Community Care Magazine for Elderly and Disabled: GAZETTE No.65MAY-JUNE 2009 Loving Hands Loving Hands is a charity which has members throughout the UK who knit, crochet and sew for several charities. The website has patterns which you can download for items such as teddy bears, cardigans, hats, bootees, gowns, body warmers and sleeping bags. You can find them at http://www.lovinghands.org.uk Loving Hands would also welcome donations of wool, fabric, needles etc., so if you can help or want to knit, please contact them on charityknitters@yahoo.co.uk Now I Remember Now I Remember is a company offering nostalgic CDs which will revive many memories for older people. Now I Remember has titles such as:
The CDs cost between £5.99 and £12.98 and can be purchased by visiting http://www.memoriesgalore.co.uk. Tel. 01733 840111. We have four CDs to give away to the first four readers who email to Ablemg@aol.com giving us their name and postal address. Good Gift Idea Many elderly and disabled people cannot just pop out to the shops when they remember that it is someone’s birthday. The ability to send a card or wrap a present is often dependent on being able to go and get the card, the gift tag, the stamps and wrapping paper at the time. Make an elderly or disabled person's situation a little easier by giving a gift on their birthday that will be welcomed. Put a selection of cards, a book of stamps, sheets of, wrapping paper and matching gift cards in a pretty gift bag (that can also be re-used) and you will be giving a present that will really be appreciated. Myra's Recipe - Able Loaf Ginger Cake Ingredients: 8oz (200gm) Self Raising flour Using a large mixing bowl Tested by Able staff and found to be delicious! Disabled Travel Advice http://www.disabledtraveladvice.co.uk is a website which gives expert advice for the disabled traveller. The site contains over 50 articles written by experts who continually update and add new content. Recent articles have been on:
There are around 7000 charity shops in the UK. Have you ever wondered what happens to the items that the charity shops are unable to sell? Individual charities may have innovative ways of disposal but in the main, unsold items are donated to third world countries, recycled, re-furbished or given as further fund raising activities such as jumble sales. Talking Watches! The RNIB has a range of talking watches which come in varying designs and are suitable for people from a young age upwards. They range in price from £6.84 to £39.10. You can see the design by going to their website at http://www.onlineshop.rnib.org.uk or contact them by phone on 0845 702 3153. Using Taxis with an Assistance Dog Drivers of both taxis and mini cabs have a duty to carry assistance dogs free of charge in their vehicles. A booking cannot be legally refused because of being accompanied by an assistance dog. Any problems you should contact your local taxis licensing authority. However, if a driver is allergic to dogs, as for example someone with asthma may be, the driver will have been issued with an exemption certificate and will have been issued with a notice which they must clearly display. Topical Tips If you pick a bunch of tulips from your garden and you want them to stand upright in the vase, drop in a couple of two penny pieces, works a treat. Also works for Gerbera daisies. Having a sandpit for children in the garden always attracts cats! To keep them at bay pour vinegar around the edges and repeat every two months. In the summer months ants will come in from the garden across doorways and patio window openings. To stop this, pour vinegar along the openings and they will stay outside. The Children's Safety Education Foundation This is a registered charity which wants to keep children safe. It publishes many books which are used as teaching aids in schools but can also be purchased by individuals. A recent publication titled "Play Safe, Stay Safe, Keep Safe" is about preventing accidents in younger children. The book has chapters including:
The book is priced at £9.99 and can be bought online from their website at http://www.csef.net or by contacting them at Hilton House, Lord Street, Stockport SK1 3NA. Tel: 0161 477 5122 Fax: 0161 480 4504. Artificial limbs The earliest reference in history to an artificial limb was in the time of approx. 500 BC. A prisoner escaped from his chains by cutting off his foot which he later replaced with a wooden substitute. A copper and wood leg has been unearthed which dates back to approx. 300 BC. This was found in Italy in 1858. A French surgeon, Ambroise Parc, who lived from 1510 to 1590, introduced amputation as a life saving measure and developed his own artificial limbs as a result. Ambroise was also a pioneer in that he began making artificial eyes from enamelled gold, silver, porcelain and glass. In 1946 major advances were made as large numbers of soldiers returning from World War II required artificial limbs. In 1946 at the University of California a suction sock for above the knee prosthesis was invented. In 1960 Russian experts created a functioning, moveable fake hand and soon after American expertise pioneered an entire working arm. Improvements have continued to take place with the result that artificial limbs are now more comfortable, flexible and appropriate for current living activities. Research is also ongoing to manufacture artificial limbs for pets and animals that may have lost limbs through disease or injury. Trouble washing your hair? There are several dry powder shampoos you can buy, which clean your hair without water. However, there is another type of shampoo that does not require water and is called the "No Rinse Waterless Shampoo" which advertises itself by promising "completely clean hair without water or rinsing". The shampoo is applied to the hair, lathered up and then towel dried. The smallest size is 56ml and costs £1.95 + p&p. To order telephone 0844 20 90 888. Disabled Accessible Holidays This is a firm which can give information and take bookings for disabled access holidays around the world. The company can arrange accessible holiday flights, accommodation, travel insurance, wheelchair adapted taxis transfers and they also have last minute offers to tempt! Their website is at: http://www.dah-europe.com or they have a manned telephone line, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the following numbers: 9am-5pm 0845 2570113 and outside of these hours 07798 917405. It will help! In the current stressed financial situation we are being urged to grow anything from runner beans to squash in our gardens, on patios and in tubs, etc. However, in a very small garden, patio or balcony growing pea pods or beans will only give you a couple of handfuls and are hardly worthwhile. However, growing your own tomatoes is! As long as you have a sunny area and you keep the plants watered daily (twice on a very hot day and when they look dry), a couple of tomato plants will provide you with many servings of this fruit and the taste will be better than those from the local supermarket. Cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes or just plain normal shaped ones are easily available to buy in May and June. It is easy to get Grow Bags, sold in nurseries and supermarkets, but you can use large flower pots or large containers. Grow Bags will take three plants usually but only put one plant in each pot. Happy gardening! Duck's Eggs and Hen's Eggs, the Difference? It is only recently that duck's eggs have become common in supermarkets and at Farmer's markets but how do they differ from hen's eggs? Duck's eggs are richer in that they have more fat content, about 10% more and have about 20% more calories than a hen's egg. Unlike hen's eggs, duck's eggs are not regulated so there are no rules or guidelines on quality. Duck's eggs have larger yolks and give amazing results in baking (e.g. sponge cakes). Duck's eggs have more calcium and iron than hen's eggs and a higher level of vitamins. Duck's eggs contain approx. 50% more cholesterol than hen's eggs. Duck's eggs boiled or scrambled have a richer taste. Both eggs are good for us and are rich in nutrients and minerals. If you have not tried a duck's egg, give them a try but it will all boil down to personal choice of taste in the end! Thanks Able Community Carer, Elaine Selyer is thanked publicly from the family of one of the clients Elaine cares for. They wished this to be mentioned in The Gazette. Thoughts to finish on. Before borrowing money from a friend decide which you need more. Behold the turtle, He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out. Nothing is easy to the unwilling.
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