Older People's Strategy - Newcastle City Council

45Outcome 2aOlder people have access to information, adviceand advocacyIssues and priorities‘If only I had known that…’ (House for Life report)‘He knew he should be getting some help, but he didn’t know howto go about it. He thinks people are entitled to get help, but … hewouldn’t know where to go’ (Male 69). (Evaluating welfare rightsadvice for ethnic minority older people in Newcastle upon Tyne)‘It’s not a lot but just that little bit of difference between not beingable to afford anything above normal, to having a little bit ofenjoyment and a little bit of entertainment. It’s marvellous thedifference it makes.’ (Evaluation of Primary Care Take Up Team)There is a huge range of information available but, for it to beuseful, people need to access it at the right time and in theright format.The ways in which people access information is changing rapidly.The internet is now a major source of information and increasinglyolder people are accessing the internet, either at home orthrough support organisations (see Annex 7, Note 9). It alsoneeds to be recognised that not all older people have, or want,access to the internet, and that other information routes areneeded alongside. Many older people want to receive adviceand information face-to-face or by speaking to a trusted personon the telephone.