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Welcome to the Age Friendly Nottingham Bulletin

I understand that the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak may be causing you to feel anxious, stressed, worried, sad, bored, lonely or frustrated - it's OK to feel this way.  Try to remember, this situation is temporary, everyone will be reacting differently and eventually these difficult feelings will pass.

I hope that you and your families stay well - please remember you are not alone.

Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark
Nottingham's Age Friendly Nottingham Champion

Support from the new Customer Hub

The council has set up a Customer Hub support service that connects self-isolating people to community support groups and neighbourhood volunteer teams. It means people who perhaps don’t have established support networks can get essentials like food and medicines delivered to them by volunteers, or a visit or phone call to check they’re OK. The Customer Hub on 0115 915 5555 will be open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday or you can visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/coronavirus.

To stay up to date with how people are working together sign go to #NottinghamTogether.  Together we can look after each other.

Looking after your health and wellbeing at home

We are all following social distancing guidance but we know that many of our older readers will be self-isolating because of your existing health conditions. It’s a worrying time for everyone and it is perfectly natural to feel more anxious than usual.    In addition to the coronavirus guidance on washing your hands often and avoiding touching your face, the following are a few tips to help you stay well while you're at home:

• Stay in touch with family and friends over the phone or on social media.
• Avoid watching too much news. Also be aware that there is a lot of ‘fake’ news and myths about coronavirus out there (see the article below on ‘Beware False Information).
• If you need to talk, there is also The Silver Line - a free, helpline for people aged 55+ that is available 24 hours a day. Telephone 0800 4 70 80 90.
• If you need practical help, ask for it – family, friends or neighbours may be able to help with shopping, picking up prescriptions or running errands. For those self-isolating without support, phone the Nottingham Customer Hub on 0115 915 5555.
• If you need advice, Age UK run an advice line – phone 0800 678 1602.
• Try and keep physically active. If you are not able to walk or go in the garden, there are lots of opportunities to join either on the radio, the computer or the television.  One launched this week specifically for older people is ’10 Today’
• Feeling creative? Have you checked out Artspeak? This Nottingham based initiative is placing recommending different project for you to join on their website each day.
• Stay safe – see the advice below about avoiding scams.

Support for people living with dementia

We know that this is a particularly worrying time for people living with dementia and their families and carers. The weeks ahead are going to be challenging, particularly as those valuable community groups are no longer able to meet, but if you need support both the Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK are offering support.

The Alzheimer’s Society

Locally the Alzheimer’s Society has suspended home visits and face to face support but people who usually receive Alzheimer’s Society services are being contacted by regular telephone calls instead. 

For more information on Coronavirus and living with dementia, go to their website or contact their Dementia Connect Helpline on 0333 150 3456.

If you’d like to connect and talk with other people affected by dementia, you can visit the Alzheimer’s Society online community Talking Point.

Dementia UK

Dementia UK has developed a useful site giving advice for families looking after someone with dementia.

You can also speak to a dementia specialist Admiral Nurse on Dementia UK’s Helpline on 0800 888 6687.

Radford Care Group

Radford Care Group have suspended their Dementia Information Programmes for carers, but their dementia facilitators can still be contacted should you have any questions.  Please ring Radford Care Group on 0115 9786133 or email - any messages will be forwarded and a member of our team will be in touch.

Beware false information

There are lots of ways to get information these days but people should beware of false information that’s being spread during this pandemic. The Government’s SHARE checklist gives the public five easy steps to follow to identify whether information may be misleading: Source – make sure information comes from a trusted source Headline – always read beyond the headline Analyse – check the facts Retouched – does the image or video look as though it has been doctored? Error – look out for bad grammar and spelling Further information is available from the Don’t Feed The Beast campaign.

Avoiding Scams

Nottingham City Council’s Trading Standards department has produced helpful advice for citizens, in order to protect themselves from fraudsters. For more information click here.

If you are wanting to make a claim for Universal Credit, please be aware of fake Universal Credit sites operating only use https://www.gov.uk/apply-universal-credit.

Nottinghamshire Victim CARE is still here for you!

If you are affected by crime, anti-social behaviour or hate incidents, you may benefit from emotional and practical support that is available from Notts Victim CARE. Their free contact line 0800 3047575 is open Monday to Saturday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Their website www.nottsvictimcare.org.uk is full of advice and guidance on all types of crimes and anti-social behaviour – and you can self-refer.

TV Licences for Over 75s – changes delayed until 1 August

From 1 August 2020, there will be a new scheme for free TV licences. Under the new scheme, only the people aged 75 or over and receiving Pension Credit will be eligible for a free TV Licence, paid for by the BBC. Pension Credit can be in the name of the licence holder or in their partner’s name if they are a couple living at the same address.  Click here for more information.

Public Transport in Nottingham

NET trams are currently operating a Sunday timetable Nottingham City Transport are operating a reduced service Trentbarton and Kinchbus are operating a reduced service in operation Several linkbus services are suspended until further notice, Medilink continues to operate Easylink is available for all City residents who can’t access public transport at this moment in time. Easylink is a door-to-door service which is fully accessible and provides vital links to shops, medical and leisure activities. Give the team a call for further details on (0115) 969 1801.

Nottingham Audiology Services response to COVID-19

Nottingham Audiology Services are trying to make sure all their patients with hearing aids can use them during this time.  Although they cannot see people in appointments, they can be contacted by email at audiology@nuh.nhs.uk or by telephone on 0115 9194488.

They are posting out batteries and spares and delivering replacement hearing aids where needed. Patients or family members can get in touch to request help, and for the time being the postage will be paid by the service.

RideWise – Free Bicycles to Essential Workers

RideWise have opened an Emergency Bike Bank to support essential workers in Nottingham(shire) during this crisis. RideWise is offering essential workers who are struggling to get to their homes, communities or workplaces a free bike to help them get around.  People can email RideWise at customerservices@ridewise.org.uk and they'll match people with a suitable reconditioned + serviced bike to keep them moving (while their stocks last).

Money worries

Advice Nottingham is a consortium of six advice agencies based in Nottingham City.  They provide free, confidential and impartial advice on a range of issues including benefits, debt, employment and housing. Go to http://advicenottingham.org.uk/get-help/ for more information.

Your Online Library

While local libraries are closed librarians been busy finding more ways to bring your library to you online. As well as the eBooks,  eMagazines, eNewspapers and eReference books you can read at home, they've been searching for the right places for you to go online, making it easier to find ways for you and your family to get through this. They've also got their talented library staff to record videos of songs and storytimes. There’ll be more virtual library fun coming soon…to make sure you don’t miss them why not sign up to their newsletter and like their Facebook page? For more information click here.

If you are new to the Age Friendly Bulletin and would like to sign up to receive a regular copy, please click here.  You will need to log in and choose Age Friendly Nottingham in the Children and Adults section.  There are also lots of other free local E-Bulletins you might find interesting too.

If you would like an article including in our next Age Friendly Nottingham Bulletin, please email healthandwellbeing@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Stay safe and try to keep smiling