News – Page 3 – Barnet Seniors' Association

FREE Seated Yoga Classes

We are now starting a regular Seated Yoga class. Join us each week on Tuesdays from 11.30 am for one hour. These classes are free to our friends and supporters.

JOIN US 5 MINS EARLIER TO GET SETTLED IN
WEAR COMFORTABLE LOOSE CLOTHES
HAVE A DRINK READY IN CASE YOU NEED IT
CHOOSE A CHAIR WITHOUT ARMS TO ALLOW YOUR ARMS TO MOVE FREELY
NO OTHER EQUIPMENT IS NEEDED
THE ZOOM LINK WILL BE THE SAME EACH WEEK TO MAKE IT EASY FOR YOU TO JOIN

START TIME: 11.30AM

HOST: KATHRYN JACKMAN. Kathryn is a senior practitioner working with adults and children. She is a member of the British Wheel of Yoga and Integral Yoga trained teacher.

VENUE: Join Zoom Meeting
Or enter Meeting ID if you have Zoom already. Meeting ID: 916 0309 6408

We look forward to seeing you there! As always, bring along refreshments and be ready for some fun exercise!

Mental Health in Later Life Online Event

Join our talk on Zoom on 16th March at 5pm hosted by Oliver Steadman, Campaigns Officer from Independent Age

Oliver will talk about their policy and Influencing work on mental health.
He will also give an overview of their latest research on mental health in later life. The report looks at key events that could affect someone’s mental health, barriers to accessing treatment and make recommendations for what needs to change. Independent Age campaigns to improve the systems that older people rely on and will explain how BSA members can get involved. He will also reference the information and advice services Independent Age offers.

If you have Zoom already then join using the ID below otherwise click here to connect.

Date: Tuesday 16th March at 5pm
Meeting ID: 921 2705 7229
Passcode: No passcode required

PAiL – Winter COVID Survival Guide – For Older Londoners

Positive Ageing In London has put together this Survival Guide for older people living in London. The guide consists of useful information collated from around the internet, some of which has been shared amongst the PAiL community and committee members in previous newsletters and campaigns. It is created to provide a directory of useful links with tips and guides that assist older people during this immensely challenging pandemic period. The guide is broken down into these sections:

Click here for the full guide.

Staying physically healthy
NHS Information
Staying Mentally healthy
Things to do (Ways in Which to Stay Involved from Home)
What You Can do in Your Locality / Community
How to Stay Safe at Home / When Going Out
Links – Good News Stories, Campaigns, Sources of Help, Things to do, Ways to Stay in touch The BBC has produced a short video explaining the special rules that apply over Christmas and gives practical advice. See here

TFL confirms route of 383 extension to Finchley Memorial Hospital from 31 October

· Trial of bus route 383 extension to Finchley Memorial Hospital to begin this Saturday 31 October

· Barnet residents will have easier access to the hospital and health services that recently relocated to the site

· Residents to have their say on the extension when a full consultation is held in early 2021

Barnet residents will be able to travel more easily to Finchley Memorial Hospital as the trial of an extension to bus route 383, from its current Woodside Park terminus to the facility, gets underway this Saturday 31 October.

The Mayor asked TfL to review hospital bus services in 2017, and in the light of coronavirus these services have been reviewed further. The pandemic has led some NHS Trusts to reconfigure services across their sites and the proposed bus route extension to Finchley Memorial Hospital is a temporary measure in response to this by serving the changing demand.

From Woodside Park station, the current terminus, the route will run back along Woodside Park Road before turning on to North Finchley High Road and continuing via Granville Road to Finchley Memorial Hospital, where it will terminate. The route will stop at all stops along the way, including North Finchley town centre where customers can change to and from a range of other routes serving many parts of north London.

The route, operated by Uno bus, will continue to run from Monday to Saturday and the frequency will remain the same, with a service every 30 minutes between 06:00 and 20:00 from Finchley Memorial Hospital and departure times from Barnet, The Spires remaining the same (05:35 to 19:35).

TfL has been working closely with the Community Health Partnerships to implement the extension, which has included making some changes to the way the car park at Finchley Memorial Hospital operates and the installation of a new bus stop and stand.

Any permanent changes would be subject to full public consultation, which will take place in early 2021.

Geoff Hobbs, Director of Public Transport Service Planning at TfL, said: “Our aim is to provide the best bus service possible for customers, and this involves the constant review of the network to ensure that it responds to changes in the city to meet customer needs. The pandemic has led to a sudden change in local healthcare provisions, including in the Barnet area. We hope that this trial extension of the route 383, which provides better access to the Finchley Hospital, will help people get to work and access healthcare facilities. We look forward to hearing feedback from the community when we launch the consultation.”

