Community Care Magazine for Elderly and Disabled: GAZETTE No.40MARCH-APRIL 2005 Care News We are pleased to announce that our application for registration with the Scottish Care Commission as a domiciliary care provider has been approved. This will enable us to not only continue providing our existing services in Scotland but also to take on further clients. Without such a Registration we would not have been allowed to operate there. We have been advised that the cost of registering both the Company and relevant staff with the Commission for Social Care Inspection (England and Wales) will rise by 20% this year. The cost of an Enhanced Disclosure for carers is also increasing by £1.00 with effect from April 2005. Did You Know?
It appears that there is a link between the price of scrap metal and abandoned vehicles. As the price of scrap metal decreases, the number of vehicles abandoned on our roads increase. But whose responsibility is it to remove them? The police will only be interested if the abandoned vehicle appears to be the subject of a crime. If the abandoned vehicle is on private property then its removal is the responsibility of the owner of the land. If neither of the above then it is the responsibility of the Local Authority to remove the vehicle unless it is on Council housing land, then it is the responsibility of the Housing Department within the Authority. If you want to report a vehicle as being abandoned then the following details will need to be given: Make, type and colour of the vehicle, registration number, time it has been in the location, where is the location, the condition of the vehicle and whether or not it has a current Road Fund Licence. Walking on the Great Wall of China One of our Carers, Nicola Davies-Grant is walking 600km along the Great Wall of China to raise money for Age Concern. The trek takes 10 days and begins at the end of October. To be eligible to walk Nicola has to raise £2,500.00. If any reader would like to help Nicola raise this money, please send us a cheque made out to Age Concern and we will forward it on to her. We will keep you informed about Nicola's progress. 08700 Numbers Many companies ask you to call them on a 08700 number, credit card companies and mail order companies being common examples. More often then not, when calling such a number you will hear the message "all lines are currently busy but we appreciate your custom and you are moving forward in the queue" or something similar. What is actually happening is that the cost of the call is being charged to you at a national call rate and not local rate as you may expect. The company receives a financial benefit from the cost of your call. Usually on a minute by minute basis, e.g. if you hold on for 59 seconds you will be charged for a minute at this higher rate or if you hold on for 62 seconds you will be charged for two minutes. It is becoming more common for health centres and dentists to have 08700 numbers. This has now been banned by the Government and all telephone numbers should revert to a normal landline number. Wheelchair Social Style Last autumn a web site was launched titled: http://www.yourlevelbest.com
If you are planning to travel to places outside your own locality or planning a holiday, then take a look. If you know of a venue that you think is wheelchair friendly, then send her the details so that others can become aware. Thanks Expressed In our recent Customer Survey the following Carers were expressly thanked for the exceptional standards of care that they provided to their clients: Esther Kontoh, Carol Harvey, Kim Damerell, Bernie Rice, Cookie Chinamhora, Stella Williams, Michelle Howgego, Diane Knights and Jacqueline Muir. There were many other general comments made regarding the high standards of care provided by Carers who work through Able Community Care and we take this opportunity to thank everyone involved. Check ID before letting them in Even with ID cards, some people are not who they say they are. Below are some of the numbers you can use to check a person's ID before you let them over your doorstep. (If they are genuine they will not mind waiting). British Gas 0800 300 100 Defrosting Your Windscreen - Beware The first thought that springs to mind on going out on a cold morning and finding that your windscreen is frosted over, is to start the engine, put on the windscreen heater and in a few minutes you will have a clear screen. The advice is don't! Use a can of de-icer instead. The British Insurers Brokers Association have warned motorists not to leave their vehicles unattended with the engine running whilst defrosting as many insurance companies will not pay out if the car should be stolen. Quite simply, with the keys in the ignition you are leaving the vehicle open and unattended. A perfect opportunity for any thief. Did You Know - Or Can You Remember? Before 1939 Britain imported about 55 million tons of food from other countries. However, during the war the ships carrying our food were easy targets for the enemy. The Government therefore became worried that if a lot less food was coming to Britain then there would not be enough to feed everybody. So they decided on rationing. First to be rationed was bacon, butter and sugar in 1940. Throughout the war additional foods such as meat, (1940), cheese, jam, eggs, (1941), tinned tomatoes, rice, peas, biscuits, tea, breakfast cereals, canned fruit, milk and dried fruit in (1942) were also rationed. Each person had an allowance. For example 2 oz of cheese per week, 1 fresh egg per week or a packet of dried egg every four weeks, 1lb of jam every two months. Clothing was also rationed from June 1941. A coupon system was introduced and items of clothing were given points. For example a children's jacket was 6 coupons, a pair of shoes 2 coupons. There was also a shortage of clothing material and rules were brought in as to how much material you could use in making a dress or pair of trousers. In 1941 coal was rationed because miners were being called up to fight the war. In 1942 soap was rationed so that the oils and fats could be used for food. In 1942 sweets were also on ration. An allocation of half a pound every four weeks. Everyone was issued with a ration book and tear out coupons had to be given to the shopkeeper each time you bought some food. To encourage people to provide food in the best way they could the Government started a "Dig for Victory" campaign in 1939. This called for all men and women to keep an allotment, turn their lawns and flowerbeds into vegetable gardens and to keep rabbits, chickens, goats and pigs in their gardens. Rationing was finally removed on 4th July 1954 with the lifting of restrictions on bacon and meat. Automatic Car Extinguishers Thankfully, fires in cars that are caused by faults are rare. Usually able-bodied motorists can quickly get out of their car and therefore escape the danger. Research has shown that most non-deliberate, non-crash vehicle fires start in the engine bay and generally motorists are able to put out the fire with an extinguisher. However, some disabled people are more at risk not only because of the time it would take them to leave their vehicle but also because they may not be able to activate the fire extinguisher. On the market now are a number of automatic fire extinguishers where the motorist needs to take no action. A fire extinguisher is fitted to the car and is connected to a plastic tube which runs around the cabin and engine bay. If a fire breaks out, the tube bursts at the point nearest to the fire letting out the extinguisher fluid. Horse and Animal Rescue Carer Ursula Trentham is a painter of animal portraits. She is currently painting to raise money for an unsupported horse/animal charity in South Africa. The horses, abused from the trades of drug dealers, are found in distressing conditions and this rescue centre, near Cape Town, tries to help them. The portraits (in watercolours or oils) are of various sizes and Ursula can send you photographs of her work if you are interested. To contact Ursula, please telephone 01603 281921 and we will pass on your details to her. Fraud - Protect Yourself Obtaining personal details and using them for fraudulent purposes is on the increase and looking after your identity is becoming increasingly important. Your identity details can be used to gain access to bank accounts, the creation of false documents, e.g. passport, birth certificate, etc, and to launder money. It is the hassle involved in putting your situation right that causes distress as usually you will not be liable for the stolen money. There are small ways in which you can protect yourself becoming the victim of identity fraud such as:
If you move, notify anyone you have dealings with or get your mail re-directed for a year. Check all your financial statements for fraudulent use. And Finally What do you call a rooster who wakes you up at the same time every morning? Why did the cat join the Red Cross? home | about us | contact us | care FAQ | terms & conditions | privacy policy | care links service-user-access-form.pdf | litigation services | second hand store Able Community Care Opening Hours: 9:00am - 4:00pm GMT, Monday to Friday Tel: +44 (0)1603 764567 | Fax: +44 (0)1603 761655 | Email: ablemg@aol.com © Able Community Care | VAT number 552696317 | Proprietor: Angela Gifford
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