The Elder July 2016 (Home Instead newsletter)

Home Instead

York & Ryedale newsletter

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Stay young at heart

Finding ways to stay young at heart, stimulated and busy, is very important for seniors. Believe it or not, there are proven health benefits of social interaction in older adults including lower blood pressure and reduced risk for mental health issues such as depression.

On the other hand, social isolation carries real risks. Some of these risks are feelings of loneliness and depression, high blood pressure and decline in mobility.

Stay in touch with friends and family: Try to visit with friends and family regularly. Although staying in touch in person is important, phone calls, snail mail and e-mail can keep you connected, too. If you’re not yet comfortable with computers, ask a young relative, friend or neighbour to help you.

Volunteer in your community: Helping others is a fantastic way to give something back to the community and remind yourself that even later in life, you, too, have something to offer.

Visit a senior centre: Many local centres have fun and engaging activities for seniors to participate in—this is a great way to make new friends, get out of the house, and do something fun!

Join a group: Your local library is a good resource that may have details of local groups available. Also, your local council can give you details of courses or groups that you may be interested in trying.

Join a gym or fitness centre: This is a great way to stay physically fit and engage with others.

Staying socially active and maintaining your relationships are an important part of healthy aging.

Reach out to your loved ones – neighbours, friends, family members – and stay as vibrant, active, and social as you’ve always been.

July 2016

Where to get help and support if you are caring for someone with dementia It’s natural to worry about your loved ones who may be living with dementia, but it’s important to remember that you’re not alone.

The NHS, voluntary organisations, support groups and online are all great resources that provide sound advice and support.

If you are concerned that a loved one may have dementia, it is important to encourage them to go and

visit their GP, who will be able to advise you and help you to seek a diagnosis.

We have put together a list of some useful agencies and organisations that can provide support and guidance for people caring for someone with dementia.

Alzheimer’s Society: www.alzheimers.org.uk Alzheimer’s Research UK: www.alzheimersresearchuk.org Age UK: www.ageuk.org.uk Dementia UK: www.dementiauk.org Dementia Carer: www.dementiacarer.net Carers Trust: www.carers.org Dementia Friends: www.dementiafriends.org.uk Dementia Forward (based in Ripon and York) Tel: 01904 692473 www.dementiaforward.org.uk If you have any concerns which you cannot find answers for, make sure to please get in touch with your GP. Remember, there is help for anyone who needs support.

Nationally Home Instead has partnered with the National Trading Standards Scams Team to help protect senior people who can be particularly vulnerable to this type of crime. Locally Karen and Roisheen have been rolling out presentations on Scams and Fraud to elderly communities across York. They have been able to distribute Home Instead’s new Senior Fraud Protection Toolkit and the Think Jessica charity’s booklet called Watch out for Scams. If you know a group who would be interested in having a presentation or you would like a copy of the Home Instead Senior Fraud Protection Toolkit, then give Karen a ring on 01904 690884.

Karen Skouras

Stopping unwanted telephone calls If you don’t want to receive marketing calls, sign up your home phone and mobile to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). It takes about 28 days for calls to stop. It’s then illegal for firms in the UK and the rest of the EU to call those who’ve registered, unless you’d opted in to receive them.

To register your number with the service you can go to the website tpsonline.org.uk or call 0345 070 0707. Registering won’t stop every

call but being on it means you’ll no longer receive cold calls from more reputable companies although it’s unlikely to deter rogue firms.

TPS also won’t stop automated messages – no matter how legiti­mate the company is. If you’re receiv­ing recorded messages and you haven’t given prior permission for these, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on 0303 123 1113. Give it as much info as

you can, including the organisation’s name (if you’ve got it), the number the call came from, the date and time, and what they were trying to sell.

You can also stop unsolicited and unwanted mail through the Mail Preferential Service (MPS). You can sign up via the MPS website www.mpsonline.org.uk.

Registering with both these services is FREE.