Andrew Meakin, Regional Property Director at Community Health Partnerships, who manage Finchley Memorial Hospital said: “We are thrilled to see the number 383 extension to Finchley Memorial Hospital will be up and running in the coming few days.

“We have worked jointly with North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group and our local NHS LIFTCo partner to lobby and support this initiative.

“The new extended route stopping directly outside the hospital will provide a much needed accessible solution for visitors, especially for vulnerable and elderly patients, who use the facility.

“With the additional transport links to the hospital we hope this will reduce the amount of traffic within the hospital grounds and surrounding areas, and also improve parking facilities to free up more spaces for those who cannot use public transport or come from further afield.

“With the appropriate safety precautions implemented at this current time, we hope many patients and visitors to the hospital will utilise this new service.”

TfL’s extensive anti-viral cleaning regime across the transport network includes using hospital-grade cleaning substances that kill viruses and bacteria on contact and provide ongoing disinfection. More than 1,000 hand sanitiser points have been installed across the network for everyone to use and firm action is being taken against the minority of customers who refuse to wear a face covering without an exemption. Single decker buses, including those on route 383, remain limited to either 11 or 14 passengers, depending on bus size, in order to maintain social distancing.

TfL has regularly tested for coronavirus on the transport network with no evidence of the virus found to date and, last month, a new testing plan with Imperial College London started. This work involves independent monthly air and surface sampling, on both the Tube and buses. The results from the first round of collaborative sampling in September have already been received and were, again, all negative for the presence of COVID-19.

Buses will operate Monday to Saturday, with a service every 30 minutes (two buses per hour) between 06:00 and 20:00 from Finchley Memorial Hospital and departure times from Barnet, The Spires remaining the same (05:35 to 19:35)
For more information visit https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/383/

TfL confirms trial of route 383 extension to Finchley Memorial Hospital from 31 October

Get involved with Chickenshed through living letters

Join us at Chickenshed for this four week programme which is completely free. We would like to connect people, especially from different generations as we have so much to share – so many stories to tell each other.

Our young members ages from 13-24 told us that they wanted to connect with people – they wanted to chat and communicate and ideally grow intergenerational friendships with people that, like them, could be feeling a little alone and unsure of the future. They were missing ‘people! We are all experiencing change in our lives – no matter what age we are – and it is good to share these experiences with each other.

We will guide you through the process and give plenty of support.

We would pair you with a writing partner from Chickenshed’s Young Company. We don’t tell them anything about each other – but we ask them to start their letter:

“To look at me you’d probably think …” and then we ask them to write something about themselves.

The participants then write to each other over a four week period and after four weeks we introduce on Zoom. Once they have been introduced we ask the participant to join our social network and we have I believe 100+ on that, and we chat, have coffee mornings etc. So it becomes a bit of a community – we call it The Space Between Us – because everyone believes that there is a huge space between the generations, but actually when you start to speak and chat, the space is very very small. Once this virus is under control, or over, we will be inviting The Space Between Us members to Chickenshed – and we have various workshops, the choir, coffee mornings and meeting-ups.
Visit the website to find out more https://www.chickenshed.org.uk/living-letters-four-week-project

Getting close to nature helps improve your wellbeing

‘Being outdoors with nature for an extra 2 hours each week helps to improve your wellbeing and bring down your stress levels’according to research shared by the BBC through their programme “Trust Me I’m a Doctor” episode 9

Have you ever considered joining an allotment, growing your own produce, learning new skills, meeting new people, as well as enjoying the great outdoors?

Benefits of allotments and your own garden.

In a survey of National Allotment Society members nearly every person said their love of allotment gardening comes from the fresh air, home grown produce, healthy lifestyle and like- minded people this activity offers.
Gardening is good for you and allotment gardening offers additional benefits that help to ameliorate loneliness and enable people to contribute to society, especially beyond retirement. The social contact offered by gardening in an allotment environment helps to combat loneliness, which has the equivalent risk to health as consuming 15 cigarettes daily and is twice as harmful as obesity.

Contact with nature

Working a plot year round means that allotment holders experience the seasons and also witness the activities of local wildlife. In 2018 the UK Government produced a 25 Year Environment Plan, which acknowledges that connecting people to their environment will also improve their health and well- being. A study in the Netherlands showed that every 10% increase in exposure to green space translated into an improvement in health equivalent to being five years younger, with similar benefits found by studies in Canada and Japan.

Mental well being

There is a growing awareness of the role that gardening plays in both preventing and alleviating mental ill-health. Many allotment gardeners will tell you that a spell on the plot nurturing plants and contemplating nature makes them feel calmer and more hopeful and there have been recent studies that have measured this benefit

Sense of achievement

As many new plot-holders discover, growing vegetables requires acquiring new knowledge and skills and the satisfaction gained from eating their first home grown tomato or new potato makes them taste even more delicious!

