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17 February 2012
A scenario, from today’s Daily Telegraph should give the Government sleepless nights!!! The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that of the 17.5 years that a typical man spends in retirement, only ten of these are “healthy” years.

For a woman, just 11.5 of the 20 years she spends in retirement are healthy. This means that every pensioner spends almost a decade with fading health, heaping pressure on already-stretched NHS resources. Currently one in six people in Britain is over 65 increasing to almost one in four by 2051. On top of this, the ONS said that people are living for longer.
Life expectancy for a man will rise to just over 90 by 2051, from around 86 today.
For a woman, life expectancy will hit over 93 by 2051, up from 89 now. Between 2004 and 2010 the average age at which men retired rose from 63.8 years-old to 64.6 years-old. For women, it rose from 61.2 to 62.3 over that period. Recent research found that 40,000 people this year alone will delay their planned retirement because they can not afford the cost of retiring, including the cost of care in later life which will continue to rise by around 2.5 years every decade. With the state pension age increasing in the coming years, it will not rise at the same speed, as life expectancy.

NEW Wine for older people I kid you not... California vintners in the Napa Valley area, which primarily produce Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio wines, have developed a new hybrid grape that acts as an anti-diuretic.

It is expected to reduce the number of trips older people have to make to the bathroom during the night.


The new wine will be marketed as ?

 

PEENOT MORE


I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE!!


Sorry,I just couldn't help it!

JUST WONDERED Who of you are over 65 and still working? I am both. If you are, why are you? Is it for the cash or do you, like me, NEED to get out and about?

17 February, 2012 | By The Press Association

The risk of developing dementia or strokes in later life can be measured by conducting tests of physical ability in middle-aged people, according to US researchers. Experts led by Dr Eric Camargo of Boston Medical Center tested more than 2,400 with an average age of 62 over 11 years.
They were tested for walking speed, hand grip strength and mental function, and underwent brain scans.
Those with slower walking speeds tended to have a lower cerebral brain volume, leading to a poorer performance in memory, language and decision-making. The scientists concluded the slower walkers were one and a half times more likely to develop disorders such as Alzheimer’s over the age of 65. And they said those with a stronger grip had a 42% lower risk of stroke or mini-stroke, although the risk was not reduced at a younger age.
Stronger grip signified a larger total cerebral brain volume. Dr Camargo said: “These are basic office tests which can provide insight into risk of dementia and stroke and can be easily performed by a neurologist or general practitioner.” The research will be presented at the 64th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in News Orleans in April.

17 February, 2012 | By Charlotte Santry
A third of hospitals at which Care Quality Commission inspectors raised concerns about care of the elderly received no follow-up visit, Nursing Times can reveal. This is despite the regulator telling MPs last month it had “gone back to” “all” the trusts visited last year as part of a wave of reviews into dignity and nutrition standards for older people, carried out at 100 hospitals.

CQC data seen by Nursing Times reveals 18 of the 55 trusts in which concerns were found received no follow-up inspection. Instead, trusts were asked to supply “action plans” or were issued with “improvement actions”. In some instances, the CQC received “additional assurance” from a trust’s strategic health authority or primary care trust that improvements were underway. However, the regulator appeared to give a different impression to the House of Commons public accounts committee during a one-off meeting on 24 January.

Committee chair Margaret Hodge MP asked CQC head of operations Amanda Sherlock how many of the 55 the regulator had “gone back to”. Ms Sherlock replied: “All”.

Do you remember when the Kenwood factory was based in Woking, Surrey?
If so you could be of help to The Lightbox gallery and museum.

Opening this spring, a new exhibition at The Lightbox will explore how, after founding Kenwood in a Woking workshop in 1947, design pioneer Kenneth Wood went on to develop iconic and familiar appliances, that over 65 years have transformed our daily lives.

 

If you worked at Kenwood, knew Kenneth Wood or have a story to tell about how using a Kenwood mixer transformed how you or your family cooked, The Lightbox would love to hear from you.

 

The Lightbox is also looking for loans of memorabilia and objects relating to Kenneth Wood and the Kenwood brand.

 

From the A100 Turnover Toaster – the first electric toaster to allow the user to toast both sides without touching the bread - to the Kenwood Chef, heralded the world over for its labour-saving abilities and classic design, this exhibition will look at the secrets behind Kenneth Wood’s success and explore how advances in technology impacted on the social and cultural landscape of the 1950s.