Fire Safety Support for Senior Citizens

Read and reminisce together Read and reminisce together is a reading group for people with dementia and their family and carers which meets at York Explore on the second Wednesday of every month at 10.30 am. For further information, contact the Alzheimer’s Society yorkservices@alzheimers.org.uk or telephone 01904 658106.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue service have identified that some elderly people may be particularly at risk from fire due to health problems or reduced mobility. Approximately half of those killed by fires in the home are aged 65 or over. Poor mobility, poor sense of smell and a reduced tolerance of smoke and burns contribute to fatalities. Major sources of ignition include cookers, smoking materials, candles, coal fires, heaters and electric blankets.

Elderly people smoking in bed or falling asleep in a chair with a lighted cigarette have resulted in a number of fatalities. The problem is particularly acute for those who live alone.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has therefore identified elderly and vulnerable people as a top priority for action. This includes publicity campaigns and direct interventions, where they will carry out a free home safety visit then provide and fit smoke alarms which will enhance the safety of the individual.

If you’d like a referral card to request a FREE Home Safety Visit, please give the Home Instead office a ring on 01904 690884 and we will send one out to you. Alternatively, you can ring the Fire Safety Advice line on 01609 788545.

FIRE

Burnby Hall ‘a jewel in Yorkshire’s crown’ If you’re thinking about a day out, have a look at Burnby Hall Gardens situated in Pocklington, on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds. These unique Yorkshire Gardens have been described as “a jewel in Yorkshire’s crown” and have been awarded the prestigious Yorkshire in Bloom Gold

If you still love reading but find it difficult to get to your local library, then York’s Explore Home Library Service offers you the chance to get the books you love to read delivered straight to your door.

You can choose from a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction in a range of different formats including regular print, large print and audio books.

These will be delivered to your home on a regular basis and all you need to do is give them a ring and they will make an appointment to visit when it’s convenient for you.

Award for six consecutive years (2010-2015).

The Upper and Lower Lakes are home to a National Collection of over 100 varieties of hardy Water Lilies, and offer a wonderful array of changing vistas. The Gardens also include a Rockery, Stumpery, a Victorian Garden, Secret Garden, formal beds and natural shrubbery.

Burnby Hall Gardens are often referred to as “a haven of beauty and tranquillity” and were the inspiration of Major Percy Marlborough Stewart. He was an amazing man who made eight round the world tours between 1906 and 1926. The Stewart Museum within the Gardens is dedicated to his extraordinary life and contains the fascinating artefacts he brought back to Pocklington.

The Lilypad Cafe offers a wide range of refreshments and there is a beautiful gift shop.

To find out more about events visit www.burnbyhallgardens.com Telephone: 01759 307125

York Explore Home Library Service They can also show you how you can read the library selection of e-books and listen to audio books using the Explore e-library on a tablet computer. Don’t worry if you don’t have a tablet computer or the internet, as they can loan you one preloaded with eBooks.

Contact Sarah Wallis, telephone: 07469378205 Email: sarah.wallis@exploreyork.org.uk

Protect yourself from Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a bone condition and literally means ‘porous bones‘ and is often referred to as the fragile bone disease. The effect of the condition is that bones lose their strength and are more likely to break. One in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 experience fractures, mostly as a result of low bone strength.

Although fragility fractures caused by osteoporosis can happen in various parts of the body, the wrists, hips and spine are the most commonly affected sites.

Home Instead Senior Care 10 Clifton Moor Business Village James Nicolson Link, Clifton Moor York YO30 4XG Telephone: 01904 690884 Email: info@hiscyork.co.uk Web: www.homeinstead.co.uk/york

There are things you can do to reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis and these include healthy living, exercise, plenty of sunshine (a bit tricky here!) and vitamin D which can all help in keeping our bones strong.

The National Osteoporosis Society which is now in its 30th year has a great range of free booklets and fact sheets including Exercise and Osteoporosis, Healthy Living for Strong Bones and Osteoporosis in Men which you can look at on their

web site at www.nos.org.uk or call their helpline on 0808 800 0035.

www.facebook.com/homeinsteadyork @homeinsteadyork www.instagram.com/homeinsteadyork www.youtube.com/YorkHomeInstead “Each Home Instead Senior Care® franchise office is independently owned and operated.”