Your Care Questions Answered by Angela Gifford - ARTICLE No.57"I have been told that it will be possible for elderly, frail husbands and wives to move into residential homes together, is this true?" Answer : The Health Secretary in early March this year announced that elderly couples will be able to live together rather than being forced apart when one of them moves into residential care as is often the case now. Plans are being put in place to build "extra care housing", not too dissimilar to sheltered housing with care facilities to accommodate elderly couples. In early March, £40m was made available for local authorities to bid for, with the purpose of building such facilities. To date I have seen no further information, but if your local authority is successful in obtaining such funding then it should be in your local papers and on your local news and you will be able to find out if you can apply. "I have been asked by a relative to buy her some cod liver oil in a liquid form not the capsules. We both live in small villages so I would like to buy it via mail order. Do you know where I can purchase cod liver oil in a bottle?" Answer : Holland and Barrett sell Cod Liver Oil Liquid and you can get this by ringing 0870 606 6605. The current price is £6.59 for a 500ml bottle. "What are the requirements to enable a person such as myself, who has severe arthritis, to obtain a Blue Badge so that it will be easier for my daughter to take me shopping?" Answer : You would be automatically eligible to apply for a badge if either of the following criteria applies to yourself:
"Last year I suffered a stroke and have not driven since. However, I feel that I will be able to drive and would like to find out about any adaptations that will enable me do to so and make me as safe a driver as possible. Are there organisations that can help me in a practical sense?" Answer : Scattered throughout the UK are 17 Mobility Centres, which are organisations who can offer professional advice to people who have a medical condition or are recovering from an accident which may have affected their ability to use a motor vehicle. If you telephone 0800 559 3636 and give details of where you live, they will advise you of the location of the Centre nearest to you. "I live in a small village and the path to my local shop is very uneven and worn. As I walk with a stick I need to be very careful. I have complained to the local council but nothing has been done. Is there anyone else I can complain to?" Answer : Help the Aged advise that 24% of pavements in the UK are unfit for safe use. However, by 2009 all local authorities must commit to repair these pavements. Help the Aged is running a campaign to make sure that these repairs are carried out and they would like any person who knows of a dangerous pavement to do the following: Contact Help the Aged by telephoning 0207 239 1982 and they will send you hard copies of two postcards. Postcard One is the one you complete and send to your local authority reporting the pavement and Postcard Two you send to Help the Aged and the organisation will follow up your complaint. In 2009 they will name and shame the worst performing councils. On the website of Help the Aged at http://www.helptheaged.org you can find out how many dangerous pavements have been reported in your region. For a copy of our latest Gazette, click here to ask for one to be delivered by post. To receive our Thursday Newsflash full of information about the UK care industry, just fill out one of the subscription boxes on this page to join for free.
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