A staggering 27,500 items which help people live safely and independently are loaned out to Sandwell residents every year. And adult social care services make sure that 93 per cent of people who need aids – like walking frames, high seated chairs, perching stools and toilet-related accessories – get them within seven days of being requested.

Now Sandwell Council's cabinet member social care, Councillor Ann Shackleton, is reminding people that wherever possible the council collects and recycles items when they are no longer needed.

The service, which integrates adult social care and health in a pooled budget, called the Better Care Fund, recycles more than half of items which are then suitable to be loaned out again.

The value of these recycled items in 2016/17 totalled a staggering £1.5m, enabling the service to significantly reduce spending on new equipment.

Figures released show more than 12,000 people are currently provided with equipment, to help keep them safe and living independently in their home, with another 2,500 active users of Telecare in Sandwell.

Councillor Shackleton said: "One of the major achievements of the past 12 months was to merge the ordering of equipment and Telecare onto the same system, which has allowed health and social care professionals access to a single ordering system and removed a lot of duplication.

"People who need equipment have it delivered within seven days of request and we are now aiming to increase the recycling rate of many of the items loaned out. I would urge anyone who has loaned items that are no longer needed to let us know so we can collect and recycle them for other people to use.

"The service has also introduced a dedicated occupational therapist role, which has led to greater knowledge of equipment and its suitability as well as realising significant year-on-year savings."

Prevention Stores is the council's in-house provider of equipment and Telecare in Sandwell and loans all kinds of household items to enable people to live safely and independently.

Telecare is the provision of a range of equipment and sensors that alert a carer or professional if something has or hasn’t happened in a property, for example, a person not returning to bed during the night after visiting the toilet. Other sensors include remote smoke detection, medication reminding devices as well as pagers to alert carers to any emergencies. Many items can also be linked to Sandwell’s Community Alarms service.

This May get ready to enjoy a fantastic shopping experience at the UK’s leading pregnancy and parenting event of the year. The Baby Show with MadeForMums will be taking place from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st May, at the NEC Birmingham. Find everything you need for bump, baby and you - with amazing offers all in one place, for three days only!

The show is a great way to get your hands on products and try before you buy. Brand and product experts will be there to tell you everything you need to know, so it’s a great opportunity to compare products and find the right fit for you and your baby. There will be over 200 exhibitors showcasing a huge array of essential baby products including buggies, nursery furniture, carriers, clothing, feeding, sleep and bathing equipment.  All the major baby retailers such as Mothercare and Babies R Us will be there, alongside other market leading brands such as iCandy, Stokke, UppaBaby, Chicco, Britax, MAM, Nuby, Baby Björn and Italian brand Peg Perego!  There will also be independent brands that you won’t find on the high street. And once you’ve shopped until you’ve dropped, don’t worry about all the carrying as you can take advantage of the free Emma’s Diary Collect-By-Car service where you can drop off all your purchases and continue until you’ve got a carful!

Wing Yan Lee, Marketing Manager at The Baby Show says: “The Baby Show is the UK’s biggest pregnancy and parenting event and a must-visit shopping venue for new and expectant mums and dads.  After a hugely successful show at London ExCeL, we can’t wait to open the doors in Birmingham NEC.

“We will have over 200 of the very best baby brands exhibiting their products, some for the first time giving shoppers an exclusive first look at what’s hot on the market.  And don’t forget we have the MadeForMums stage where we have another fantastic line up of some of the UK’s best parenting experts ready to share their advice on how to get through – and enjoy – those tricky first months of parenthood.  We look forward to welcoming everyone there.”

There will be a wonderful line up of speakers on The Baby Show Stage with MadeForMums including experts from the world of breastfeeding, sleep and nutrition.

Work is underway to complete a further 110 homes in Erdington – and the first of the new homes will be ready to hand over from April this year. The new homes are part of a second phase of redevelopment of the Lyndhurst housing estate by Birmingham City Council, providing both social housing for rent and houses for sale.

Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for housing and homes, Cllr Peter Griffiths, said:  “This second phase of development will see 110 more houses, bringing the total to 251 quality homes.  As with the first development we are providing both social housing and houses for sale, making sure that we continue to tackle our housing shortage and provide homes for a range of needs and family size – from one to five bedroom properties.  The income gained from houses sold from this latest development will be reinvested into the council’s housing stock of social housing.”

Chris King, managing director for Kier Living added:  “Kier Living are committed to providing Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust and the communities in which we are working with high-quality homes and facilities. Our aim is to develop desirable and vibrant new homes at Abbey Fields in Erdington which will breathe new life into the area and make a huge difference to local people.”

