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Silver Sunday

It’s Silver Sunday on 6th October.  Silver Sunday is a national day where people of all generations can come together by hosting fun and free activities for older people. It is a day to meet new people, visit new places, try new activities and connect with local communities and other generations.As last year, we are hosting an event on Saturday 12 October at St Mary and St John the Divine, Balham, SW12 9BS, with board games and lunch.  It’s free to join in and there will be a chanc...

Got that 'back to school' vibe?

September is a time for new beginnings, just like January, as it has the back-to-school vibe that is inescapable even if you don’t have children or grandchildren in the education system.   It’s a time to start on things you have been putting off and generally just get going on your own home projects.So, if you would like to start decluttering, now is a good time!  If you are looking at it and wondering where to start then we recommend the following:Start small, one cupboard or...

Test your heating!

If you read our blog last month about getting your boiler service done in the summer, you are well ahead.  Assuming you got it serviced last month, you should be good to go.  But it’s still good to test your heating before you need it, in case you have any radiator or leak issues you weren’t aware of, or if you didn’t get your boiler serviced over the summer.  Last year we didn’t follow our own advice for the first time ever, and then had a problem with the thermostat conn...

Dealing with your loved one's possessions after death

When someone passes away it can be a very traumatic time for family and friends, even if the death was expected, and dealing with a loved one’s possessions can be a very emotional task.   Once any items in the will have been distributed, you can ask other family and friends if there is anything they want.  If there are more valuable items in the property they may fall into the estate to be valued, and so it is important that you follow the solicitors’ instructions for disposin...

What is Careline?

Careline is a personal alarm service used throughout the care industry to help people live independently.  Most people have a pendant or watch device which is remotely attached to a phone line and can dial when you press the pendant to alert loved ones, or call a carer or the emergency services, depending on how it is set up.  There are also more sophisticated versions which can be worn as watches, and can detect automatically if you fall. This is also the case with certain versions of...

Top tips for WhatsApp as you get older

If after last week’s blog you decided to get WhatsApp, you might need some lessons in how to use it.  We have some tips for you to make it easier.If someone sends you a message that you want to find again you can star it (by tapping and holding the message and then selecting 'star').  And then in the chat for that person you can click on the three dots at the top of the screen and go to view contact where you’ll find the starred messages.Sometimes you know someone sent you a link a...

Using WhatsApp to Keep in Touch

Why is WhatsApp good to use to keep in touch? If you have a mobile and you’re not using WhatsApp, then it might be an idea to think about using it, especially if you have grandchildren and even more so if they live abroad.  Why is it a good idea?Send and receive photos and videos easily using WiFiTalk to your family and friends abroad free over WiFiUse the groups feature to get lots of people’s news or discussions in one go, for instance with all the different members of your famil...

Community help in retirement

Not everyone has friends and family nearby to help them in retirement.  However, there are other resources available to help:Age UK  https://www.ageuk.org.uk/ is a UK-wide charity which has various support options available including footcare, shopping, handyman, driving, lunches and activity centres.   All these services differ from area to area so check with your local Age UK office.u3a  https://www.u3a.org.uk/ gives you opportunities to develop your interests, make ne...

Deciding to move into a care home

Making the decision to go into a care home is never an easy decision.  In-home care is a great alternative, but it doesn’t work for everyone.  If you need to go into a care setting these are some things to look for when assessing the options:Activities -  if you love singing, but they don’t do this, will they add it?  If you love art and can no longer get to exhibitions, do they do something to cater for this?  Have a look at the breadth of activities and whether the...

Get your boiler serviced in the summer!

It’s July, and your heating system is probably far from your mind.  But now is a good time to get your system serviced.  Find out why:  Boiler companies are less busy from April through to August and they are able to book you in at a time of your choosing.Many (not all) charge less to do the service in the summer, offering discounts because they are less busy and want to keep their work force on the road.If they find something that needs replacing, there will be more availa...

Going on holiday as you get older

As you get older there is the sweet irony that you have more time to go on holiday but actually going might be becoming more and more difficult.  So here are some tips to get the best from your holiday:Make sure you get insurance that covers any illnesses or conditions that you have had.  It doesn’t pay to scrimp on insurance.  As you get older there is more chance you might need it and you don’t want to find you’re stuck abroad without the ability to sort out any issues.Mak...

Why might you want to move in later life?

We help many different types of people move home, not just older people.  Most of our older people are downsizing because they recognise their home is the wrong size or type for them and their lifestyle.    But we do get older people who move to a different area and they don’t always downsize when they do that.   Just because you are older doesn’t mean you have to downsize when you move.  You can take everything with you to another home the same size but in...

Driving as you get older

As you get older you may find that you use your car less, but want to keep hold of it to maintain your independence.   Your loved ones might be trying to persuade you to give up the car and you don’t want to. When friends and family suggest giving up driving it’s because they are worried about you and also about other road users.   There may be a medical reason that means you have to give up driving, but if there isn’t one, it might be that your family have noticed...

