North Somerset charity supports older people ageing without children
A North Somerset charity supports older people who are ageing without children or family support, offering practical help and social contact, with a new group planned in Portishead.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
One in five people in England is now over 65, a shift that brings challenges for those who do not have children or family close by. In North Somerset, a local group is helping older people in that position.
Xena lives in a retirement flat in Weston-super-Mare. She describes herself as fiercely independent and says she lives a full and busy life, but there are times when she struggles. Planning ahead for everything is difficult. If she is offered a hospital appointment or needs to go somewhere, there is no family member to say they will take her and bring her back.
She has joined a group for people in the same position. Its members are part of AWOC, which stands for ageing without children. The group includes people who do not have children or do not have effective children close by. Some have children who are not within easy reach, are disabled, or live abroad. The charity also points out that even older people with families can find things hard, because friends are getting older and cannot help as much as before.
Ageing Without Children is a national charity. It was founded to raise awareness of people entering later life without children and to provide practical support or care. It is thought that one in four people over the age of 50 are ageing without children.
The charity says there is an assumption in the health and social care system that everyone has an adult child who will make things work. That person may make phone calls, fill out forms and make sure different services coordinate. Without someone in that role, older people can be very disadvantaged.
Practical tasks can also become a problem. Small DIY jobs around the house may be difficult without a child to help, and paying privately can be expensive. People coming out of hospital may need extra care at home, but may not have anyone to provide it. One group member said:
> I looked after my mum and I'm sure lots of the other people in the group did looked after their parents and Who's gonna look out for us who's gonna advocate for us?
The local group has proved so popular that another one is being set up in Portishead.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A local group for people ageing without children has proved popular, and another is being set up in Portishead. | |
| One in four people over the age of 50 are reported to be ageing without children. | |
| The health and social care system is described as assuming that everyone has an adult child who will make things work. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The bulletin used one woman's experience in Weston-super-Mare to illustrate the practical and emotional effects of ageing without children, rather than treating the issue as statistics alone. It gave space to AWOC's argument that the health and social care system assumes an adult child will coordinate support, and it noted the local group's popularity and plans for a new group in Portishead. The item sat in a bulletin that also carried unrelated Conservative Party conference and weather coverage.
- “I think that it's having to plan ahead for everything and if I'm offered a hospital Appointment or if I have to go somewhere there is not anybody who will say oh, come on nan Come on ground or whatever.”
- “There's an assumption baked into our health and social care system that everybody has an adult child who will make things work”
- “I looked after my mum and I'm sure lots of the other people in the group did looked after their parents and Who's gonna look out for us who's gonna advocate for us?”
Broadcast Timeline
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