Trafalgar Court: Older people living alone in the community urged to take extra care in the cold weather
PRESS RELEASE
January 2016
OLDER PEOPLE LIVING ALONE URGED TO TAKE CARE IN COLD WEATHER
A retirement housing scheme in Whalley Range is today urging older people living alone in the community to take extra care in the cold weather.
Following a level-2 cold weather alert from the Met Office, Katrina Dempster Scheme Manager from Anchor Trafalgar Court on Withington Road will be taking extra steps to ensure that her residents stay warm and safe this winter.
Katrina has warned that risks of falling among older people are high in the cold weather.
She said: “Anchor is urging the wider community to keep a close eye on elderly neighbours and their older relatives who may live alone and are more vulnerable in the cold weather.
“We recommend older people have regular hot drinks and eat at least one hot meal a day if possible. Eating regularly helps to keep up energy levels up during winter.
“Wrap up warm and wear several light layers of warm clothes. Wear footwear with a good grip if you need to go outside on cold days, take extra care if you go out.â€
For more information on Trafalgar Court, call 0800 731 2020 or visit www.anchor.org.uk.
Ends
Notes to editors:
About Anchor
Anchor is a charity and England largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care to older people, serving 40,000 customers across the country. Formed in 1968 as Help the Aged (Oxford) Housing Association, it adopted the name Anchor in 1975 and opened its first care home seven years later. Today, it provides retirement housing to rent and to buy, retirement villages and residential care homes, including specialist dementia care, from more than 1,000 locations across England.
Age UK: Winter wrapped up
Preparing for winter
Cold weather can be a worry for those of us in later life. As we get older, our bodies respond differently and this can leave us more vulnerable in cold weather.
But with a little preparation, and by following some simple suggestions, we can help ourselves to stay healthy, safe and as comfortable as possible in winter. More suggestions can be found in our Winter Wrapped Up guide.
Keeping warm both inside and outside your home can help reduce your risk of serious health problems that are more common in the colder months, such as chest infections, heart attacks and strokes.
Getting ready for the cold weather – which can start as early as October – means that youre more likely to keep warm and well.
Here are some things you can do to stay safe and ward off the winter chills:
- Get your heating system serviced every year by a qualified engineer to ensure it’s running safely and efficiently.
- Never block air vents and if you have wood-burning, coal or gas heaters make sure there adequate ventilation.
- If water pipes freeze they can burst. Make sure you know where the main stopcock is and check that it’s easy to turn so you can turn off the water if you need to.
- Have your electric blanket serviced at least every three years.
- Make sure your smoke alarm is working. You can ask your local fire service to check your home for fire safety. It free and you may be eligible to get free smoke alarms fitted.
- Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm in each room that has a gas appliance.
- Make sure you claim all the financial support you can to help with heating bills.
- Dress in plenty of layers and make sure you have warm shoes or boots with non-slip soles.
- Keep a mixture of salt and sand handy to put on steps or paths in icy weather.
- Consider fitting a grab rail if you have steps at your front or back door.
- Keep simple cold, flu and sore throat remedies in the house.
- Follow up your GP invitation to have a flu jab.
- Order repeat prescriptions in plenty of time, particularly if bad weather is forecast.
- Ask your local pharmacy if they offer a prescription pick-up and delivery service.
- Keep basic food items in the cupboard or freezer in case it too cold to go shopping. You could also do your food shopping online and get it delivered to your door.
- Eat healthily and keep as active as possible.
- Ask your family, neighbours or friends if they could call or visit you more often.
- Keep a battery-operated radio, torch and spare batteries handy in case there a power cut. Keep your mobile phone, laptop or tablet fully charged so you can use the battery power if there no electricity.
- Keep a list of emergency numbers, such as your utility companies, by your phone.
For more information about how to prepare for winter, download our free information guide Winter wrapped up.
Did Muslim soldiers really fight for Britain in WW1?
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Whalley Range News & Events Newsletter
Read the latest issue here: N and E January 2016
Happy New Year!
Rainbows looking for Volunteers in Whalley Range
Deaf Black Minority Ethnic Project
The team are also seeking a speaker for this event!
Please get in touch if you can help!
Deaf Education Advocacy Fellowship (DEAF) is very excited to announce the launch of the Deaf Black Minority Ethnic Project.
This project aims to provide an opportunity for the BME communities of Trafford and the wider Greater Manchester area to engage and receive accessible information on core issues in the area. The project hopes to raise awareness of services and facilities that can improve the lives of deaf and black ethnic minorities who live in the area.
Do you live in the Trafford or Greater Manchester area?
Would you like to be part of a network of people supporting BME issues?
The sessions will offer a unique opportunity to access information; meet other people and watch presentations by brilliant guest speakers whom we have organised.
Different topics will be discussed at each session and those attending will decide what is on the agenda for each session.
For example, housing issues, domestic violence, social care, disability services, learning disability support, hate crime, family support, counselling, isolation and social activities. The session will also be able to sign post you to find the right services within Trafford/Greater Manchester.
Deaf BME individuals and communities traditionally have faced many barriers preventing access to information and services, in-part due to communication needs not being met. In working with multi-cultural groups, we aim to break down and remove these barriers, providing more knowledge and awareness. We are an organisation that strongly believes that Deaf people from diverse and different cultures should have access to information without feeling isolated or ignored.
Our BME service has a well established three year track record of running projects which provide services and events on a monthly basis. We also provide services for Education, Employment, Benefits, and Welfare to Work.
Please click on the link below which explains all about the BME project and you can see the British Sign Language Video with audio:
http://www.deaf-fellowship.org/trafford-deaf-bme-project/
Hosting our session on Friday 22nd January 2016, 2.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m. at Harry Lord House, Humphrey Road, Stretford, Manchester M16 9DF.
Please email or text 07544 310 458 with any queries or concerns and to reserve your place.
Junior Adminstrator
Abdullah Patel
E-mail: Abdullah@deaf-fellowship.org
Web: www.Deaf-fellowship.org
Phone: 0161 945 6058
Time to Change Self Help Group
A Handbook for Cultural Engagement with Older Men
The presence of older men within activities at the Whitworth, or lack of, has been apparent for some time.
Despite being in Manchester, a city known nationally and internationally for its Age Friendly credentials, older men still fall into a minority within such activities at the gallery.
Through conversations with fellow programmers from other cultural organisations, big and small, it became clear this was not just a problem in Manchester.
http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=24251
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/learn/adults/agefriendly/