Age Concern Suffolk’s Local Link Scheme
Your Local Link volunteer for Age Concern Suffolk in the Parish of Barking is Mabs Harrison
“The main part of my role is a ‘link’ between older
people in our community and Age Concern Suffolk. As a Local
Link Volunteer I can provide you with useful telephone
numbers and information that may be helpful to older people
and/or older relatives. Age Concern Suffolk will send me their
quarterly newsletter which will be available if you wish to see it.
For more information, please contact me on 01449 720639
or email: stonamby@btopenworld.com
Mabs Harrison
Barking Chestnut Club
The club is affiliated to Age Concern, Suffolk, and members are
kept up to date with information relevant to their personal situations.
The Chestnut Club contact number is: Tony Harrison 01449 720639
Email: stonamby@btopenworld.com
If my body were a car ...
this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model.
I,ve got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job
is getting a little dull, but that's not the worst of it ...
My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up
close. My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip, slide, skid
and bump into things, even in the best of weather. My whitewalls are
stained with varicose veins. It takes me hours to reach my maximun speed,
my fuel rate burns inefficiently. But here's the worst of it .. almost every
time I sneeze, cough or splutter, either my radiator leaks or
my exhaust backfires!
Speedy Sausage Supper Recipe
Quantity serves 1 (multiply by number of hungry people)
Ingredients:
2 lean pork sausages
1 rasher rindless smokey bacon
A splash of corn oil
Half an onion
1 small clove of garlic (leave out if you prefer)
100g canned and well drained kidney beans
100g canned and well drained butter beans
Small tin (or cup) canned chopped tomatoes
Sprinkle of dried mixed herbs
1 tsp wholegrain mustard (or plain will do)
1 level tblsp tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Cut sausages into 1" pieces and dice bacon. Heat oil in flameproof casserole,
fry sausages and bacon over moderate heat for 8 mins, turning frequently
until golden.
2. Meanwhile, peel and slice onion. Peel and crush garlic.
3. Remove sausages and bacon from casserole, drain on kitchen paper and put
to one side. Pour off most of fat, add onion and garlic, cooking for a few
minutes until softened.
4. Stir tomatoes and juice into onion, add herbs, mustard and tomatoe puree.
Add splash of water, bring to boil, sitrring, then add drained beans.
5. Return sausages and bacon to casserole, season, reduce heat, cover and
cook gently for 10 - 15 mins, or until sausages are cooked through.
To serve:
Have with whatever you fancy. A green vegetable with either crusty
bread or a baked potato would be very nice.
Enjoy!!
About Scams …
Have you been targeted by a scam? Received a winning lottery letter out of the blue? A prize draw notification or a telesales call making an offer which is too good to be true? You are not alone! Latest figures show that an increasing number of us are falling for scams by unscrupulous traders determined to try and dupe us out of our cash. The following are some of the most common scams and some helpful hints and common sense questions to ask yourself if you suspect a scam:
Foreign lottery/prize draws/sweepstakes making claims of attractive winnings? Stop and think – did you enter in the first place? If not, chances are this is a scam and you haven’t won anything!
Clairvoyant letter promising wealth, good health and fortune in return for money? The tone of some of these letters can be unsettling and seem directly personal to you.
Miracle health cures promising relief from ailments? Often they make exaggerated claims, for example “instant cure for arthritis” “lose weight overnight” or “instant hair re-growth”. The scam is they don’t work!
Unwanted telephone canvassing often selling a wide range of goods and services some of which are perfectly genuine. Usually these calls involve hard selling or befriending techniques with claims such as unbeatable one-off prices available for that day only. Remember, you don’t have to agree to anything you don’t want to, if in doubt – HANG UP!
Unwanted doorstep sellers. There are genuine companies who may call at your door such as meter-readers and water companies. They always carry official identification cards and will not mind it you want to call the contact number to double check before letting them in. Unscrupulous traders call offering “cash only” services. Quite often these turn out to be bogus traders who carry out shoddy work at inflated prices. IF IN DOUBT, SHUT THEM OUT!
All of this may sound quite negative, but don’t despair, help is at hand. First of all, ask yourself a few simple questions:
q Who are you dealing with?
q Have you heard of them before?
q Did you ask them to contact you?
q Are they making you a ”special offer” only available for a very limited time?
q Are they asking you for cash up front, bank details or for you to call a premium rate number?