Since 2012, the council has been developing new homes on the estate where a clearance programme of poor quality housing has been ongoing for a period of years.  Rebranded as Abbey Fields, the development has been undertaken as part of the council’s Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust programme.

The first phases of the redevelopment are now completed providing 141 new family homes. Of these 76 were for outright sale and 65 for social rent as new council homes.

The current phase under construction by Kier Living Limited will provide a further 110 new homes of which 85 will be for rent and 25 for outright sale. The homes include a range of two, three, four and five bed houses.  The first of the new homes will be handed over in April 2017. This phase of development is to be completed by June 2018.

Homes for sale in this phase of development are to be provided as part of the council’s own direct sales delivery arm, Forward Homes.  Abbey Fields is just one of the three schemes being delivered as part of the Forward homes programme.  Income generated by the sale of these homes will be reinvested into the council’s own housing stock.

The first eight homes for sale – not due for completion until June – have already been reserved, and the remaining will be released for sale shortly.

Alongside the creation of the new homes, work is also due to start on the new Abbey Fields Park in the centre of the estate in June 2017.

A “lifeline” adult social care service for people in Sandwell is helping almost 80,000 callers a year, latest figures show. Sandwell Council’s Enquiry answered 78,000 requests in the last year as members of the public, carers and health professionals sought assistance and guidance. The team also receives up to 160 email enquiries a day at peak periods.

Enquiry supports local residents and their relatives and carers, health professionals and other services. Councillor Ann Shackleton, the council’s cabinet member for social care, visited Enquiry team members at the Independent Living Centre, Smethwick, to find out more about the service.

She said: “Enquiry is part of our wider independent living team and the staff there do an excellent job. It’s a lifeline service for the many thousands of people who use it.

“We want to help people get the right services at the right time, so that they can keep their independence, stay safe and have a good quality of life.

“People get guidance and support on a whole range of enquiries on matters that are very important to them. Where necessary, Enquiry refers people to key workers and other specialist adult social care teams for the support or advice they need.

“The range of enquiries is quite remarkable – from requests for blue badges, personal care assistance and equipment and adaptions in the home to hospital discharges, safeguarding concerns and mental health support.

“Another key aspect of the team’s work is to give advice on home maintenance and staying safe and independent to people with disabilities, older people who may be frail and those with particular health problems.

“I was very impressed with team members’ commitment to helping people resolve their issues, and it’s good to know this kind of high quality support and advice is available.”

30 is the age when people from the West Midlands finally know who they are and feel comfortable in their own skin – but their sense of identity starts to fade at 61, according to new research.

By 30 years of age, the typical West Midland resident will have refined their taste in music and they’ll have six close friends.

35 percent will have cultivated their TV and film preferences, while one quarter will have developed their tastes in literature. Nearly four in ten will know what their fashion preferences are and will also be at ease driving.

But 33 is the age people from the West Midlands will worry least about what other people think of them.

Despite this, they are concerned they will lose some sense of who they are by the age of 61.

Commissioned by My Nametags, manufacturer of durable stickers and iron-on labels for care homes, the research of 2,000 UK adults found that the biggest fears Brits have about growing old are losing their memories, feeling isolated or forgotten - with 74 percent fearing they’d become isolated if they were to ever move into a care home.

Two thirds of those polled are worried about close relatives one day living in a care home. Seven in 10 are concerned they would be forgotten by friends and family upon moving into a retirement home.

68 percent of people said they’d worry about losing some sense of self if they ever were to move into a care home - while 70 percent are worried they’d lose their possessions.

Lars B. Andersen, Managing Director, said: “For many of us, our sense of who we are – our tastes, preferences and opinions - takes time to develop so it’s understandable that the prospect of losing this is daunting. Particularly for the older generation of our population and those moving into a care home.

“Moving into residential care is a big life change and the thought that you might lose some part of yourself in the process doesn’t make it any easier. In addition to losing your identity, 70 percent of people are worried they might lose their possessions when moving into a care home which is a great concern! Our nametags help these residents maintain their sense of identity and keep hold of their treasured possessions which often hold lasting memories.”

Three quarters of those polled said their belongings reflect who they are as a person.

While 83 percent said they own items which have particular importance to them - including jewellery, photos and keepsakes.

Memories, family and sense of humour are among the things that form our identity according to those polled.

Friends, morals, hobbies and the place where you grow up are also among the factors that shape who we are.