Community Care Magazine for Elderly and Disabled: GAZETTE No.35MAY-JUNE 2004 The National Care Standards - Our Registration Progress Registration with the National Care Standards Commission is quite a lengthy process compared with the Inspection Procedure which we used to undergo with Local Authorities pre 2003. To date we have taken part in interviews for "Fit Person" (Angela Gifford), Registered Manager (David Gifford) and had our "Pre Inspection Meeting" at our offices in Trowse. Later on this year we will have a more intensive inspection again at our premises which we trust will then lead to us obtaining our certification. As a result of the above so far, one of the changes that will be taking place is the updating of our Policies and Procedures Document. This will take some time to complete and will be reviewed by the NCSC before it finally goes to print. It is not expected therefore that the book will be sent out to Carers and Clients before the end of the Autumn. CRB Inspection We have also recently been inspected by the Criminal Records Bureau. The outcome of which is that we will soon be advising our Carers of two new policies associated with the Enhanced Disclosure process and that we have to secure to the floor the locked cabinet in which we store our Disclosures. (to be destroyed after our final NCSC inspection later this year). High Security Coincidentally, we recently installed a new security system. It is directly linked to Police Headquarters. During our "getting to know the system" stage we accidentally set the alarm off. Four policemen (and a dog) were here within minutes. Video Loan We are able to loan videos to people who would like to learn or refresh their memory about certain aspects of care. Titles include Strokes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Leg Ulcers. Please contact us for a full list of titles. Loan period is for up to one month. Banana and Walnut Loaf Being located in Norwich we are all aware of the success of Norwich City Football Club who have been promoted to the Premier Division. Many of you may not be aware that Delia Smith and her husband Michael are major shareholders in the club. In view of this and to celebrate winning promotion, this edition's recipe is one of Delia's own from her web site Delia Online (see also information at the end of the recipe.) Ingredients: 4 medium bananas (App. 12oz/350gm) For the topping: 1 level tablespoon demerara sugar. Also required: 2lb (900gm) loaf tin, lightly buttered. Pre heat oven to gas mark 4, 350 deg. F (180C.) Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and toast them lightly in the oven for 7-8 minutes - use a timer so that you don't forget them. After that, remove them from the oven to a chopping board, let them cool briefly, then chop them fairly roughly. In a bowl, peel and mash 3 of the bananas to a purée with a fork, and peel and chop the other one into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks. Next you need to take a large mixing bowl and sift the salt, baking powder, cinnamon and both the flours into it, holding the sieve up high to give it a good airing, then add the bran that's left in the sieve. Simply add all the remaining ingredients (except the chopped banana and nuts) and, using an electric hand whisk, begin to beat the mixture, first on a slow speed for about half a minute, then increasing the speed to mix everything thoroughly and smoothly. Lightly fold in the chopped banana and walnuts. You may need to add a drop of milk to give a mixture that drops easily off a spoon when you give it a sharp tap on the side of the bowl. Next pile the mixture into the tin, level the top with the back of a spoon and sprinkle on the demerara sugar. Bake in the centre of the oven for 11/4-11/2 hours, until the cake feels springy in the centre. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes before turning it out on to a wire tray. Let it get completely cold before serving or transferring it to a cake tin. Copyright Delia Smith with permission from: http://www.deliaonline.com This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book One and Delia's Vegetarian Collection. Food for Thought Recent surveys inform us that by the year 2005 the majority of working people will be between the ages of 45 and 59 years. The fertility rate is declining so there will be less young people coming into the world of work. As a result the Government is being urged by some organisations to abandon a mandatory retirement age because the country will need to retain as many older workers as is possible in the coming decade. Are You Nearly at State Pension Age? If so, you need to talk to The Pension Service. It has been set up to improve the service you receive and delivered in a way which is convenient to you. This also applies if you are already a pensioner. You can talk to the Pension Service about your pension and also about other possible entitlements. There are local surgeries throughout the UK and to find out about your local drop in centre and for general advice call 0845 60 60 265. Mon - Fri 8.am - 8.pm. Sat. 9am- 1pm. Youreable.com Not connected to us in any way but this is a web site which is designed for people with disabilities, their carers and relatives. One of the services they offer is a Community Pen pals service, where you can browse a long list of people who tell you a little about themselves, their interests and where they live in the UK. If you then wish to you can contact them: Web site is: http://www.youreable.com
