helping seniors live well in later life

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Category: Post

  • Making Broadband Simple

    Making Broadband Simple

    If you want to have access to the internet you need a device and to make the device work well and fast in your home, you need broadband.   But what if you haven’t had it before?  We come across clients regularly who don’t have it, so it’s not as uncommon as you might think.

    Broadband bamboozles us all, but imagine if you haven’t had it before.  There are so many technical terms so how do we explain what they all are?  And of course we want to make sure our older clients are not picking a provider who is going to make things even more confusing if they have to call for any technical assistance.

    This is why we work with UW.  Not only can we help explain things to our clients, but the technical and customer services look after our clients very well.  We always make sure to put our clients on the Priority Services Register, so they are attended to quickly especially if they have a Careline device or need the phone to connect to family (they may not have a mobile device). 

    If you would like to talk to us about how UW can help you get connected with broadband (or to change supplier), please let us know.

  • Get ready for winter

    Get ready for winter

    As we head into autumn it is important to get yourself ready for the winter and make sure you are ready for the arrival of any cold snap:

    1. Check your heating works (which we first advised in August).
    2. Make sure you have lots of thin layers that you can wear on top of each other.   You can also get an ‘Oodie’ which is a giant over-blanket that you can wear to keep you warm inside your home.
    3. Get a really warm hat, scarf and gloves.  If your heating breaks down you can always wear these inside.
    4. Drink lots of hot drinks, and have soups and stews for lunch and dinner.
    5. If you are tempted to use a hot water bottle, be sure to check it for holes as they can perish over time and you don’t want boiling water leaking on you.   They have a daisy on them to determine when it was made.  The inside number is the year and the outer segments represent the month.  If you’ve had it for more than three years you should consider replacing it.
    6. If you are mobile, keep moving, as that always keeps you warmer.
    7. Some Age UK offices run a Warm Homes programme.  See if there is one in your area here
    8. If you are on the Priority Services Register (for those over 60, those with young children and those with disabilities) and you have no heating due to a power cut or gas emergency, they can help you remain warm and able to cook with temporary appliances.  Find out more here.  
    9. Don’t suffer from the cold; contact your energy company or social services for more help.
  • Be part of a community

    Be part of a community

    So you’ve retired!  Many people look forward to this so that they can spend time with their grandchildren, go on holiday, visit art galleries and enjoy more of their hobbies.

    For others, the thought of giving up work is stressful and they worry about the lack of interaction with others and how to spend their time. 

    Of course it’s a good idea to have a rest and some relaxing time immediately after retiring, but if you don’t have a purpose or specific things to do, your health, both mental and physical, will suffer.

    It’s really important to have a purpose, be part of a community and have a schedule.   Some people get a dog as it means they have to get up and walk it!  That gives them a purpose and a schedule.  Others volunteer for charities or at schools, giving them purpose, community and a schedule.   You’ll find many local groups for retired people and some even start for the over 50s.   You could begin a hobby that you have always been meaning to do.

    If you fancy joining our online group for those retired, from 10am on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, get in touch and we’ll book you in!

    Or meanwhile, have a read of our piece about community written for AfterCloud, here. 

  • Silver Pages Third Edition 2024-25 is now available

    Silver Pages Third Edition 2024-25 is now available

    The latest edition of Silver Pages – our free 40-page essential list of resources for later in life (or whenever you need it) – is now available to order.

    Silver Pages gives you a peep inside our ‘little black book’ of tried and tested contacts; we’ve chosen those you will likely need now or in the years ahead.

    We have trusted long-term relationships with top-rated professionals across a broad range of disciplines from lawyers to leak-fixers, caterers to carpet fitters.

    If you would like us to post you a copy, simply send us an email with your full name and address to:
    info@onestoporganisers.co.uk

    We know how hard it can be to find decent quality and reliable tradespeople.

    Silver Pages gives you a list of the best; you can be confident that the companies we use are capable of completing your project to high standards.

  • Silver Sunday

    Silver Sunday

    It’s Silver Sunday on 6th October.  Silver Sunday is a national day where people of all generations can come together by hosting fun and free activities for older people. It is a day to meet new people, visit new places, try new activities and connect with local communities and other generations.

    As last year, we are hosting an event on Saturday 12 October at St Mary and St John the Divine, Balham, SW12 9BS, with board games and lunch.  It’s free to join in and there will be a chance to find out how to organise your photos with www.clearbubble.co.uk and get your photo taken with www.rosalindfurlong.com  To find out more and to book, click here.  

