Open Meeting Tuesday May 20 10.30Am-12.30Pm
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EASTLEIGH SOUTHERN PARISHES OLDER PEOPLE'S FORUM NEWSLETTER 74 www.espopf.org MAY 2014 HEALTHWATCH ENGLAND has asked ESPOPF OPEN MEETING to arrange a Focus Group to inform their work on unsafe discharges from hospital, which is TUESDAY MAY 20 belatedly recognised as a concerning matter for older people. They note that we drew attention to this problem in our research into cancer care in 10.30AM-12.30PM “Growth Negligence” and thought we could help. We shall divide into small groups led by committee members, who will invite you to share briefly your own experiences or those of someone for whom you are or were a carer. Your 'DEALING WITH experiences will be noted and treated as confidential for reporting purposes. We have also invited a speaker to shed DEMENTIA' more light on the help that is available locally for those caring for dementia sufferers. & Please note that we are holding our meeting in the new Lowford Centre in Bursledon. We think you will be impressed by the new 'UNSAFE Bursledon Community Centre and the comfort it offers. If you have a Hampshire Library card, you may exchange books in the new community DISCHARGES library, which has audio and large-print books. There is ample car parking, but please travel with others if possible. First Bus services FROM HOSPITAL' use the stop outside the Centre. Let Betty know (Tel. 023 8045 3680) if you wish to use the free bus that will deliver you door to door. Please don't forget to bring a raffle prize. Spare plants would be most welcome. We still RAFFLE & 100 have a few tickets left for the 100 Club. Bring a friend. Tell me if you wish to observe a committee meeting with a view to joining. CLUB DRAW Since leaving West End, we seem to have lost touch with some old friends. We hope you will come over to Bursledon to sample our REFRESHMENT hospitality, which will include birthday cake on this occasion. Whose birthday? That would be NEW LOWFORD CENTRE telling ... Diane Andrewes Chair LOWFORD HILL/PORTSMOUTH RD THIS INDEPENDENT NEWSLETTER IS BURSLEDON SO31 8ES FUNDED BY MEMBERS' SUBSCRIPTIONS ESPOPF NEWS OFFICERS & COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2013/14 Chair/Newsletter Editor: Diane Andrewes (Bursledon) 023 804O3311 [email protected] Vice Chair: Pat Rose (West End) 02380 473946 Hon. Sec./Publicity Officer: Tricia Garrett (Bursledon) 02380 560127 [email protected] Hon. Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Betty Lawrence 02380 453680 8 Rookley Netley Abbey SO31 5PH Web Master/Data Base Organiser: David Andrewes (Bursledon) 023 8040 3311 [email protected] Minutes Secretary: Maureen Hunt (Botley) Members' Meetings Organisers: Brian Knapp Jackie Charles (Hamble ) Tony Rest (West End) Dottie Vickers (Hedge End) (Hedge End vacancy) John Taylor (Butlocks Heath) Eileen Brenneck (Bursledon) (Botley vacancy) NB 2 vacancies ................................................................................................................................................................................. EUROPEAN HUSTINGS Anneliese Dodds (Labour), Ray Finch (UKIP) BUDGET MARCH 2014 and Richard Robinson (Conservative) left us in 1 Basic state pension rises to £113.10 per week; no doubt as to where their parties stand on wife's pension rises to £67.80. Europe: Labour enthusiastic, Conservatives on the fence and UKIP – everybody out! The Lib 2 State second pension and public sector Dem and Green candidates failed to show. pensions rise by CPI figure of 2.7%. MEMBER attendance was well below the usual turn-out for ESPOPF's hustings, but those who 3 Pension Credit Guarantee (single pensioner) came learned a great deal about the work of will be £148.35 and £226.80 (couple). the European Parliament and why we should be more involved. The media have a lot to 4 Basic personal allowance for income tax for answer for in their lack of coverage of Europe, those under 65 will be £10,000. Age-related their current negativity about politicians and personal allowance for pensioners remains their obsession with UKIP – all of which frozen at £10,500 and £10, 660. influence the public's perception of events at election time and encourage apathy. 