helping seniors live well in later life

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Tag: Top Tips

  • Trades

    Trades

    Most tradespeople are honest and trustworthy but it doesn’t matter what our age, we’ve all had a tradesperson who didn’t care, or who was in a rush to do some work for us.  And I bet we didn’t follow them up on each of those visits.  Imagine then if we ended up with someone who was a bit of a wrong ‘un!  How would we deal with that?  And how would you deal with that if you were older?

    So if you have an older neighbour, look out for them.  They may be living with dripping taps, dodgy electrics, holes in the roof, or clogged gutters to name a few, because they are worried about being in their home on their own with a tradesperson or don’t know who to call to get something done. 

    Some charities like Age UK offer a handyman service, so they are a good place to start to find someone reliable and trustworthy; but for bigger jobs, we all need to look out for our older folk and be sure we are sharing good contacts and helping them feel safe when getting work done.

    If you need help in identifying decent quality and reliable tradespeople, please ask us for a copy of our Silver Pages. 

  • Choosing a mobile phone

    Choosing a mobile phone

    Do you need to choose a mobile for yourself as an older person or for an older loved one?  Here are our top tips:

    1. Is this the first time you’ve had a mobile phone?  If so, consider a phone with just a few apps so it is not overwhelming.  Doro https://www.doro.com/en-gb make phones specifically for seniors and we’ve helped a number of clients get these phones.
    2. Don’t like the idea of a Doro phone? Who is the person that will help you get to grips with a mobile?  Get a phone similar to theirs.  So if your son / daughter or grandchild has an iPhone, get one of those, or if they have a Samsung, get one of those.  They will much more likely be able to help you as they know what you’re asking about.
    3. Do you have a hearing aid that should be smartphone compatible?  Check with your audiologist if the phone you want will be compatible.
    4. Consider getting a second hand phone on a monthly sim contract to start with in case it isn’t used much.  You can always get a more fancy phone later on.

    Once you have your new phone we can help you set it up and give you some regular lessons in how to use it.  We suggest getting to grips with one function at a time.  And remember, once you have one, carry it everywhere and make sure it’s always charged. No point in having one that is at home if you have a fall in the street!

  • Helping you tame your admin

    Helping you tame your admin

    Is your admin out of control?  Do you have papers everywhere?  Do you miss appointments regularly or miss deadlines?  Here are some of our top tips to get back on track, whatever your age.

    1. Write it down.  If you use paper and pen, great, but have it in one place.  If you are embracing digital technology then here are some places to keep track of to do lists:a.      Evernote https://evernote.com/b.      Todoist https://app.todoist.com/app/c.      Notes app on your phone
    2. Put things straight in your diary when you get an invitation or an appointment letter.  And if you need to do a task at some point in the future, diarise a time to do it (you can do this instead of writing it on a to do list)
    3. Check your emails and WhatsApps at the end of the day to make sure you haven’t missed anything (we’re guilty of reading but not actioning immediately).
    4. Use your smart speaker to remind you of things and add items to your shopping list (or other lists you create).  You can review these online or through your smartphone app or get the speaker to talk to you!

    We’re happy to discuss how to make these work for you practically.

  • How to effectively deal with post

    How to effectively deal with post

    Do you find you get post that you don’t deal with?  It is very boring after all! You do need to open it so it doesn’t get lost, but you don’t need to deal with it straight away.  Here’s our video from last year and three top tips:

    • Open envelopes on the day you get the post
    • Flatten the post and throw the envelope away
    • Either deal with it or file it there and then or put the contents in a magazine file to file or deal with later.

    For more information on how and why we recommend the above, have a look at our video here:

  • Tax in retirement

    Tax in retirement

    HMRC should send you a PAYE coding notice each year, unless they believe that a source of PAYE income is not chargeable to tax, or if you do not have a liability to tax on any PAYE-source income.  Being retired doesn’t stop you from being liable for tax or from receiving a tax code. 

    If you usually get one and don’t have one yet this year then you should get in touch with HMRC to find out what happened to it.

    If you usually get a tax code notice you should check it when you receive it to make sure it is correct!  If you need help in understanding it this is a great link to help you and a great website in general for help regarding tax issues for older people.
    https://taxvol.org.uk/index.php/your-tax-code-notice-pensions/

    We can recommend accountants and tax specialists to help you with your tax affairs if you have questions or need a tax return done on your behalf. 

