other debts, with personal loan and credit card debts increasing by 42% in the past year, research by Scottish Widows has found.

Help the Aged said the findings were “worrying” and the future looked “pretty bleak”, with one in five retired homeowners still paying a mortgage and one-fifth in poverty.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Monday 13 August 2007 page 2

Police search for ex-soldier after murder of foster mother

A foster mother from London has been murdered and her husband is in hospital after an attack at their home.

Miriam and Maurice Baldock, from Camden, north London, had fostered a number of children in the area.

Police are looking for Stuart Forsyth, who had lived with the couple since leaving the army, and who police say was there at the time of the attack.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Monday 13 August 2007 page 2

Violent attacks on public sector staff

Nurses, teachers and other public sector workers were the victims of nearly 100,000 assaults last year, research commissioned by the Conservative Party has found.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Monday 13 August 2007 page 2

Conservatives tackle forced marriages

The Conservatives have unveiled plans to tackle forced marriage by ensuring women travelling abroad for a marriage register the name of their intended spouse before leaving.

Men travelling overseas to marry would face similar rules, and their spouses would have to apply for a UK visa within six months of registering.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Monday 13 August 2007 page 12

Mental health services are failing the elderly

More than 3.5 million over-65s experience mental health problems but are being failed by services with only one in seven with depression and less than half with dementia being diagnosed.

That was the message from an extensive inquiry into older people’s mental health services, supported by Age Concern and published today.

Source:- The Guardian Monday 13 August 2007 page 10

New way of reminding offenders ‘u hv a D8 in crt’

Britain’s court and probation services are to use text messaging to keep tabs on offenders.

Source:- The Times, Monday 13 August 2007, page 4
 
Climbie council faces inquiry after boy dies

The mother of a 17-month-old boy and her boyfriend have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the child died from horrific injuries. An investigation has begun into whether social services in Haringey could have prevented the death.

Source:- The Times, Monday 13 August 2007, page 8
 
Babies on the beat

‘Cheap policing’ row after 16-year-olds are recruited as community bobbies

Source:- The Daily Mail, Monday 13 August 2007, page 1

Scottish news

Care workers end three-week strike

A three week strike by hundreds of social care workers in Glasgow has ended following an agreement between the local authority and trade unions.

Unison, which represents the striking staff, has declared victory in the battle over job gradings and evaluation but council sources have claimed the deal is not as good as one previously on the table.

More than 550 social care workers have been on strike since July 24, angry about the results of a job evaluation which they say did not reflect the responsibilities of the job they carry out. But a new offer this weekend was accepted by staff.

Source:- The Herald, Monday 13 August

Why this man may hold key to curing Alzheimer’s

Kenneth Smith is no ordinary OAP. He is among a group of 11 men in their eighties known as the “elite old” – a group whose IQ is increasing with age and who have high levels of physical fitness.

Scientists hope by studying the men, all from the north-east of Scotland, they may unlock clues as to how people can stave off Alzheimer’s disease.

With scientists predicting Alzheimer’s will quadruple worldwide by 2050, affecting more than 106 million people, it is an increasingly important task.

Source:- The Scotsman, Monday 13 August

Welsh news

A caring approach

Young people leaving care in Caerphilly are now able to apply for more financial assistance.

Caerphilly Council’s leaving care team has introduced a new policy outlining the financial assistance available to care leavers if they wish to remain in education, go to university or set up their own home.

Source:- South Wales Echo, Saturday, 11 August 2007

Asbos: Do they really work?

Questions are being asked about the effectiveness of anti-social behaviour orders in South Wales.

Last year there were 159 breaches from 142 orders in South Wales and over the last 12 months there have been 141 breaches.

Source:- South Wales Echo, Saturday, 11 August 2007

Nurse banned after indecent assaults

A nurse has been struck off after indecently assaulting two teenage girls he worked with at a care home.

Farrukh Mushir, who is currently serving an 18-month jail sentence, harassed and assaulted the girls while they were all working at The Mount Nursing Home in Old Colwyn.

Source:- Western Mail, Saturday, 11 August 2007

Councils asked to suggest prison sites

The UK government asked Welsh councils to suggest suitable sites for a new prison yesterday.

The call comes after a commons Welsh Affairs Committee published earlier this year said that Wales needed a male prison in the North of the country and highlighted the lack of a women’s prison.

Source:-Western Mail, Saturday, August 11 2007