welcome to the bristol older people’s ... - bopf.org.uk

Welcome to the Bristol Older People’s Forum and Bristol City Council’s coronavirus information and advice newsletter

May 2021 Issue 5

A message from Hugh Evans, Executive Director for People, Bristol City CouncilDear Resident

Welcome to the fifth edition of the Bristol Older People’s Forum and Bristol City Council Newsletter, and welcome to Age UK Bristol who will also be contributing to this issue.

I want to extend my thanks to all of Bristol’s residents following an extremely difficult year. Everyone, from our businesses to our families, has sacrificed so much and faced restrictions to our personal and social lives we could never have imagined.

Things are starting to look up. We have come on leaps and bounds since this time last year, but there is still a long way to go. The situation internationally, across Europe and in India, is a stark reminder of the dangers of coronavirus. By getting back to basics and supporting one another, we can get back to the things and people we love sooner.

Thank you all once again for everything you’re doing.

Hugh Evans

News from Bristol City Council

COVID-19 Newsletter – Issue 5

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In this issueA message from Hugh Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1COVID-19 Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Self-isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Shielding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Key Bristol updates and council services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Are you from a non-UK EU country? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Elections results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Caring for you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Know your risk of Type 2 diabetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Bristol Community Meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

BOPF Chair’s update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9BOPF Meet-up Mornings – come and join us! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Time to Reflect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11News from Age UK Bristol and Support Hub for Older People . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Pathways Peer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12The Carers Support Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Getting active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Walking Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

If you would like this information in another language, Braille, audio tape, large print, easy English, BSL video or CD-ROM or plain text please contact: BOPF on 0117 927 9222



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COVID-19 UpdatesOur current case rate in Bristol is ten cases per 100,000 . This is lower than the England average which is 22 per 100,000 . Currently there are seven people in our local hospitals who are unwell with COVID-19 .

207,974 people (48% of all eligible Bristol residents aged over 16) have received one or more doses of the vaccine. Every COVID-19 vaccine dose gives us hope of getting life moving again and protecting our friends and family from the virus.

On Monday 17 May we took another step forward in the government’s roadmap. Many businesses and venues like non-essential retail, outdoor hospitality venues and personal care premises are open with COVID-19 secure measures in place.

If you are out and about, remember:

● Hands: wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitiser

● Face: wear a face covering unless you are exempt

● Space: keep your distance from people not in your household or support bubble

● Fresh air: outside is safer than inside.



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Self-isolationSelf-isolating if you are unwell with COVID-19 symptoms or test positive for the virus is the best way to stop spreading the infection to other people .This is especially important as we begin to slowly ease COVID-19 restrictions in Bristol. We must do everything we can to make sure the virus does not spread to our loved ones or in our communities.

Self-isolating means staying your home and not leaving to collect food shopping, walk the dog or exercise. The only reason you should be leaving home during this period is to get a test for COVID-19.

You must self-isolate if:

● you have any symptoms of COVID-19

● you have tested positive for COVID-19

● someone you live with has symptoms or tested positive

● someone in your support bubble has symptoms and you’ve been in close contact with them since their symptoms started or during the 48 hours before they started

● someone in your support bubble tested positive and you’ve been in close contact with them since they had the test or in the 48 hours before their test

● you’ve been told you’ve been in contact with someone who tested positive

Self-isolating can be really challenging, and we want you to know that support is available to you. The We Are Bristol helpline is available seven days a week on 0800 964 0184 for:

● Access to emotional and mental health support● Practical support – if you need help doing food shopping or collecting your

prescription ● Making alternative arrangements for someone you look after ● Advice on applying for the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme



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ShieldingThe government shielding programme has ended . We know that shielding has not been easy for many people, and we would like to thank everyone for their efforts during this challenging time .

Everyone who has been shielding will have received a letter from the NHS explaining why shielding is coming to an end and what this means for day to day life.

The national restrictions are in place for everyone, but there are some things you can do to take extra care:

● choose quiet times to get fresh air or go to the shops or pharmacy

● keep your distance when meeting up with people not in your household outdoors

● continue to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face

We know the change to this guidance may make some of you feel anxious. If you have been supported by our community volunteers over the past year, we will be reaching out and working with you over the next few weeks and months to help you regain your independence at your own pace. If you have ideas about what would help you or someone you know, please do speak to your volunteer.