5 Married couple's allowance for those aged 75 MARCH 100 CLUB WINNERS and over will rise to £8.165 £42 Tony Neve 82 Hamble 6 Inheritance tax remains at £325.000. £21 Don Cam 44 N/A 7 Winter fuel payment is unchanged. £ 21 Mrs Manning 3 H/E 8 From March 24, anyone with a single pension ….................................................................... pot of less than £10,000, or numerous pots adding up to less than £30,000 in pensions will PLEA TO MEMBERS be able to take it all as tax-free cash. The Committee has been discussing ideas for 9 From January 2015, a new Pensioner bond Recruiting new members and we are intending from National Saving s and Investments will be to re-issue our membership leaflet, targeting available. The maximum investment is £10,000. the over 55s. Some members may know of Interest is 2.8% on a one-year bond and 4% on a friends or have children who would like to join three-year bond 'Southampton Pensioner') us. We ask you to show them our Newsletter and ask them where else they will find GAGGING ACT 2014 information and local and national news We are told that it will be against the law to lobby targeted at them. Bring them to an Open MPs prior to the next General Election. If Meeting or offer to bring us their subscription. ESPOPF continues to campaign for older people, will the government send us to prison? As Archbishop Desmond Tutu put it: “There comes a point when we need to AGM: JULY 15 stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.” ESPOPF WANTS YOU TO KNOW... Eastleigh Citizens Advice assessed on a variety of heath FO OD COLUMN Bureau offers free, needs.(CAB opens in confidential and impartial Bursledon in July - Ed.) MAGNETS advice in many areas that …....................................... Almost the first project to be identified by the ESPOPF Food may be of particular interest ATM PIN NUMBERS to older people, including Group was the investigation of We are grateful to the a handy method for members Welfare, Housing, Consumer, Citizens' Advice Bureau and Health and Money issues. to keep shopping lists, recipes, others for letting us know food articles, phone numbers Our free, confidential that the 'tip' we offered in the etc. nearby. The obvious benefit checks can help make March Newsletter is in fact a place for the information was sure that people in or around SCAM! THE POLICE WILL the fridge door. The first retirement age are getting the NOT BE CALLED, AND YOU step, therefore, was the pursuit financial help they’re entitled WILL NOT GET ANY CASH. IF of suitable materials for to. YOU EN-TER YOUR PIN IN reasonably-sized, light Recent studies show that older REVERSE. THE CASH containers to fix to fridge and people miss out on millions of MACHINE WILL REGISTER freezer doors. pounds worth of benefits every THIS AS AN IN-CORRECT Tricia Garrett year, with up to 1.6 million ENTRY, AND ASK YOU TO researched magnets with pensioners losing out on an RE-ENTER YOUR PIN. folders up to A4 size. Eileen average of £34 a week in ALWAYS CALL 999 IN AN Brenneck went to Poundland Pension Credit, and a further EMERGENCY SITUATION. and found a magnetic group missing out on Council (We humbly apologise for this whiteboard with pen, and David Tax Reduction. The CAB can error - though we are pleased Andrewes did some lateral offer information and advice to have this evidence that our thinking and discovered about these benefits, as well as Newsletter is read! – Ed.) magnetised strips that could be what help may be available if …...................................... made into a Contents index for food in the deep freeze. you are disabled, caring for CENTENARIANS someone, or have been These ingenious In 2012, there were an recently widowed. devices, with prices, will be on estimated 13,350 centenarians display at the May Members' We also work with clients to in the UK and 660 of them Meeting and, if there is resolve any debt problems and were over 105. sufficient interest from have a great deal of There are now 500,000 people members, bulk purchases experience in family and aged 90 or over and the could be arranged. personal matters, including number of very old people is …............................................. probate / bereavement queries. rising faster amongst men than FAILING Clients can access our women as the gender gap services 10am-4pm Monday to narrows. The reasons for ANTIBIOTICS Thursday by ringing the Advice improving the chances of THE World Health Line on: 023 80616046 to get surviving to a very old age are Organisation is urging all telephone advice. Alternatively, better medical treatments, countries to be more sparing in clients can drop into the bureau housing, nutrition and living their use of antibiotics without an appointment during standards and a decline in and to improve hand hygiene, opening hours, to be seen by smoking. The UK's 21 which has been credited with the first available advisor. We centenarians per population of the UK reducing MRSA, which are also able to offer home 100,000 lags behind countries is resistant to the antibiotic visits, by appointment, to those such as Japan (40) and France methicillin. If urgent action is who are house-bound due to (30) – which leads in Europe. not taken, pneumonia will age, ill-health or disability. Our …...................................... become a feared killer again, Hampshire Macmillan Citizens surgery risky and diarrhoea Advice Service offers advice to fatal. No country is immune, clients affected by cancer as bacteria and drug- resistant Monday- Friday 9.30am- viruses travel the globe with 2.30pm on: 0844 847 7727.