  • Getting online to make your life easier – part 2

    Getting online to make your life easier – part 2

    Following on from our first ten reasons to learn the internet last week, here are some more reasons to learn the internet, if you want to:

    • Search for recipes to use up food in your fridge or larder
    • Check the news and weather
    • Check your bank statements
    • If you’re still driving you can use it for directions (satnav)
    • Research for holidays or day trips
    • Participate in courses
    • Receive information (e.g. schedules and timetables)
    • Check spelling and grammar
    • Book theatre and concert tickets
    • Renew or get a passport (useful for ID as you get older even if you won’t be travelling abroad)

     The list is endless but we find these are the most popular.  There are many charities helping people go digital, and our PAs can also help with bespoke lessons.  We can set you up with a mobile and then you can learn an ‘app a week’, or go at whatever pace is comfortable for you.

  • Getting on line to make your life easier

    Getting on line to make your life easier

    More and more companies are making our lives ‘easier’ by delivering their services online.  But it’s only ‘easier’ if you grew up with computers or have used them for your job.  If you’re older and you don’t have a device then it’s very annoying and tricky.   But if you want to get going, then why not?  Here are some of the things you could use the internet for – and there will be more next week!

    •  Repeat prescriptions (but if you like to get out and see people at the pharmacy, stick to that!)
    • Online shopping (good if you are short- or long-term sick, but if you like seeing people, stick to that as above)
    • Audio and online books (but if your eyesight is good and you like to go to the library, stick to that or mix it up!)
    • Online magazines
    • Repeat radio shows and podcasts
    • Repeat TV shows
    • Connect with family and friends by video
    • Play bridge and other games with people in different countries
    • Remind you to take medication
    • Buy presents for family and friends

    If you want to stay as you are but know that you would like someone to help you who is digitally connected, we can help you with things that you might not otherwise be able to do, such as apply for a passport or do online shopping for you.   Just get in touch to get help from one of our later life admin specialists.

  • Passports and identity

    Passports and identity

    Passports are not just for trips abroad.

    They are a very useful piece of ID and, if possible, make sure you keep yours renewed even if you don’t think you’ll be travelling soon.

    We have seen many cases recently of our clients needing to prove their identity to banks and this is often the only ID that can be accepted especially if you have stopped driving.  Without it we’ve seen clients locked out of their own banking, even in branch, as they cannot prove who they are when something has gone wrong or when a fraud flag has been placed on their account. 

    If you are moving home soon you’ll need to prove your identity to your solicitor and this will be the easiest way.  There are many organisations that are inflexible when it comes to ID requirements and keeping your passport renewed can take the stress out of things as you don’t always know you need it until you do.  

    And don’t forget, you can use it as ID for voting since there are now requirements for ID at polling stations.  There is now of course a special voter ID you can get if you don’t have a passport, and other items you can use like your freedom pass or blue badge.  You can of course always apply for a postal vote if going to the polling station is too stressful.

    If you or a loved one need help doing the online passport renewal (or new passport) application, we would love to help.

  • Share the love

    Share the love

    As it is coming up to St Valentine’s Day

    We wanted to remind you to share your love with any older neighbours you may have.  

    • Make sure you check on older neighbours regularly, especially if you haven’t seen them for a few days.
    • Check in periodically to see if they need help with anything.  This could be shopping, making calls, or digital device conundrums.  
    • If you see something wrong with their home let them know, but not in a way that will alarm them, and offer to help them find someone trustworthy to put it right.
    • If you’ve made a cake or too much dinner, take some round to them.

    Don’t forget that we are here to help so if they would like ongoing support, get in touch with us and we can let you know how we can help.

  • Getting your home ready to downsize

    Getting your home ready to downsize

    So you’ve decided to downsize and you are putting your home on the market.  So, what should you do to get it ready?

    •  Take advice from the estate agent you are using, but note they will all have different opinions on this!
    • If your home is likely to need a lot of work by your buyer to modernise it, feel free to ignore most of the rest of this advice, as it won’t make much difference to the outcome.
    • Tidy the front garden and make sure any issues with the front of the house (peeling paint, dirty or cracked pathway, weeds, etc) are sorted.  You can add some vibrant pots of plants.
    • If you live in a flat, do what you can to keep the communal areas clean and tidy.
    • Create the feeling of space in the rooms by removing clutter into cupboards or taking it away from the home.
    • If you are tempted to remove furniture, only do this if you are re-purposing the room  for prospective buyers.  And it is always good to have a double bed in bedrooms where possible to show how the room can be used.

     If you need help with choosing an estate agent or de-cluttering either before you go on the market or before the move, we would love to help.