Community Care Magazine: Magazine for Elderly and Disabled: Issue 50

There are over 14,300 post offices in the U.K. and plans are being considered to close many of them.

If you feel that losing your local post office would be detrimental to your community you may wish to tell your M.P. how you feel.

Some newspapers are running petitions on the Internet and many post offices may have a petition on their counter for you to sign.

As the weather gets colder, heating costs will escalate so a food that can make you feel warm and satisfied is not to be missed!

Sauté the potatoes, leeks and bacon in a pan until soft but not coloured. Add the stock and cook until the potatoes are tender.

This recipe serves 4/6 people and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and between 10 & 30 minutes to cook.

This recipe came from the Leek Growers Association and can be downloaded from the BBC.co.uk website. Search for "food" where you will find the above recipe plus many more.

Bonnie Babies is a registered charity, (number SC037401) which helps "special babies" in the UK. They provide clothes and blankets for tiny and premature babies and they also provide burial outfits to special baby care units.

If you would like to help knit items for these special little babies, drop a line to Bonnie Babies, PO Box 9269, Campbeltown PA28 6WS. They can supply you with patterns to follow. Or visit their website at www.bonniebabies.co.uk.

This fund assists in the purchase of specialist equipment to enable people with spinal cord injuries to achieve their full potential and lead independent and fulfilled lives.

Grants are strictly limited to those with a spinal cord injury. The fund will only consider requests that include a recommendation from an occupational therapist that the equipment being requested best suits the needs of the applicant.

It is designed to help those who find that funding from their local health authority or social services does not meet the cost of the specialised equipment they need.

For further details contact Aspire at The ASPIRE National Training Centre Wood Lane Stanmore Middlesex HA7 4AP Tel: 020 8954 5759 Fax: 020 8420 6352 Text phone: 020 8420 6501 Email: info@aspire.org.uk Registered Charity No: 1075317.

One of our readers told us the following story concerning a national double glazing company. We bring it to you as a warning that perhaps it may be better if you make such an appointment to have someone with you when the salesman calls.

A very likeable young man knocked on the door and explained that he was canvassing for a double glazing firm and was there anything that he could help with.

On being told "not really" he went on to say that if our reader agreed to have a salesman from the company call, she could say no but he would get commission for the referral.

The salesman came, and stayed seven hours. The visit involved calling his office for deals and discounts and in the end our reader agreed to have a new garage door and some conservatory glazing repaired and altered. The cost was in excess of four thousand pounds and her signature was put on the thirteen-page document and on a direct debit to her bank.

After the salesman had left, she felt she had been intimidated, felt foolish and was so worried that she had very little sleep that night. She did not want to purchase these products.

Early next morning the company's head office were on the phone confirming her arrangements.

Although there is a date during which such arrangements can be cancelled our reader felt totally disorientated about what to do, how to do it, etc.

Luckily she called a relative who took the situation in hand and cancelled all transactions with the company, bank, etc.

Our reader says that she thought she was "street wise" and it was other people who got into these situations.

Our reader asks us to mention her story just in the hope that it may stop other people having such an anxious time and to give the advice, that if you are considering having such work carried out, get someone to be with you when the salesman calls.

The Blue Badge scheme for car drivers gives disabled people the right to park in many places where able bodied people cannot. However, this facility is misused, many are stolen for fraudulent use and many are counterfeit.

Now police officers, traffic wardens or local authority people (e.g. parking attendants) have the right to inspect the badge to ensure it is being used by the person entitled to do so.

You can obtain further details on the new powers from the Department of Transport by emailing dft@twoten.press.net

This is the time of the year when we have lots of envelopes that have used stamps attached to them.

If you would like your used stamps to do some good, then send them to: RNIB Stamp Recycling, PO Box 185, Benfleet, Essex. SS7 9BH

Cut the stamps from the envelope leaving a 1cm border around the stamp. If you have stamps from abroad, just keep these separate from British ones when you send them off.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were lost long ago in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird catches the worm, life isn't always fair and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound, financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but over bearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun lotion or a Band Aid to a student but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion, his daughter Responsibility and his son, Reason.

He is survived by his three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To Blame and I'm A Victim.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not join the majority and do nothing.

The postal order, which to many people seems an old fashioned way of sending money, is enjoying a boom.

The Post Office say that £104 million of postal orders will be sent this year because people send them as payment for goods bought on the internet.

Many people feel that this is a safer method than giving personal details of their bank accounts.

Can you remember when you wrote to Santa, probably by sending your letter up the chimney to him?

These days, possibly due to the fact that not all homes have a fireplace, most children's letters are sent to him by the Royal Mail. The Royal Mail expects to deliver 750,000 letters to him this Christmas.

If you know someone who would like to write to Santa, the address to send the letter to is: Santa, Reindeerland, SAN TA1

If he receives a letter with the writer's address on before 13th December he will send a reply. After the 13th he is very busy and will not have enough time to reply!

An osteoarthritis simulation suit has been invented to enable care professionals to find out how a person with the disability actually lives.

The suit has been developed with the support of Arthritis Care and will be available at health conferences, etc, for care professionals to try on. For further information visit: www.jointeducation.co.uk

Eating a turkey or chicken that is not properly cooked can cause food poisoning.

Below are the three main ways to make sure that you can be satisfied that it is cooked.

Food poisoning can be caused by other factors such as unhygienic food handling and storage, poor personal hygiene. (e.g. not washing hands before handling food).

Published by Achor Training of Beccles, it is a book with a plus! Namely, that for every recipe there are health/safety tips and advice so that your Christmas dishes will not only be delicious to eat but will be safe as well.