Community Care Magazine for Elderly and Disabled: GAZETTE No.64Visiting the Cinema If you are registered as a blind person or in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance you can apply for the Cinema Exhibitors Association Card. This is a national card which can be used to verify that the holder is entitled to one free ticket for the person accompanying them to the cinema. To apply for a card you can complete an application form at your local participating cinema. A fee of £5.50 is chargeable per card and each card is valid for one year. April Facts
England : If you are disabled you are entitled to a free bus pass. This pass will give you a discount of at least 50% on bus travel in your local authority area. Contact your local authority about this. Wales : Disabled people and their carers are entitled to concessionary bus fares in their local authority area. Contact your local authority for further details. Scotland : Blind people can travel free on the bus and their companions may get reduced fares in some areas. Discounted travel is also available to other disabled cardholders. Contact your local authority. On the trains a Disabled Person’s Railcard costs £14.00 which then allows discounted travel costs for the cardholder and companion. To get a Disabled Person’s Railcard call 0191 218 8103 Fit to Drive If you are a driver and have certain medical conditions you are required to tell the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency). The list is quite long and covers the following:
Attendance Allowance Attendance Allowance, sometimes referred to as AA, is a tax-free benefit for people aged 65 or over who need help with personal care because they are physically or mentally disabled. The information in this section is a guide only. The office dealing with your claim can answer any questions you may have about claiming and receiving Attendance Allowance. Who can get Attendance Allowance? You may get Attendance Allowance if:
If you have a progressive disease and you are not expected to live for more than another six months there are special rules for claiming to make sure you get your benefit more quickly and easily. Trouble Finding Appropriate Clothing? The Disabled Living Foundation provides, free of charge, Fact Sheets to assist people. Late last year they updated their Clothing Fact Sheets and the following new ones can be obtained from either their website at http://www.dlf.org.uk or by phoning 08451 309177. The clothing items covered for older people with a disability are:
The Simnel Cake from our resident cook, Myra. Ingredients: 6oz (175gm) soft margarine Method:
The BDAA was founded in 1996 and now has 24,500 members and has a hit rate of approx. 3.5 million on its website: http://www.bdaa.co.uk The Association wants to inform people how accessible angling is and about specialist equipment for people covering a range of disabilities and age. The advice they can give covers coarse, specimen, sea and game angler’s activities. For further information visit their website above. Scrabble for Reduced Eyesight Designed in association with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) a large print Scrabble Board Game is available. We tracked a source down at Hastings Hobbies who are selling it for £28.55 plus P&P. For further details give them a call on 01424 200021 or visit their website at http://www.hastingshobbies.co.uk Not as Quick as You Would Like When the Doorbell Rings? The doorbell rings and people try to get there quickly before the caller leaves, thinking no one is in. Hurrying to answer a door is especially dangerous if you have to come downstairs and every year many people attend the A&E department as a result. If this is an area where you or someone you know experiences difficulties consider installing a door-entry intercom. This can be where you can talk to the visitor via an inter-com link and ask them to wait until you get to open the door or you can choose a system where after identifying the visitor you can press a button from your chair to open the door and let them in. If family and friends are frequent visitors and you would be happy for them to let themselves in, you could choose a key safe, where a key is held in a secure box that can only be opened by a person who has the correct code. Disabled Living Centres can be found throughout the UK and they will be able to advise you about intercoms and other aids and equipment to make life easier. Look in your local telephone book for your nearest centre. Walks with Wheelchairs This is a UK website dedicated to providing free information on routes that are suitable for wheelchair users throughout the UK. All the walks on their data-base have been tried and tested by wheelchair users or who are knowledgeable about routes in the great outdoors. Through their site you will be able to:
Services for Disabled Travellers at European Airports If you have a sensory, physical or learning disability which affects your mobility when using transport the following services should be available for you:
April jokes Why don't dogs make good dancers? How do you know if your cat has eaten a duckling? Did You Know? In a 24 hour period the blood in the body travels a total of 12,000 miles. That is 4 times the width of North America. Thanks Special thanks to Caroline Scott from a family and their cats with reference for the flexible attributes Caroline brought to the post. Remember... If you would like a free, regular copy of the printed version of this Gazette every two months, call us on 01603 764567. If you would like to subscribe to our weekly, free Newsflash about care, please register in one of the subscribe boxes on this site. If you would like our current brochure about the live-in care service we provide, please call 01603 764567 or click here to request a brochure
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