Independent Living Newsletter - 29 February 2012

Welcome to the latest Independent Living newsletter. To read the articles in further detail, please click this link

Contents:

1. Improving Dignity in Care

2. Renting Care Equipment

3. Blue Badge Shocks

4. Sensory Impairments

5. Backward Step for Twitter?

6. Last Word

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1. Improving Dignity in Care

I think I'm finally getting the hang of interpreting
the real meaning of government utterances. It's taken a while, and I'm still
not completely fluent, but I reckon that when they say that they will "look
at the big challenge of implementing the recommendations" of the latest
report from the Commission on Improving Dignity in Care for Older People, what
they really mean is that they don't have a clue where to start. Click
to read more

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2. Renting Care Equipment

It is interesting to monitor the growth in both visitor numbers and enquiries for
the care rental sections of Independent Living. A sign of the times, of course,
as we all seek ways to limit expenditure, and certainly, renting a piece of
equipment that is needed only for occasional use or for a fixed period of time,
may be more cost-effective. A new development that could be of interest to
wheelchair users is that you can now apply vouchers from the wheelchair service
to hiring a chair, not just buying. Click
to read more

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3. Blue Badge Shocks

Cuts to local authority budgets are biting more deeply into services and
support provided to people who need help with their daily living and mobility.
We get emails on a regular basis from people who find that their care package
is being reduced, or that facilities like day centres and respite care which
they use regularly are being closed. Another rather petty example is Blue Badge
parking permits. Earlier in the year, we covered the changes to the system, to
cut down on fraud. People taking advantage of a parking permit to which they
aren't entitled has had a lot of coverage in the news, and is a source of
frustration for those who really do need those parking places. Click
to read more

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4. Sensory Impairments

Like everyone else with a fondness for one of our "national
treasures", I was sorry to hear that Dame Judi Dench is suffering from AMD
(age-related macular degeneration). It is a timely reminder that eye health
needs regular checking, and isn't something you can count on indefinitely. We
have an area of Independent Living dedicated to sight impairment, where you can
read about the most common eye conditions, including cataracts and glaucoma, as
well as AMD.

Click
to read more

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5. Backward Step for Twitter?

As you probably know, we have a Twitter feed, where we post short messages
about what's going on at Independent Living. I noticed that the look of Twitter
changed recently - personally, I quite like the aesthetics, now that I'm
getting used to it, but a recent posting from prolific disability blogger, Same
Difference, who is happily back online after a short absence, flags up
that the new design is no longer accessible to people using a screen reader. It
seems extraordinary that such a widely used platform should suddenly become
less accessible, but that appears to be the case. Again, it would be good to
hear of your experiences with accessing this or other popular web destinations.

You can comment at the bottom of this newsletter (online version), or on our
Facebook page, or indeed by tweeting, if you want to keep it brief! #IndLiving
is our moniker. Click
to read more

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6. Last Word

Coming up next time - the latest from our resident nutrition guru, Mary Farmer,
who will be explaining everything you ever wanted to know about BMI (body mass
index). And a deceptively simple aid to getting up and down stairs!

That's it for this time. I hope you've found our latest newsletter interesting.
If there are any specific topics you would like covered in future editions,
please let me know! Don't forget you can access all the news as soon as it is
uploaded in our News
Centre.