Mary Jordan, expert on dementia care, has written an article for Independent Living about the impact that the COVID crisis has been having on people with dementia and their carers.

She begins with a quote from her co-author Dr Noel Collins from their book ‘The D Word’:

“…I would suggest that dementia care may be the best surrogate of how civilized and forward thinking a society is.”

How civilised do you think we are looking right now?

Read her article here

 

Every August, DMUK, the disabled motorists' organisation, has a Baywatch campaign to monitor the use and abuse of disabled parking spaces in supermarket carparks.

This year, with the ongoing dangers posed by coronavirus, it is clearly not a great idea to encourage people to hang out at supermarkets, checking parked vehicles for Blue Badges. 

So instead, the Baywatch survey is going online - you can find out more here.

 

If you thought ramped access to buildings was a modern phenomenon, prompted by the DDA, you might want to reconsider.

Some intriguing new research suggests that the ancient Greeks had an eye on accessibility 2300 years ago. Let's hope it doesn't take that long for reasonable adjustments to be universally adopted...

Read more here 

 

Face masks seem to be a recurring theme here! 

I am returning to them because a) unprecedented numbers of people have been in touch asking about rules concerning exemption, and b) the British government has issued some guidance on the subject, including "Facemask exempt" cards you can download to your phone or to print out, if you are indeed exempt from wearing one because of a disability or long-term condition.

More details here

 

Paul Moore, long-time Independent Living subscriber and evangelist for vascular health has been busy during lockdown, with a new-look website and new products in the pipeline.

One that is now available is the Shoe Funnel, a simple but advanced alternative to the shoehorn which saves a lot of bending and twisting and only needs one hand.

More details on Facebook - If you like and share the post, you are in with a chance of winning one!

 

An advocacy service has been launched to support disabled people to access Social Security Scotland benefits.

The independent service will enable clients to have their voice heard, express their views and feel understood.

It is available to anyone who needs support in applying for benefits, because of their condition.

More details here

 

Don't forget that you can apply to join the Independent Living Facebook group, if you would like to spend more time discussing these themes with other interested people.

There are various ways you can get in touch with us: email me; visit our Facebook page and leave a message there; or if it's short and sweet, Tweet!

Previous newsletters are archived here.

If you are reading a copy of the Independent Living newsletter that has been passed on to you by a colleague or friend, why not sign up for your own free subscription – it's quick and easy, and won't lead to your inbox being bombarded with other stuff!

That's it until next week! 

Thank you for reading and best wishes,

Frances