 

If you are able to help please contact Jenny Webb by email: jenny.webb@thelightbox.org.uk or call: 01483 737808, by Friday 16 March 2012.

The exhibition The Art of Design: Kenwood in the Kitchen will run from 28 April to 24 June 2012, entrance will be free (donations welcome).

 

To be one with each other (George Eliot)

‘What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel
that they are joined together to strengthen each other in all
labour; to minister to each other in all sorrow; to share with
each other in all gladness; to be one with each other
in the silent unspoken memories.’

Surrey Police is warning residents of an increase in fraud offences committed against elderly and vulnerable people. The scam involves fraudsters obtaining people’s bank cards by using false pretences. The scam works as follows: The victim gets a phone call, or indeed a number of phone calls from, someone claiming to be from their bank. The caller says that there is a problem with their bank card and it will need replacing. The victim is told a courier has been arranged to pick up the faulty card and replace it with a new bank card. The caller will also ask for their bank details, including PIN number and bank balance. Alternatively another tactic is to leave a courier-style “we have missed you” notice through the victim’s letterbox, purporting to be from the bank. The sole purpose of this is to get the victim to ring the number on the slip, but it is actually offenders who pick up the phone call. Once the victim has been drawn in to the scam, a person dressed as a courier will arrive at their front door to take the card. Significant sums of cash have been taken from victims’ accounts throughout the county. Detective Inspector Paul Rymarz of the Cross Border Investigation Team said: “We have seen a rise in the number of fraud incidents committed in the last few months. It is important that people are aware of the scam, which targets the most vulnerable. Banks do not use courier services to deliver or pick up bank cards, and you should never give your PIN number to anybody. If you are unsure if a caller is genuine, do not give them any information and say that you will call back the bank on a number you recognise, for example on the back of your bank card. "We are working closely with our partners to catch the criminals, and bring them to justice. If you suspect anything please contact the police.” Please refer to the Surrey Police website for more details and further useful information relating to policing is Surrey http://www.surrey.police.uk/home.asp

When the good Lord was creating Mothers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said; ‘You are doing a lot of fiddling around on this one,’

and the Lord said; ‘Have you read the specification on this order?

She has to be completely washable, but not plastic...have one hundred and eight movable parts – all replaceable…run on black coffee and leftovers...have a lap that disappears when she stands up...a kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair…and six pairs of hands.’

The angel shook her head slowly and said; ‘Six pairs of hands?

No way!’

‘It’s not the hands that are causing me problems’ said the Lord. ‘It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have’

‘That’s on the standard model?’ asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. ‘One pair that sees through the doors when she

asks ‘What are you children doing in there?’ when she already knows.

Another in the back of her head that see what she shouldn’t but what she has to know. And of course, the ones in front that can look at a child when he gets himself into trouble and say ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.’

‘Lord’ said the angel, touching him gently, ‘Go to bed. Tomorrow is

another day’

‘I can’t. I am so close now. I already have one who heals herself when she is sick, can feed a family of six on a pound of mince and can get a nine-year old to have a bath’ said the Lord.

The Angel circled the model very slowly. ‘It’s too soft’, she sighed.

‘But tough’ said the Lord excitedly. ‘You cannot imagine what this

mother can do and endure.’

‘Can it think?’

‘Not only think, but it can reason and compromise’ said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

‘There’s a leak’, she said.

‘It is not a leak’, replied the Lord, ‘It’s a tear’

‘What is it for?’

‘It is for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride’.

‘You’re a genius’ said the angel.

The Lord looked sombre – ‘I didn’t put it there.’


This poem by Erma Bombeck was read at a recent family memorial service for a lovely lady who devoted her life to her six children. Please share with your Mothers while you can. 

Computer coach – Spelthorne  

 

Are you aged over 50 and new to computers?

 

Or do you have a friend or relative who would benefit from some 1 to 1 computer tuition? I give help and guidance to complete beginners or people who have some computer experience, at a pace to suit their individual needs.

 

I am based in Shepperton, Middlesex and cover the surrounding areas of Staines, Egham, Laleham, Upper Halliford, Sunbury, Ashford, Walton on Thames, Weybridge, Addlestone and Chertsey.

 

Do you need help with the basics?

 

Email

Navigating and using websites

Online shopping

Word processing

Files and attachments

Customising your computer/laptop  

Downloading and Installing programmes

And much more…

 

 

I provide step by step notes to accompany lessons.

 

Enquires - please send me a message through Dropby

or through my website  www.computertutor50plus.co.uk

 

Helen B