Healthy activity

The physical benefits of regular spells of gardening help plot- holders to keep fit and contributes to their mental well-being. Gardening can also help to maintain good gait and balance in older gardeners and help with cognitive decline.

Spending as little as 15 minutes a day out in the summer sunshine can build up your levels of vitamin D. However, gardeners do need to be sensible in the sun.
Find out more about allotments and their health benefits. https://www.nsalg.org.uk

It’s just the flu…

4 October 2020, NHS North Central London CCG

You will have heard friends and family say it is “Just” the flu! Each year the flu kills on average 11,000 people and hospitalises thousands more. There’s no “just” about it!

What causes flu? Flu is caused by influenza viruses that infect the windpipe and lungs. And because it’s caused by viruses and not bacteria, antibiotics won’t treat it. However, if there are complications from getting flu, antibiotics may be needed.

How do we protect against flu? Flu is unpredictable. The vaccine provides the best protection available against a virus that can cause severe illness. The most likely viruses that will cause flu are identified in advance of the flu season and vaccines are then made to match them as closely as possible. The vaccines are given in the autumn ideally before flu starts circulating. During the last ten years the vaccine has generally been a good match for the circulating strains. It is more important than ever this year to have your vaccination to protect yourself, your loved ones and the NHS, and for those on the eligible list the vaccine is provided free.

You should have the flu vaccine if you:

· are 65 years old or over

· are pregnant

· are an adult or child with certain conditions

· live with someone on the shielded patient list

· are living in a care home or other long-stay facility

· receive a carer’s allowance, or you’re the main carer for an elderly or disabled person

· are aged two – three

· are in primary school, or the first year of secondary school (Year 7)

· are a frontline health and social care worker

The NHS will contact you directly if you are eligible, and will give you information about where to go to get the vaccine.

Will the flu vaccine protect me against COVID-19? The flu vaccine won’t protect you against COVID-19, but it will help protect you against the strains of flu virus that will be circulating this year. Helping to protect against flu is particularly important with COVID-19 in circulation because people vulnerable to COVID-19 are also at risk of complications from flu.

Is the flu vaccination safe?

The flu vaccination is safe and effective and must be given annually. It cannot give you the flu. Adults usually receive the flu vaccination in injection form, and children usually receive a nasal spray.

When can I get the flu vaccination?

We expect that the flu vaccination will be available from autumn 2020 onwards for those on the eligible list. You will be invited to book a vaccination appointment at around this time, but please contact your GP practice if not. It’s important that you have your vaccination as soon as possible.

Where can I get the flu vaccination?

Many people will receive their flu vaccination at a GP surgery as usual. This year some GPs are also looking at running clinics in other additional locations to ensure they can offer the vaccine safely to as many people at risk as possible. Your practice will give clear guidance on where you need to go when you book your appointment. Other people may choose to go to a pharmacy or another location in their community. School-aged children will receive their vaccination from a trained health professional at school. Health professionals will visit care homes to vaccinate residents and staff on-site and will also visit those who are house-bound.

Is it safe to attend appointments at health clinics?

The NHS is doing everything it can to make sure that vaccinations are given in safe environments and staff giving you your vaccination will be using the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). You will need to wear a mask unless you are exempt. All possible precautions will be to taken to make sure you, and staff, are protected and safe.

There has never been a more important time to make sure you, and those you care for, are protected against serious illnesses such as the flu. Where vaccines are available, it’s vital that we use them to help keep everyone safe. Look out for updates from your local GP or NHS team and book your vaccination as soon as you are invited to do so. Get the flu vaccination, stay well and protect yourself, your loved ones and the NHS.

More information can be found at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/who-should-have-flu-vaccine/

Silver Sunday October 2019

Last Autumn we co-hosted Silver Sunday with Barnet Council

What an amazing event and turn out with over 300 people. With a very special guest The Worshipful The Mayor Cllr Caroline Stock.
We had live music from That Blue Patch, dancing from Love to Dance performance by Saracens Sport Foundation, Bollywood dance from BAWA & Community Focus, exercise to music by Age UK Barnet, dance performance by GLL Better Leisure and the afternoon tea was fabulous.
And special thanks to all those involved and who also sponsored the event.#ageukbarnet #thatbluepatch #barnetcouncil #saracenssportfoundation #communityfocus #homeinstead #thegoodcaregroup

We are sorry to announce that the Barnet Seniors Association is closing down from November 2023. We are keeping the web site on line for reference for the moment. More details on the home page.