In 1899 when a Mr Charlie Thompson, a salesman for Bassett's Confectionery, was visiting a wholesaler with samples of sweets. The sweets were made out of liquorice and a cream paste and had names such as chips, rocks, plugs, twists and buttons. Sadly he was not doing very well and each sample was rejected by the customer. Gathering his samples together, he was not being very careful and spilt the collection of his sample sweet boxes over the counter. The wholesaler immediately liked the look of the "mixed" sweets and placed an immediate order for the mixture. The salesman promptly named them Liquorice Allsorts. Age Concern Energy Services Age Concern Enterprises Ltd (trading arm of Age Concern - profits going to the charity) have linked up with Powergen to offer a better deal on your heating bills. In conjunction with the possibility of saving money you are also eligible for other benefits if you purchase your power from them:
If when you call you have a bill to hand, an estimate of any savings can be given to you then. The lines are open 8.am - 10pm Mon - Fri, 9.00am - 5pm Sat. Want to Complain? This Might Help! Sometimes complaining takes too much time, so we don't bother. However, an easy way to complain is now available on the Internet. This site; http://www.howtocomplain.com is there for you to use. There is a form to complete online and then you can submit your complaint to the appropriate company. (Randomly we tried three companies and two of them were available on this site so a complaint could be directed to them via this method). Information is also given about regulatory bodies, where to go for other advice and consumer rights. Gardening time is hereIf you love gardening but experience difficulties, then there are several things you can do to make gardening more accessible for you. For example if you want to garden but are in a wheelchair then pots and tubs may be the answer. You can also recycle old sinks, baths, wheelbarrows or anything that you can fill up with earth or compost. In order to enjoy your garden you need to plan access and if you need a ramp made to get into your garden, the slope should be no more than 8%. Wedge the sides to keep your wheelchair coming off and cover it with non slip material. The walkways in your garden should be approx. 3ft wide to accommodate a wheelchair. If you are mobile but need a helping hand to be safe, consider having a handrail installed. There are a variety of gardening tools available which will help you to carry on gardening ranging from long handled tools to tools designed to help relieve the pressure on your back. THRIVE is a national charity that exists to enable disadvantaged, disabled and older gardeners carry on gardening. Contact them on 0118 988 5688 or visit their website; http://www.carryongardening.org.uk Alan Titchmarsh one of the television gardeners supports the Gardening for the Disabled Trust. The Trust publishes a quarterly newsletter with articles of interest and is able to make small grants to people within the UK to help mobility impaired people adapt their land appropriate to their needs. For more information, write to: Gardening for Disabled Trust, Hayes Farmhouse Hayes Lane, Peasmarsh East Sussex, TN31 6XR. Interviews Interviews have taken place in Norwich, Goole and South Wales. Junk Mail Fed up with junk mail? To stop receiving it register with the Mailing Preference Service. Either write to Mailing Preference Service, FREEPOST 29 LON 20771, London W1E 0ZT or call 0845 7034599. Thanks We would like to offer an extra special thank you to our carers Joy Walp and Sue Austin. Their caring attitudes and special help was much appreciated in difficult and unexpected situations. Also, at the request of a family member of one of our clients we would publicly like to pass on special thanks to Wendy Roberts and June Nuttall. Did you know?? The average Church of England Sunday attendance is 49. Average weekly attendance is 68. However, the average attendance for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is 205!! Quotes If you can keep your head when all around you have lost theirs, then you probably haven't understood the seriousness of the situation. Those of you who think they know everything are annoying those of us who do. (David Brent.) I have opinions of my own - strong opinions - but I don't always agree with them. (George Bush.) Brochure If you would like to receive a copy of our current brochure please give us a call on 01603 764567. If you would like to receive a regular copy of this Gazette please telephone 01603 281921.
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