In the meantime, if you need help and support, we are here for you. Call the free We Are Bristol helpline on 0800 694 0184. The telephone line is open seven days a week and calls can be taken in a range of languages.

Services


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Key Bristol updates and council services We are continually working on making public spaces safe . We’re asking everyone to help prevent the spread of infection by following government guidelines and only going out if you do not have symptoms and wearing cloth face coverings . Guidelines are updated regularly on television and radio news .

● Libraries – the following libraries are open for browsing, borrowing and computer use: Central, Fishponds, Henbury, Henleaze, Junction 3, Knowle, Stockwood. The other libraries are running doorway call and collect services. Call central library on 0117 903 7250 for general enquiries.

● Museums – Bristol Archives will open its doors from Monday, 17 May followed by Bristol Museum & Art Gallery on Tuesday, 18 May. M Shed will open on Friday, 28 May. Book at bristolmuseums .org .uk. People without internet access can call to pre-book on 0117 352 6600.

● Parks – toilets are now open. Cafés and kiosks at Ashton Court, Blaise Castle Estate, Oldbury Court Estate, St George Park and Hengrove Play Park are open for takeaway only.

● Citizen Service Point at 100 Temple Street remains open for emergency cases only.

● Reuse and recycling centres are open on certain days based on vehicle number plates. You can now book bulky waste and garden waste collections, call 0117 922 2100 for info on recycling and waste.

● Funerals are still restricted, to find out more call 0117 903 8280.

If you need more information on any of the above services, please call 0800 694 0184 (freephone, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm), translation service available. Deaf BSL users can contact the phoneline through a BSL Interpreter.

Services


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Are you from a non-UK EU country? Due to Brexit, all EU citizens must apply for the EU Settlement Scheme if you want to continue living in the UK after June 2021. Even if you have lived in the UK most of your life .

EU nationals who have lived continuously in the UK for five years or more should be entitled to settled status, meaning you are free to go on living in the UK indefinitely.

We want and need to make sure your rights continue to be protected so if you were born in an EU country or have friends, family or neighbours who may have been, please do check if you or they need to apply for the scheme.

If you need help with you application, you can contact:

● St Pauls Advice Centre, 146 Grosvenor Road, BS2 8YA 01179 9552981

● North Bristol Advice Centre, 2 Gainsborough Square, BS7 01179 851122

● South Bristol Advice Services, Withywood Centre, Queens Road, BS13 8QA 01179 851 1222

To book an appointment at 100 Temple Street you can email: [email protected]

You can find out more about the scheme and how to apply, including instructions in other languages, on our dedicated website: bristol .gov .uk/EUsettlement

Election results On 6 May, four elections took place in Bristol including the Police and Crime Commissioner, West of England Combined Authority Mayor, Mayor of Bristol and Local Elections (70 local Councillors for the 34 wards of Bristol) .

To see all the results from the elections, and to find/get in touch with your local councillor, please visit: www .bristol .gov .uk/council-and-mayor

Services


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Caring for you Our Adult Social Care services continue to be available . If you are in need of support, information or advice, Well Aware can help .

You can call Well Aware on (Freephone) 0808 808 5252 and they can post or email you information. If you have concerns about your health, please ring NHS Choices on 111 or in an emergency, 999.

Bristol Community Links day services (North and South centres) remain open for a reduced number of people working within latest government guidelines on infection control. We are working closely with private day service providers and service users, some of which have re-opened in the same way or are supporting people in different ways. We are undertaking Care Act reviews for all who use day services to make sure that their needs are being met.

Know your risk of Type 2 diabetesThis month Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week took place and the NHS Diabetes Programme was reminding people that those living with diabetes face a higher risk of COVID-19.

Anyone can develop Type 2 diabetes, but certain factors can increase your risk. For instance, you’re two to six times more likely if you have a parent, brother, sister or child with the condition. You can significantly reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes by making small lifestyle changes with support from a free, local programme called Healthier You.

You can find out your risk by visiting the website: diabetes .org .uk

Bristol Community MealsBristol Community Meals is a food delivery service for people who may struggle to prepare their own meals. Find out about prices and arrange a delivery for you, a family member or friend by calling 0117 903 1520.

