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Welcome to the latest Independent Living news roundup.
27.03.19 Contents:
How low can you go?
Social prescribing
A guide to platform lifts
Too old to drive?
Spinal Track
Latest – RIDI Awards
1. How low can you go?

I was appalled by the Sheffield Hallam University report highlighting - or should that be lowlighting - the paltry amount spent on food in some care homes.

Mary Farmer, our indefatigable nutrition expert was moved to look at the problem in more detail, and ask just how it might conceivably be possible to feed a frail elderly person adequately for £2.15 a day.

Read her conclusions here

 

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2. Social prescribing

Social prescribing is growing in popularity amongst health professionals – so what does it mean, exactly?

It’s also sometimes described as community referral, and that provides more of a clue.

Essentially, it is about GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals referring people to local services for support, rather than prescribing some medical treatment in the traditional way.

Read more here

 

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3. A guide to platform lifts

Independent Living site subscriber, The Platform Lift Company has written a guide to choosing a platform lift.

Helping you to decide which solution is best for you, your budget and your living space from the many different types of product available.

Read the guide here

 

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4. Too old to drive?

A former neighbour was still driving his venerable Volvo into the village to shop at 100. My brother-in-law cheerfully abandoned driving at 75. We all, I think, breathed a sigh of relief when the Duke of Edinburgh recently decided at the age of 97 that perhaps it was time to stop taking the wheel, at least on public roads.

Clearly, there isn’t a single point at which a person is too old to drive: many people are safe and happy drivers well into their 80s and 90s, while others are a danger to themselves and anyone else within reach at a much younger age.

Police in Dorset have a scheme with Wessex DriveAbility to refer older drivers for fitness to drive assessment rather than prosecution for some offences.

Carry on reading here

 

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5. Spinal Track

Continuing the motoring theme, Spinal Track is a charity which provides free track days in adapted cars for enthusiasts with disabilities.

Next month, rally driving will also be on the menu, with the Spinal Track Rally Experience, the first of its kind where rally cars are provided solely for the use of disabled drivers – giving them the chance to take to the wheel and learn how to drive an RWD rally car on gravel. 

Read more here

 

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6. Latest - RIDI Awards

Selecting finalists for the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Awards was a challenge, given the high quality of the entries. The judges were particularly impressed with the "Getting Started" category, which demonstrates the number of recruitment professionals who have recognised the importance of inclusion for disabled professionals. 

See the finalists 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.

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Until next time, best wishes,

Frances

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Frances Leckie
Editor

e: editor @ independentliving.co.uk
t: +44 (0) 208 133 0628
Skype: francesleckie
w: www.independentliving.co.uk
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