    If you want to find what else is on in your area have a look here https://silversunday.org.uk/calendar/

  • Get that ‘back to school’ vibe

    Get that ‘back to school’ vibe

    September is a time for new beginnings, just like January, as it has the back-to-school vibe that is inescapable even if you don’t have children or grandchildren in the education system.   It’s a time to start on things you have been putting off and generally just get going on your own home projects.

    So, if you would like to start decluttering, now is a good time!  If you are looking at it and wondering where to start then we recommend the following:

    1. Start small, one cupboard or corner at a time
    2. Schedule the decluttering into your diary
    3. Put on a rousing music track to keep you moving and stop you getting distracted
    4. Do it with a friend (you can help each other) or tell a friend you are doing it, to remain accountable
    5. Always remove items from your home for the waste or charity when you’re done, so you can see the results quickly.

     If you’d like a bespoke declutter plan, or you need some professional help, get in touch with us, we can help.   

  • Test your heating!

    Test your heating!

    If you read our blog last month about getting your boiler service done in the summer, you are well ahead.  Assuming you got it serviced last month, you should be good to go.  But it’s still good to test your heating before you need it, in case you have any radiator or leak issues you weren’t aware of, or if you didn’t get your boiler serviced over the summer.  Last year we didn’t follow our own advice for the first time ever, and then had a problem with the thermostat connecting, coinciding with being sick and not being able to trouble-shoot it.  So we really do recommend checking that your heating works before you need it!  And if it doesn’t you now have plenty of time to sort it out.

  • Dealing with your loved one’s possessions after death

    Dealing with your loved one’s possessions after death

    When someone passes away it can be a very traumatic time for family and friends, even if the death was expected, and dealing with a loved one’s possessions can be a very emotional task.   Once any items in the will have been distributed, you can ask other family and friends if there is anything they want.  If there are more valuable items in the property they may fall into the estate to be valued, and so it is important that you follow the solicitors’ instructions for disposing of or sharing out those items.  Once that is done you may still be able to sell items, and so we recommend contacting auction houses and / or antique dealers who you know and trust, to help get you the best price.  After that we recommend looking at things in the following order:

    • Other furniture to sell, either on Ebay, Gumtree or through Facebook groups or marketplace
    • Furniture to give to charity or give away.  If a charity won’t take items you may be able to give them away using Olio, Gumtree or again, local Facebook groups or marketplace
    • Small items are best to go straight to charity, but not all shops take everything so check individually
    • Specialist items from hobbies may be of value to a collector even if they have no monetary value, so you might find someone online
    • Keep papers aside to be shredded if not needed for the legal process.  Get a shredding company to collect, or you can drop off
    • Use a waste collector or skip at the end.

    Or, if you want to save time, you can engage a house clearance firm to do all of the above for you.

  • What is Careline?

    What is Careline?

    Careline is a personal alarm service used throughout the care industry to help people live independently.  Most people have a pendant or watch device which is remotely attached to a phone line and can dial when you press the pendant to alert loved ones, or call a carer or the emergency services, depending on how it is set up.  There are also more sophisticated versions which can be worn as watches, and can detect automatically if you fall. This is also the case with certain versions of Apple Watches.  Technology is changing all the time and all sorts of other devices to monitor you or your loved ones to ensure safety are out there.

    You can read more about Careline here www.careline.co.uk or contact your local council or Age UK who can also advise.

  • Top tips for WhatsApp as you get older

    Top tips for WhatsApp as you get older

    If after last week’s blog you decided to get WhatsApp, you might need some lessons in how to use it.  We have some tips for you to make it easier.

    • If someone sends you a message that you want to find again you can star it (by tapping and holding the message and then selecting ‘star’).  And then in the chat for that person you can click on the three dots at the top of the screen and go to view contact where you’ll find the starred messages.
    • Sometimes you know someone sent you a link and you can’t find it so you can repeat the above with the three dots and go to media, links and docs and see all the photos and videos (media), docs (other attachments like pdfs or word docs etc) or links (websites) from there.  Much less to scroll through!
    • You can actually use WhatsApp on your computer.  You have to link the two together from the WhatsApp app on your phone by going to the home screen on the app and clicking on the three dots again, and then going to linked devices and press link a device.  Then follow the instructions.

    If all of that sounds a bit technical, we promise it isn’t once you’ve got used to it.  Ask a teenager to help, or give us a call!