News and Events - January/February 2012

Age Concern is the UK's largest organisation working for and with older people

Hints and tips for the winter season

Stay moving: Keeping active generates heat and helps to keep you warm. It’s good for general fitness and wellbeing too. So when you’re indoors, try not to sit still for more than an hour. Get up and walk around, make yourself a warm drink, and spread any chores throughout the day. Chair-based exercises and simply moving your arms and legs and wiggling your toes are helpful if walking is difficult. Continued below...

Hints and tips for the winter season continued

Eat well: Hot meals and drinks help keep you warm, so eat at least one hot meal and have hot drinks during the day. Include a good range of foods in your diet and aim for five portions of fruit and vegetables each day so that you’re getting plenty of nutrients and vitamins. Remember that frozen vegetables are as good as fresh. Having a hot drink before bed and keeping a hot drink in a flask by the bed are good ideas too.

Have a seasonal flu jab: If you’re over 65 be sure to have a seasonal flu jab. Seasonal flu viruses are always changing, so you need to have a jab every year, using the latest vaccine. Flu is not only unpleasant but it can develop into pneumonia, which can be serious. A flu jab is also recommended if you’re under 65 with a condition such as diabetes, a chronic heart, lung, kidney or liver problem, have Parkinson’s or have had a stroke.

Keep your home warm: Most of us spend a lot of time indoors in winter, so it’s important that you are comfortable and safe. One tip is to close the curtains and fit thermal linings if you can. This will help to keep the heat in.

For more helpful tips and advice for staying warm and healthy this winter, download our guide below.

Winter wrapped up guide

Local Matters

Following our chief officers sponsored walk of Hadrians Wall the North Derbyshire Home Improvement Agency have on our behalf started to visit older peoples homes to carry out home safety checks and the fitting of Digital thermal alarms. These alarms are able to alert the occupants when the temperature of their homes falls below 18c and is likely to be injurious to health.

Rogue Traders

Reports have been received that older people in our area are being telephoned by companies who are offering free home safety and electrical checks. Having made an appointment the representative then visits the home and conducts a supposed safety checks and claims falsely that an exorbitant amount of work needs doing. The representative takes a deposit from the householder before they leave.

These matters are being investigated by Derbyshire County Council trading standards but in the meantime I would urge everyone to be alert and suspicious of persons obtaining entry to their homes and particularly when they are approached by telephone offering a FREE service

Derbyshire County Council operate a very good Trusted Trader scheme where genuine tradesmen and suppliers from our area are carefully vetted before approval

Derbyshire Trusted trader scheme can be accessed by telephone on 08456 058 058
OR by a search on their website at

www.derbyshire.gov.uk/community/trusted_trader/

Appeal for Volunteers

In order to address a number of vacancies we urgently require volunteers in order to assist us with the following services:

Care Line – Telephone befriending service
Information / Advice assistants
Office Administration

Full training will be given in all roles and the opportunity to earn an NVQ qualification in Customer Service will be offered to suitable candidates.

Out of pocket expenses will be paid.

For more details or an informal chat please contact any member of staff either by a visit to our office or by telephone on 01246 273333.

Our contact details are:
Age Concern Chesterfield and District
87 New Square
Chesterfield
S40 1AH

Telephone: 01246 273333
Fax: 01246 520879
Email: enquiries@ageconcernchesterfield.org.uk