If the answer to any of these questions still leaves you in any doubt, or you want to speak to an advisor, further help is available from Consumer Direct on 0845 404 0506 (local rate number)
Telephone Preference Service (TPS) 0845 07 007 07
You can register free of charge for this service if you do not want to receive direct marketing phone calls www.tpsonline.org.uk
Mail Preference Service (MPS) MPS Registration line - 0845 703 4599
Some consumers would like to receive less advertising mail at home. The Mail Preference Service (MPS) is designed to assist those consumers in decreasing the amount of national non-profit or commercial mail they receive at home.
Mailing Preference Service (MPS)’ DMA House, 70 Margaret Street, London,
W1W 8SS www.dma.org.uk
Live Long, Live Well
Age Concern has produced a new information pack - ‘Live Long, Live Well’. This free pack is full of useful information about Age Concern, exercise, transport, eating well and much more, and is available now from Age Concern Shops. There is also a sample pack at Barking Village Hall. If you can’t get to the
Age Concern shop, give me a call and I’ll arrange for a pack to be delivered to you.
Living at home … Comfortably
Living independently can be a problem for people as they get older. Age Concern has introduced
the Domestic Support Information Service. It is a one-stop source of information, identifying companies and organisations, as well an individuals working on their own, who carry out a wide range of tasks
to make life easier. If you need someone to do the shopping, launder duvets, ‘spring clean ‘ your house, paint the house, walk the dog, mend a leaking tap, etc. - call Julie or Laura on the
Domestic Support Information Service Help Line 0845 330 0470
About Life Magazine
This magazine is a useful way of getting information to older people in Suffolk. There are nearly
4,000 people already in receipt of this magazine already. If you would like to receive it free of charge, please contact Malcolm Rogers on 01473 288073.
Optua Homecare
Suffolk-based disability charity Optua has launched a brand new homecare service for the disabled people. The aim of this new service, Optua Homecare, is to provide a quality personal care
service to people with disabilities in their own homes, and to support them to increase or maintain
their independence. Anyone can approach Optua Homecare for an assessment to see if it can
provide a service to effectively meet their needs. If anyone would like to know more about Optua Homecare they can call 01394 388588 or email
homecare@optua.org.uk Website: www.optua.org.uk
Safe and Secure
Free Home Security Measures for Mid Suffolk
There are many stories in the local press recently about conmen and distraction burglars operating in this area. Help is at heand for any home owner or private tenant in Mid Suffolk to safeguard themselves agains this menace: the Safe and Secure scheme, provided by Mid Suffolk District Council in partnership with Mid Suffolk Crime Prevention Panel, Suffolk Police, and Age Concern, aims to provide measures to improve home security.The scheme offers these measures at discount proves generally, but will provide them free of charge to any homeowner or tenant who satisfies one of the following:
- Aged 60 or over
- In receipt of income-related benefit such as Council Tax Benef, Income Support, Guaranteed Pension Credit or Housing Benefit
- Has a disability
Typical measures include the following:
- Improved door locks back and front
- Security mortice bolts to the back door
- Door viewer
- Door chain
- Window locks to all ground floor and otherwise easily accessible windows
- Smoke detector with 10-year life battery
- Security lighting where apporpriate to the front entrance
- Shed locks and shed window bars
To apply or for further information, please contact Customer Service Direct on 0844 800 0101 and ask for Safe and Secure, or ring Age Concern on 01473 257039 and we will send you a leaflet.
Age Concern Suffolk launches a new Independence Advisors Service
Age Concern Suffolk’s latest project to help older people living at home provides trained, friendly Independence Advisors across Suffolk who will visit anyone over the age of 65 in their home.
Are you concerned about your ability to remain independent at home?
Would you like an Independence Advisor to have a chat with you at home and give you advice and information about the range of help that may be available in your area?
If we can help you or any older person that you know, please call or write to:
Marsha Janssens (Service Manager)
Tel: (01473) 288048
Age Concern Suffolk
8 Northgate Street
Ipswich
IP1 3BZ
email: marsha.janssens@ageconcernsuffolk.org.uk