News from Bristol Older People’s Forum


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BOPF Chair’s update I hope you are keeping well, and probably by now many of you will have had your second COVID-19 jab .

As society starts to open up, most things look a lot brighter and more positive than they did at the start of the year. I am therefore hopeful that before too long, we can at least start planning physical rather than virtual meetings of the Open Forum.

Despite all the constraints, there has been a huge amount going on involving BOPF Trustees and members. For example, if you are not aware, we have introduced monthly

Meet-up Mornings to enable older people to make new social connections through Zoom video link. The events are informal and relaxed and provide an opportunity to talk about anything you like, such as a recent discussion on holidays people went on as a child. Please do join us, if you can. The Meet-up Mornings article in this newsletter provides further details of these events.

I want to mention as well the success of our Challenging Ageism Workshops. The two hour Zoom Workshops enable participants to explore their own thoughts and experiences, and look at ways of building new approaches to tackling ageism as an inequality. We have had really good numbers attending, and very positive feedback from participants.

Please do come along to our next virtual Open Forum meeting on Thursday 24 June at 10 .30am, when we will have another great line up of speakers for you! Information about this will be available on our website.

Take care.

Ian Bickerton BOPF Chair



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BOPF Meet-up Mornings – come and join us!We would like to invite you to join our BOPF Meet-up Mornings . This exciting project has been set up to let BOPF members meet up and have a chat or discussion with new and old friends on a regular basis . The content for each of the sessions will be decided by everyone that comes along, and we want it to be informal, relaxed and interesting . So please come and join us!

Our Meet-up Mornings are taking place throughout 2021, approximately every three weeks on a Thursday between 10 .30am – 12 noon. Here are the dates:

● 17 June● 8 July● 29 July● 19 August● 9 September● 30 September● 21 October● 11 November

● 2 December

Our first Meet-up Morning took place in March and was facilitated by Pat Gregory, one of our Trustees, with almost 40 registrations. We talked about our holiday memories, including staying at Butlins in the 1960s and lots more. We go with the flow!!

As a BOPF Member you will automatically receive an invitation to attend the Meet-up Mornings, which will include the Zoom link. If you are not already a member, you can join us by completing our online Membership Application form at: www .bopf .org .uk/about/become-a-member

You will also find information on our website: www .bopf .org .uk/our-work/bopf-meet-up-mornings



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Time to Reflect by Tony Wilson, BOPF Trustee

Lockdown gave many of us time to reflect and speculate, and with a long and varied life to look back on, I always had something to think about without online stimulation . I even gained valuable new perspectives on something as recent as the 2015 cranial operation that drained blood pooling inside my skull .

It might sound silly, but things that should have been obvious six years ago, only came fully to mind recently. I am now having dental treatment and cranial osteopathy for misalignments and damage done during the operation... no blame, I’m alive and thankful, and medical procedures, like everything else, are not risk free.

As someone with a long life to reflect on, I feel for youngsters whose norm is the current emergency... many know little else; no wonder online fantasy and fabrication is so popular.

Some positives: online learning will stay, to complement face-to-face formal education. I learned via television, computer marked assignments and mailed essays for an Open University degree back in the 1970’s. And working from home has been familiar to many throughout their lives... perhaps to and fro traffic will not return to pre COVID-19 levels, although my area seems already too busy.

I’ve had it easy compared to those wonderful people who kept our health, care and other services going (and still do) through the worst national and world emergency since World War Two.

In view of all the above, I feel I should do my best to record and pass on my experiences while I can. So get writing, and be remembered!

It is said Albert Einstein made many more mistakes than discoveries, but where would science be without his well intentioned errors? Have the courage to be wrong or at least not right, and have a wonderful Summer.

Tony Wilson BOPF Trustee

News from Age UK Bristol and the Support Hub for Older People


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News from Age UK Bristol and the Support Hub for Older PeopleIn March 2020, Age UK Bristol and a partnership of local organisations came together to form the Support Hub for Older People .

The Support Hub offers practical, social and emotional support to people over the age of 50 living in Bristol. The Support Hub has now grown to include nearly 40 organisations. We’ve included updates from a couple of different partners to give you a taste of the services available.

