Age UK South Gloucestershire Services Update

We are committed to 'supporting you and your community in later life', and our services are always evolving. Could you or your loved one benefit from one of our services? Read on to find out our latest service update news.

Will Writing
Too many people overlook the need for a will, and this oversight can cause significant distress at an already difficult time. Writing a Will is especially important if you have children or other family members who depend on you financially or if you want to leave something to people outside your immediate family. In collaboration with Wards Solicitors, our free Will Writing Service runs on the last Thursday of every month from our Thornbury office. Although sessions can book up fast, we still have a few appointments available for the September and October sessions.

Foot Care
Age UK South Gloucestershire runs our competitively priced Foot Care service for anyone aged 50 and above or those under 50 who may be struggling to cut their nails. Our Foot Care clinics are run by qualified, trusted Foot Health Practitioners across the whole of South Gloucestershire. The importance of good foot care cannot be over-emphasised, and we encourage anyone to ensure that their feet remain healthy, helping them maintain good mobility and staying active. Our trained Foot Health Practitioner will trim and file the nails and provide a general check-up for people's feet. They keep an eye out for any signs of anything else that may cause problems later and making sure individuals can arrange any future treatment that may be needed. Appointment times may vary depending on the condition of the feet; however, you can expect each appointment to take no longer than 20 minutes.

Benefits
Unfortunately, our Benefits Team are currently unable to directly assist people looking to apply for new benefits during September. However, we will still be supporting with in-progress applications and can still offer benefits advice over the phone during this time. In October, we will once again be able to start booking appointments for home visits to help with new benefit applications, and do still call us during September if you need some advice.

Befriending
Demand for our popular Befriending service remains very high, and since the easing of lockdown restrictions, we have seen a decline in volunteering applications. If you or someone you know can spare around an hour a week to spend time with one of our lovely clients for a social visit or phone call, we would love to hear from you; click here to find out how to volunteer with us today.

Reconnect
We recently held our first induction session for our brand new Reconnect Service. It was great to introduce everyone to the service and for participants to have a chance to meet others new to the service. We are holding our next induction session in mid-September and are excited to start the matching process so participants can start getting out and about in South Gloucestershire with their potential new friends.

Memory Connections (Dementia Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy)
Our Memory Connections Service supporting older people living with mild to moderate dementia will be starting on Monday 13th September. We still have a limited number of places available on this course, and our courses running on Wednesdays. Cognitive Stimulation is the only non-drug treatment recommended to improve cognition, independence and well-being by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). If you feel this service would benefit you or someone you know, please get in touch.

If you would like any further information about the services mentioned or any of our other services, we'd always love to hear from you. Please contact our friendly team on 01454 411707 or via email at: info@ageuksouthglos.org.uk