Decluttering for Hoarders

Decluttering is difficult for anyone and it’s even harder for hoarders.  Hoarding is related to difficult experiences and feelings and it is not possible for a hoarder to ‘just get rid of things’.  Counselling is recommended before commencing any decluttering otherwise the anxiety and pain for the hoarder will be very high and it will be difficult to make any progress towards the end goal.   We have found that having a very specific reason to take a step to declutt...

Internet banking

Most of us do internet banking these days, but if we are older we may not have got into that, or we might distrust it and feel that it is too difficult to learn now.  However, if you have set up internet banking it makes it easier to pay people and to check your balances.  You can also move money around and review standing orders and direct debits more easily. It can of course make you more vulnerable to scams, but these can happen even when you just have a credit or debit card to hand...

Stay hydrated

As you get older you need to drink more water to keep hydrated to compensate for your body’s decrease in its ability to retain water, and to prevent various health issues that become more common with age such as constipation, UTIs, and cognitive impairment.Here are a few ways to do this:Drink water throughout the day:  Sip it regularly even if you don’t feel thirsty and try and aim for 2 litres of water a day by breaking it down into small glasses.Include hydrating foods in your diet li...

Attendance allowance

Have you heard of Attendance Allowance? It is a government benefit that helps with extra costs if you are over state pension age and need someone to help look after you.It might be that you feel you don’t need financial support now, but it is a non-means tested benefit, and it might be something that you could be very pleased you have in the future if you need to pay for carers or a stair-lift, for example.  Or it could be something you could use now to pay for taxis if you can no lo...

How to file!

This is a repost of our video from 2022, how to file!Keep your filing system simple – avoid using folders where you need to punch holes to file.Use different colours for different types of paperwork to help make it easy to find things.Do your filing either as you get it or save it all in one place and do it once a quarter or so. One Stop Organisers:  Here to help your older loved ones live their best lives....

Trades

Most tradespeople are honest and trustworthy but it doesn’t matter what our age, we’ve all had a tradesperson who didn’t care, or who was in a rush to do some work for us.  And I bet we didn’t follow them up on each of those visits.  Imagine then if we ended up with someone who was a bit of a wrong ‘un!  How would we deal with that?  And how would you deal with that if you were older?So if you have an older neighbour, look out for them.  They may be living with...

Having a community around you

Many things I’ve read and heard recently herald the importance of having a community around you as you get older.  Those living in isolation tend to live shorter, less happy lives.  A community can be friends and neighbours or people you see all the time.  Here are some examples of community or places where you can find communities in your local area:ChurchAge UKBowling clubTennis clubArts SocietyU3AAnd there will be other more specific places like https://www.wopf.org.uk/our-ev...

Choosing a mobile phone

Do you need to choose a mobile for yourself as an older person or for an older loved one?  Here are our top tips:Is this the first time you’ve had a mobile phone?  If so, consider a phone with just a few apps so it is not overwhelming.  Doro https://www.doro.com/en-gb make phones specifically for seniors and we’ve helped a number of clients get these phones.Don’t like the idea of a Doro phone? Who is the person that will help you get to grips with a mobile?  Get a phone...

Helping you tame your admin

Is your admin out of control?  Do you have papers everywhere?  Do you miss appointments regularly or miss deadlines?  Here are some of our top tips to get back on track, whatever your age.Write it down.  If you use paper and pen, great, but have it in one place.  If you are embracing digital technology then here are some places to keep track of to do lists:a.      Evernote https://evernote.com/b.      Todoist https://app....

Planning for the inevitable

The inevitable will happen to all of us and it’s good to get planning and talking about it before we go.  The inevitable might be that your attorneys need to act for you or help you during your lifetime or it might be information for your executors when you die.  There are some great resources available and we wanted to let you know of the ones we like:For attorneys and executorsPeace of Mind Planner – a comprehensive workbook to fill in containing details that anyone dealing with ...

Getting Care At Home

So, you’ve decided that the best thing for your loved one (or you) is to get some help with care at home.  It could be help with meals, or with personal care, cleaning or companionship, or a mixture of all of these things.  If you have more than £23,250 in savings you have to pay for the care yourself.*We’ve noticed that lots of people seem to think that those providing care at home are expensive, intimating that the extra costs involved rather than privately paying a carer, arenâ...

How to effectively deal with post

Do you find you get post that you don’t deal with?  It is very boring after all! You do need to open it so it doesn’t get lost, but you don’t need to deal with it straight away.  Here’s our video from last year and three top tips:Open envelopes on the day you get the postFlatten the post and throw the envelope awayEither deal with it or file it there and then or put the contents in a magazine file to file or deal with later. For more information on how and why we recommend the ...