Telford & Wrekin
Senior Citizens’ Forum
Message from the Editor
Most organisations are having to be more careful with their funds and we
are no different, so we
decided to try to fund our newsletter with
advertising.
To attract advertisers we need to produce a colour booklet and
use a better quality printing paper.
We hope you like the new format and continue to enjoy reading the
newsletter. We will keep to the tried and tested formula for the contents.
We welcome contributions from our members, letters about the work of
the Forum, poems, etc.
If you know of anyone who would like to advertise in this publication
please ask them to phone Chris or Anne-Marie on 01952 211410.
FEELING LONELY?
On 17th October at The Place, Oakengates the Senior Citizens Open Forum
meeting will look at the problems isolation brings. Doors open at 10am for a
10.30 start with our short Annual General Meeting, following which, the
morning will look at the growing problem of isolation amongst older people.
The guest speaker at the event is Professor Mima Catton from Northumbria
University. 2009. She worked in health promotion and the voluntary sector for
several years where she was involved in developing and implementing a
range of initiatives particularly around mental health promotion, health
promotion and older people and injury prevention. Mima’s research interests
focus on the promotion of mental health and well-being in older people,
mental health promotion, injury prevention and the development of health
promotion interventions to alleviate social isolation and loneliness in later life.
Other speakers include Pamela Walker, the West idland Development Officer
for Contact the Elderly, a charity which works to relieve loneliness by
arranging small group outings one Sunday afternoon each month; and we
hope to have a surprise speaker who will talk about a different way to
improve happiness!
There will be stalls offering advice about health issues and information about
local groups and activities that are available for people to become involved
with.
The Next Public Forum will be on Monday 17th October
We will meet at The Place, Oakengates at 10am for a 10.30am start.
The topic will be “Feeling Lonely?” and we have some expert speakers
(details on the opposite page).
There will be a short Annual General
Meeting (details on separate sheet).
There will be stalls where you can get advice and help.
Tea and
coffee will be available before the meeting and a buffet at lunch time.
Mobility Show and Disability Information Day
On Monday 26th September The Forum is holding a Mobility and
Disability Information Day at the Park Inn, Forgegate, Telford Centre from
10am to 3pm.
You will be able to get advice from manufacturers, suppliers and
Healthcare Professionals. You will be able to try out scooters, wheelchairs,
riser recliner chairs, bathing and mobility supports and many other disability
aids.
This show is sponsored by Ableworld, your local disability specialist.
Entry is free.
many other prizes.
There will be a prize draw, Ableworld vouchers and
Refreshments will be available.
ARE YOU A FORMER WORLD WAR 11 VETERAN, OR: MERCHANT
NAVY- ATS- WRENS-WAAFS?
Did you know the National Lottery will fund a
return visit to the
locations where you served?
For the Far East you will receive £1800!
However offer ends 21/12/11.
Not only do the veterans themselves qualify, but in the case where a
veteran is deceased, their widows qualify instead.
There is an equal
allowance for a spouse.
In addition an individual or couple are both
entitled to bring along a carer, for which there is a
further generous
allowance.
In the case of RAF, any country you flew over is classed as ‘Where you
served.’
Any Second World War veteran who served with or alongside the
British Armed Forces and is a UK and Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Republic
of Ireland resident is eligible for the
Funding.
For further information, general advice and guidance on form filling phone
TED CACHART EX BOMBER COMMAND ON: 01582 737 152.
Alternatively contact HEROES RETURN HELPLINE on 0845 00 00 121 or
visit the website WWW.BIGLOTTERYFUND.ORG.UK
Intergenerational Forum - July
The Forum Topic for July was “Bridging The Gap” and members of the Forum
that attended the event were impressed by the entertainment offered by the
school children and the Police Cadets that came on the day.
Patty Wilkinson an Intergenerational Officer from Age UK opened the
proceedings by explaining many
projects in our area are brought about by
older people volunteering to team up with school children and work together.
In fact there were many volunteers in the audience.
Mitch Brooks from the Youth Forum spoke very well pointing out that just as
older people stereotyped younger ones; they in return thought all old people
were the same, when in actual fact many of today’s concerns are the same
for both generations.
The Police cadets helped with the organisation of the event by running
various fundraising stalls for the Senior Citizens Forum , which raised a total
of £58 on the day; as well as showing off their marching and vocal skills.
Wombridge Primary School had made a film with the help of attendees at
their local Day Centre in
Oakengates and were proud to show this to
everyone on the day especially some of the “stars” of the film who were in
the audience.
Dot Hill school choir and Donnington Infants sang
exceptionally well and
the morning ended with a Bang from the Charlton School drummers!
Email Virus that cannot be prevented
Symptoms:Causes you to send the same e-mail twice.