Our contact details:

We are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pmPhone number: 0117 929 7537 Email address: [email protected]: www .ageukbristol .org .uk

Pathways Peer SupportAge UK Bristol is aware that many people have lost confidence during the pandemic to go out and be with other people. Therefore, from springtime, we are offering more ways to get together, be in touch with other people and receive support from a volunteer if required. We have telephone groups and zoom activities which you can join, plus we hope to once again meet each other face to face.

So, if you’re feeling like you have lost touch with people and would like to put a spring back into your step, please contact us on 0117 929 7537 or at [email protected]

The Pathways project is funded by St Monica Trust Community Fund.



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The Carers Support CentreThe Carers Support Centre (CSC) provide several services to unpaid Adult and Young carers who support a relative or friend . These include:

● Carers Assessment or support● Free training around caring and carer wellbeing● Support when the cared for is in hospital● Telephone counselling, mentoring and befriending● Carer Support Groups

The CarersLine Advice and Support service is open from 10am to 1pm, Monday to Fridays, and 2 to 4pm Mondays to Thursdays. If you need any advice or information around caring, or if you would like information about or would like to be referred to other CSC services, call CarersLine on 0117 965 2200.

Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse SupportSomerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (SARSAS) is a specialist service that supports women of all ages who have experienced rape or sexual abuse at any time in their life. For the last two years, we have been working with older women to develop our understanding of the specific needs and barriers to support faced by women aged 55 and over.

We know that it’s difficult to tell someone about an experience of rape or sexual abuse at any age. We also understand that, for a lot of older people, telling someone what happened may be especially difficult for a number of reasons including embarrassment, feeling ashamed or confused, or not being sure who can help.

You may have experienced something 50 years ago, 5 years ago or 5 days ago. At SARSAS, we are here to listen, believe and support you. It’s never too late to get the support that you deserve.

For more information or support visit: www .sarsas .org .uk/olderwomen or call our helpline on 0808 801 0456.



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Activities ● Age UK Bristol’s LinkAge service run an online art club every Wednesday from

10.30am to 12pm. Costs £7 per session, £3 if you are on pension credit. The first session is free so that you can see if it is right for you and meet the rest of the group. To find out more contact [email protected] or call 0117 929 7537.

“I like the company and all the different art mediums as well. I love seeing all the different pictures people come up with.” – Art club member’s feedback.

● The Reader run free weekly shared reading sessions over the phone and on Zoom where you can discuss books and poetry with others. There’s no pressure to read or to talk and you don’t need to be a keen reader to take part. A trained volunteer leads the sessions and helps everyone get the most out of it. To find out more contact Michael Prior on 07949 143 022 or email [email protected]

● The Exercise Club run online and telephone exercise classes. All classes aim to work out the whole body and can be done seated or standing. Whatever your fitness level when you start you’ll be OK. For a full virtual class list visit www .theexerciseclub .co .uk, email [email protected] or call on 0117 973 9787.

Getting activeWalking remains one of the best ways to exercise. It eases stress, lifts the spirits and encourages better sleeping as well as improving physical fitness.

A rare positive from lockdown is that many more people have discovered how much pleasure can be gained from exploring Bristol and its surrounds on foot. Bristol Walk Fest 2021 aims to build on this by highlighting the many and varied ways in which it is possible to do more walking and enjoy the health benefits it brings. Look out for walk recommendations and competitions during WalkFest in May.

To find out more, visit: www .bristolwalkfest .com.



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Walking FootballEnjoy a kick about at Age UK Bristol’s new Walking Football sessions, in partnership with Young Bristol .

Walking Football is, as the name suggests, a version of football where players walk instead of run. Sessions will be led by Qualified Coach, Jeff Dickens and will take place at Ashton Vale Club for Young People, Sea Mills Boys’ and Girls Club, Broad Plain & Riverside Youth Project (Easton) and BS14 Youth Club in Stockwood. Sessions cost £4 per person and include a hot beverage. Aimed at over 55s, all abilities welcome. Launching 10 May 2021.

To register your place and to find out more, visit: www .youngbristol .com/walkingfootball

Designed and printed on sustainably sourced material by Bristol Design, Bristol City Council, May 2021, BD13866

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