My husband is 86 and has been physically disabled since childhood.
I hope they DON'T remove council car park parking facilities, as he has nowhere else to park. The house is right on the pavement with no garage.
It is bad enough that disabled hospital parking bays are usually full (and not many of them) and he is charged about £2.40 an hour to park in other bays.
Recently he was fined £50 for not showing his blue badge (in the council car park) because he had to send it off to be renewed, and the council took weeks to deal with it.He wrote to them and phoned them twice, wondering when he would receive the new permit. When I complained on his behalf they said that he could purchase a daily permit or pay hourly out of hours, which would have cost a fortune in the circumstances, which he could never afford, and certainly not for weeks on end.
I wrote to the council and their reply was that they were complying with the regulations!
When I then wrote to the Blue Badge Scheme I was told that he didn't need to send his blue badge permit to them at all! At his age he probably didn't realise that,and it transpired that his permit has not yet expired anyway. I don't suppose it would alter anything if he photo-copied his permit and sent it to them?
I asked Blue Badge why the council couldn't give out a temporary permit in cases like this? Surely that would be simple enough?In any case he was still showing his residents parking permit notice. I would also think that the parking warden would know his car anyway,as he has been parking there for over 20 years.
I wonder how many other pensioners have suffered this same treatment?
I would like to know. Is it possible that you could advertise this and see what replies come in?
Also, have you ever considered having a question and answer page for pensioners with health problems? At our age we all have them!
Thanks for listening.
P Hursey
Campaigns & Issues
Woodland Court staff face secure future thanks to Brunelcare
Residents and staff at a retirement village in Downend have finally reached the end of two years of uncertainty, following the acquisition of Woodland Court by Brunelcare.
Previous owners of the 57 apartment village, Care Village Group, went into administration in June 2011, leaving the residents and staff with an uncertain future.
The top priority for the Bristol based charity has been to retain all 27 members of staff to ensure that the support services are maintained, whilst minimising any disruption to the residents.
News
WRVS becomes Royal Voluntary Service as it marks 75 years
1.3 million over 75s will need support in future to stay independent
Today, 75 years on from its founding as the Women’s Voluntary Services, WRVS is dropping the W from its name and relaunching as the Royal Voluntary Service with a pledge to help two million older people over the next 10 years.
The decision to change its name comes as the charity recognises the need to meet the demands of an ageing population and to be more visible to men as well as women. And fresh research reveals the scale of this need – 26 per cent of over 75 year olds say that they think they will need support in future in order to stay living independently in their own homes, with almost a third of men (29 per cent) stating that is the case.
Competitions & Fun
Win a Doro PhoneEasy 515 handset!
We’ve teamed up with Doro to give four very lucky Mature Times readers the chance to win a Doro PhoneEasy 515 mobile phone.
The Doro PhoneEasy 515 has been designed to provide an easy-to-use mobile for people who might find mainstream handsets difficult or confusing to use. This beautifully stylish candybar phone features an easy-to-use camera enabling you to capture those spontaneous photos quickly and easily before sharing them with others.
The Doro PhoneEasy 515 has several user-friendly functions including a direct SMS key and a charging cradle to make charging hassle free. It also has a large keypad, enlarged text for easy dialing and messaging and a loud, clear sound.
Reader Offers
Win a prize at home or away in this month's prize draw with Silver Travel Advisor!
Enter now and you could win a prize at home or away! How about a 7 night break for 2, with flights included, in beautiful Slovenia? Or a trip to London’s glitzy theatreland, staying in a 4* hotel? Both fabulous treats which must be won!
Silver Travel Advisor is a friendly website packed with advice, tips, information and honest reviews written by and for silver travellers (aged over 50). A team of advisors are on hand to answer queries (for free), and you can share your own experiences too.
Health & Wellbeing
Loneliness is a ‘ticking time bomb’
One in three people over the age of 50 struggles with loneliness – fuelled partly by a rise in later life divorces, according to an official study. Figures show almost seven million members of the baby-boomer generation and above admit to feeling lonely.
Research published as part of David Cameron’s plan to measure the nation’s ‘happiness’ said almost half of people over 80 feel lonely - many “much of the time”.
Campaigns groups say the study, by the Office for National Statistics, suggests the generation approaching retirement will be a “loneliness time bomb”.
Property & Finance
15 per cent of population claim financial worries are affecting their health
16 million people find finances the most stressful aspect of their lives
Leisure and Lifestyle
Singing you heart out
Music sensation Billy Ocean takes time out talk to Laura Heads about the release of his latest album and how making music has changed dramatically during his 40 year career.
The star has sold over 30 million records in his lifetime and has collected a pile of Gold and Platinum awards across the world. Billy’s unique reggae infused voice and musical style, representing his Trinidadian roots, are recognisable anywhere and it is that which has earned him his well-deserved number ones.
And the well-loved singer-song writer said that the way music is made has changed a lot since he first began in the 1970s. He said: “Music is now controlled by technology. New artists allow technology to control what they are doing.
Travel
New guide to travel insurance launched
THIS IS A handy to use and easy to read guide packed with tips aimed at helping older travellers when considering the purchase of travel insurance.
The guide came about as a result of the numerous enquiries we received here at the Mature Times’ offices regarding travel insurance for older people. MT Editor Andrew Young says ‘We receive many, many e-mails, letters and telephone calls from our readers regarding this subject. We know that as you get older travel insurance becomes more expensive, but there are ways that you can try to help offset some of these increases – and this guide can help you do that.’
I like your Mature Times info, always something different, keep up the good work!