Starting a charity for elderly who need small jobs doing by tradesmen.

[grumpygit]

I often work closely within the construction industry and have many contacts in the way of business owners and highly skilled tradesmen. For a while now I have been a little bothered about how aged vulnerable people, sometimes disabled are paying out money they can ill afford to have small jobs done around their homes.

Only today I met a lovely 75 year old lady on her own who has breathing problems and arthritis in her hands. She occasionally needs to move furniture or change light bulbs, something so easy yet she is unable to do it herself. So she is having to pay someone to come around and do this for her. I am not suggesting anyone is ripping her off, we all need to make a living, but these are jobs someone with a few hours spare could do once in a while.

I have a few elderly customers myself who I will do the odd free job for, I just cannot find it in me to charge for some of these jobs where they are just unlucky in that they might not have family to do it for them, so they have to pay. I am not talking electrical rewires here or kitchen replacements, just light shades that need replacing, a rad that needs bleeding, or a shelf putting up.

I have been in touch with Age UK, not over helpful, but early days yet. I would like to set up a register or database of tradesmen who are willing to say give up a day or even half day per month for free to offer their skills to help those who cannot do those little jobs themselves, even a few hours a month could be such a help to someone.

I really do not have much of a clue how I am even going to start with this. At the moment I have chatted to a few trades people and made a few calls.
If anyone has any advice they can give me I would be most grateful.

Thanks

 

[R G]

I know how you feel , I feel the same , have done a few small jobs for nowt , anything bigger I often advise them to have a member of the family involved , usually I find that if its the family that are inheriting the property , they usually take up the responsibility for payment , don't get me wrong some elderly people can easy afford the work , but you know the ones that can't and to see their faces when they ask you how much they owe you and you say nowt is payment in itself ,

Some say age concern has a list of contractors who do a similar sort of thing ,

 

[colshaws]

Let me know how it goes, I would be ore than happy to add my name to your database if you manage to sort it.

 

[Corbs]

I know how you feel , I feel the same , have done a few small jobs for nowt , anything bigger I often advise them to have a member of the family involved , usually I find that if its the family that are inheriting the property , they usually take up the responsibility for payment , don't get me wrong some elderly people can easy afford the work , but you know the ones that can't and to see their faces when they ask you how much they owe you and you say nowt is payment in itself ,

Some say age concern has a list of contractors who do a similar sort of thing ,

dont know if its a welsh thing but they do round here and also the care system have a set of numbers just incase they need little jobs doing (About Care & Repair Cymru)

 

[Knobhead]

Call me sceptical if you like.

In starting this charity (not that you’ll ever get charitable status), what are you going to make out of this?

 

[Knobhead]

Call me sceptical if you like.

In starting this charity (not that you’ll ever get charitable status), what are you going to make out of this?

 

[grumpygit]

Ok

Your sceptical

 

[PEG]

Touche...but Tony has asked a question many will be thinking...it's the nature of us humans...i keep a little seed of this to hand,starting years back,when i clocked the car Roy Castles' charity PR lady ran,and who funded it...The OPs' basic premise,is noble and altruistic,but hard to roll out in general,with shananagins certain,in time,from both sides. I do me fair share of love jobs,family,good friends,then stretched out to neighbours,contacts via kids,scouts,school etc. There has to be some application of limit,or you will find the oldest con man/woman in the village...:icon12:

 

[pcam1984]

My brother is a plumber and works for a company subsidised by North Lanarkshire council. They supply an all trade service to elderly and disabled people in private housing. They charge a £12 fee for labour and the cost of materials at wholesale prices. The council advertise and promote the company for free. Seems like a good and fair way to do things for customers not in council housing.

 

[guest119]

How can you tell if a particular old dear or couple are skint? Not by their living standards or the last time they had a holiday.
Ive read many a local story about some poor old sod clocking out and leaving a small fortune to the cat!

 

[guest119]

My brother is a plumber and works for a company subsidised by North Lanarkshire council. They supply an all trade service to elderly and disabled people in private housing. They charge a £12 fee for labour and the cost of materials at wholesale prices. The council advertise and promote the company for free. Seems like a good and fair way to do things for customers not in council housing.

So if the company charge out rate is £12, how much per hour is your brother on?

 

[Paul.M]

There are quite a few elderly people on my street which a few neighbors keep an eye on. I do their electrics, security lights and coach lights, re-new broken sockets etc. Last year I fitted an alarm system in for a woman 3 doors down because she is not in the best of health, panic attack buttons in the bedroom, living room (at low level) and doorway in case she falls over again. Another neighbor looks after their plumbing, another is a roofer and dose the odd repair job, my next door neighbor is a very good handy man and dose everything else. All it takes is to knock on your elderly neighbors door and introduce yourself. We all do it free of charge although these are proud working class people and always try to pay the going rate, which we knock back.

Last week when the first cold spell hit I went around to 3 peoples houses and asked if everything was ok? Heating is working, no cold drafts coming in etc. Again for the 9th year running we have offered to drive them to the supermarket when the snow comes, also grit their paths (which we do anyway without asking). All these small things really help out and dose not take up that much time. Try it.

If you want to take it to the next level I would suggest getting in touch with a local church, day center or community center for the elderly that do coffee mornings and the like. The people that run these sort of places will bite your hand off at any offer of help to those that need it.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I think the problem you will have is that some people will take advantage. It seems to me that the same thing has happened with food banks,set up with all the right intentions,but if you offer something for free then people are going to try and get it whether they need it or not.

 

[trev]

You might need to take a look into how food banks work mate. You can't just bowl up and get a load of groceries because you don't feel like paying for them.