Causes you to send e-mail to wrong person.
Causes you to forward e-mail to the person who sent it.
Causes you to forget to attach the attachment.
Causes you to hit ‘Send’ before you’ve finished.
Causes to hit ‘Delete’ instead of ‘Send’
And perhaps the most dangerous causes you to hit ‘Send’ when you intended to
hit ‘Delete.’
A Crisis in the Home by Chris Coulton
They’ve acquired a new carer at the home here.
He’s willing and his name is Keith.
This week he was on nights though,
And he mixed up the old dear’s teeth.
Mrs Brown’s now resembling Trigger,
For the set that she won was large,
She can masticate but carefully,
If the consistency is soft as marge!
Old Fred got a loose set of molars,
Whose they were, we can never be sure,
He has a job clinging onto these dentures,
And they keep ending on the floor.
Old Ethel won fangs much like Draculas,
She’s a sight now that has to be seen.
The kids borrowed her on Friday,
To take out for Halloween!
Yes it’s certainly created a crisis,
Thankfully nobody made a fuss.
They were too busy having a raffle,
For a spare unclaimed hernia truss!
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I have been a member of The Forum since it’s beginning.
I have always enjoyed the event at The Place but felt I had to tell you how
much I enjoyed the last meeting.
The young people who gave their time
to entertain and inform us were an absolute delight.
Special mention
should be made of the Police Choir, they were a joy to listen to.
Please continue the good work.
Helen Thompson
Why Risk the Stranger at Your Door?
There is a great concern in the Care and Mobility Industry about some of the tactics used by some ‘Direct
Sellers’ that advertise in the National Press. There are many adverts claiming the lowest prices, the lightest
weights on scooters and how you can get free magazines or leaflets just by phoning a freephone number.
The common theme with most of these adverts is they don’t tell you how much the product is and they
insist on your home phone number (possibly even to sell on)!
Of course, once you ask for that leaflet or magazine they have your name and address and will often follow
up with a ‘cold call’ to pressure sell you the product and often at highly inflated prices.
Once sold, often the back up support is virtually nil with just a national number to contact.
The Alternative
Choose a local company like Ableworld that is showroom based, (rather than a direct seller or a
“one man band” Market Trader) & clearly advertise their prices.
A company that is fully recognised by the National Accreditation Body (Backed by NAEP & the
BHTA) as a community Equipment Dispenser.
All their staff have to be CRB checked before visiting your home & they have stringent Codes of
Conduct & Training. Only one Retailer in the area has these strict standards – Ableworld.
Ginger Honey Buns
8oz. SR Flour
2oz. Margarine
½ - 1 teaspoon ground ginger
2oz. Sugar
2 tablespoons clear honey
1 egg
2oz. Sultanas or dried fruit
Little milk
Preheat the oven to 200°C Gas Mark 6. Grease 2 baking trays. Sift the
flour with the ginger. Rub in the margarine, add the sugar, honey, dried
fruit and egg. Mix well.
Gradually add enough milk tomake a sticky dough
that stands up in peaks.
Put spoonfuls on the baking trays and bake in the
oven for 12 - 15 minutes until golden and firm. Cool on a wire rack.
Texting for the Over 70’s
ATD
BFF
BTW
FWIW
GGPBL
GHA
IMHO
WAITT
CTTF
At the doctors
Best friends funeral
Bring the wheelchair
Forgot where I was
Gotta go pacemaker battery low
Got heartburn again
Is my hearing aid on?
Who am I talking to?
Come to the Forum
Discharge from Hospital
HAVE YOU BEEN IN HOSPITAL IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS?
If you have been discharged from Hospital anytime during the last 6 months;
or you know anyone who has, then we would like to invite you to take part in
a survey that the Senior Citizens Forum are collating.
Many of our members have raised concerns through our Health and Social
Care action group regarding the way in which they have been discharged
from hospital and as this is now under review by the local Health Authority it
is a good time to make the views of our members heard.
The purpose of our project is to identify the real life experiences of people
who have been recently discharged from hospital. We hope that by bringing
together these experiences we will be able to help make improvements to the
discharge system both locally and perhaps nationally. Our aim is to find out
as much as possible about the current experiences of patients discharged
from hospital who live in Telford and Wrekin; even though they may have
been discharged from a hospital outside this boundary.
All information given will be strictly confidential
We will make our final report available to Telford & Wrekin Primary Care
Trust, the Borough of Telford and Wrekin, West Midlands Strategic Heath
Authority and interested local organisations such as Link.
If you can help by completing a simple questionnaire either through the post,
over the telephone or by a face to face visit in your own home from one of
our volunteers then please contact the office who will make the
arrangements. If there is no one to take your call, please leave your name
and telephone number on the answer phone, we will call you back as soon as
we are able to.
Age UK is inviting older people who have had experience of care in
a hospital or care home to submit evidence to the new Commission
on Improving Dignity in Care
The Commission on Improving Dignity in Care will investigate those aspects
of care that are given to meet immediate physical needs such as for eating
and drinking, washing and toileting, the need to be treated with compassion
and kindness and for good
communication.
The Commission aims to understand what older people and their carers want
and expect, establish what really works to improve care, identify good
practice from across health and social care and make recommendations for
improving care for everyone.
We are now inviting older people and their carers and relatives to tell us
about their recent experience of care in a hospital or care home.
If your experience was good, please tell us what made it good. If it was bad,
how could it be improved?
Please tell us your story in no more than 3,000 words and send it to:
Margit Physant, Age UK, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9
NA, or by email to
Margit.Physant@ageuk.org.uk
We need to hear from you by the end of Monday, 19 September, 2011.
We will ask permission before using any names in any public documents. You
will receive an acknowledgement of your submission, but please note that we
cannot respond to your letter or take on your case.
The Commission will gather information from written and oral evidence and is
due to report the findings next Spring.
For further information about the Commission on Improving Dignity in Care,
please visit www.nhsconfed.org/dignity
One of the many things no one tells you about ageing is that it is such a nice
change from being young. Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is
comfortable.
200 Club
The last 200 Club draw for 2011 will take place at the October Forum and
once again 5 lucky winners will have the opportunity to win a cash prize of
either £25 or £100.
July winners were:
£100 Ken Buttress
£25
£25
Pauline Paterson
£25
£25
John Dixon
Carol Atterbury
Frank Curry
The 200 club has raised £556 for the Forum this year and paid out prize
money of £800.
Opportunities to purchase numbers for the 4 draws in 2012 will be offered
in advance of the January
Forum and those wishing to retain their
numbers from this year will be able to do so within a certain time limit.
Details and application forms will be sent out with the December Newsletter.
If you wish to purchase them prior to this date then please contact the office
for further details.
Concessionary Coach Travel to be Cut
The Government has announced that it is to stop funding half price coach
travel for the over 60’s on 31st October 2011. To register your protest
please write to your MP. A letter you can use is on-line at
http://f.chtah.com/i/42/225529829/letter_copy.doc
Adult Care and Support Directory of Services 2011-2012
The Telford & Wrekin Adult Care and Support Directory of Services, which is a
high quality, easy to use document, has been produced to provide
information, signposting and contact details for services within adult care and
support, voluntary and advocacy organisations and others.
It gives people information about:
 services provided by adult social services
 residential and nursing homes
 helping you to stay independent
 which care home might be right for you
 keeping people safe
 care in your own home
 housing options
 voluntary and advocacy organisations
If you would like a copy posted or emailed to you, call the Social Care Access
team on 01952 381280, or email access.team@telford.gov.uk
Shropshire & Mid Wales Cancer Service Users Forum
A Letter from the Chair, Sian Hallewell
Our forum is a group of patients and carers working together with professionals to
improve the cancer services in
Shropshire and Mid Wales. We have been running
since 1998.
As a forum we represent the voice of the cancer patient and ask
questions and give opinions to the Shrewsbury & Telford hospital (SATH).
The forum is open to all cancer patients and their carers and we are able to reimburse
the cost of travel and parking
expenses so you won’t be out of pocket if you choose
to join us.
It’s up to each individual how involved they get.
Recently we produced a care booklet for breast patients, which has been well received
and we are now looking to produce a similar booklet for prostate patients.
Having
seen from the National Cancer Patient Experience survey that overall only 60% of
cancer patients were told they could get free prescriptions we designed a poster
advertising this.
We are currently looking at exercise for cancer patients to meet the needs of cancer
patients and provided in a safe and supportive environment
If you want to see our objectives for this year, find a support group, maybe look at
the results of the National Cancer
Patient Experience Survey all that and more is on
our new web site www.cancerforum.org.uk
If you want to chat to us about what we do, or to suggest an area of work then please
give us a call 07504 120315 or email: cancerforum@hotmail.co.uk or use the contact
us form on our web site www.cancerforum.org.uk we would love to hear from you.
This Newsletter is entirely independent and is not tied to any political party.
Information is to the best of our knowledge correct at the time of going to press but
no liability will accepted for any errors or omissions. The inclusion of an article in
the Newsletter does not necessarily imply a recommendation of its aims, policies or
methods.
Contact Us
Phone Anne-Marie or Chris on 01952 211410.
Email: enquiries@tandwseniors.org.uk
Website: www.tandwseniors.org.uk