Letâs be honest, there are few things more miserable than being cold in your own property. Itâs very difficult to lead a full and fulfilling life when the heating is off and the radiators are stone cold.
And for some people, itâs only the one bar on the fire that keeps them alive. The television news often has images of the countryâs older citizens smothered in blankets and desperately trying to keep the chill out.
Dick Strawbridge of BBCâs It Ainât Easy Being Green fame recently said on TV that a room has to be at 14C to be regarded as comfortable, whereas a warm room should be at 19C. Now, 14C might come as something as a surprise, because that it not very comfortable at all for most people. Indeed, occasionally heated rooms in a house which turns the heating off during the day can touch 9C when the outside gets cold, and thatâs pretty chilly. Indeed, for pensioners and children, the temperature should be at least 21C, if not 24C, in harsh external conditions.
When your body gets older, your metabolism usually slows and with that your internal heating system is not so efficient as when you were a bouncing teenage. So for many of the elderly, the recent high energy prices on top of a long spate of really cold weather, has thrown a huge spanner into the works.
And this is where The British Gas Help the Aged Partnership comes in, with the aim of helping pensioners beat the threat, ever-growing, of fuel poverty.
They have produced a free pack which has been created to help older people make full use of their incomes through the maximum take-up of available benefits and the exploitation of energy efficiency techniques.
The pack contains three main elements: Check; Claim; and, Insulate.
To get a copy of the winter pack, you can download it from here, or complete the online order form, or telephone 0800 089 0800.
To start with, check that your are receiving all the benefits to which you are entitled and that you are up-to-speed with all the latest energy efficient techniques.
There are a number of organisations out there to help you with this, including The Pension Service on 0800 99 1234, or try www.helptheaged.org.uk, or www.direct.gov.uk.
You can also contact your Citizens Advice Bureau. If youâre worried about debts and what effect it might have on your situation, get hold of the Consumer Credit Counselling Service on 0800 138 111, or the National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.Â
Secondly, make sure you claim for what you are entitled. No-one is going to judge you, or criticise you, for making use of the all the benefits out there.
Thirdly, carry out the necessary insulation if you feel that your property is lacking some of the main ways of keeping the chill at bay. Just insulating your loft properly can save you in the region of £200 a year. But donât forget cavity wall insulating, which can also make a big impact.
Also, take time to understand your heating controls, including your thermostat and timer controls, allowing you to warm up the house before you get up for example. Make sure your central hearting system has been serviced and if operating efficiently. And is your hot water tank insulated against heat loss â it should have a nice thick padded jacket to keep it hot.
Are your windows protected against draughts? If you donât have double glazing, which can be an expensive option, you could always purchase a DIY alternative which includes a plastic film. Think about if your curtains fit properly and if they drop over the roomâs radiator, make sure you can tuck them behind, so that the heat is allowed into the room.
Consider where draughts might be getting into the house. Feel under the doors and consider placing extruders around to help keep the chill out and the heat in.
For more tips on heating and grants, call 0800 952 0600 if you live in England for the Warm Front initiative and 0800 316 2815 in Wales, or go on www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.
And make sure you keep warm as well as your property. Check windows and doors at night to help keep heat in; make sure you get regular hot drinks and meals; dress properly for the conditions (put away the Bermuda shorts and get the sweaters out); moving about will help increase your circulation and help your warmth; and, just make sure youâre doing your bit by keeping your energy consumption down by switching off unnecessary appliances and also turning the lights off when not needed.
And one final thing: read a book about somewhere hot and exciting, and imagine yourself there. It might just help.
This article was wrote by eCommerce Associate for British gas boilers
Â
Notes
Check you are getting regular hot meals and hot drinks
as they provide warmth and energy.
Check you keep moving Any activity, even vacuuming,
will improve circulation.
Check you dress appropriately â day and night.
Wrap up warmly, indoors and out, ideally with several layers
of thin clothing to trap the heat.
Check you are keeping your fuel bills down:
⢠switch the lights off when you leave the room
⢠turn off appliances rather than leaving them on standby
⢠donât overfill the kettle â boil only what you need
⢠replace standard light bulbs with energy-saving ones
⢠turn down the washing machine to 30°
⢠consider having a shower instead of a bath as this usesless hot water and therefore saves on heating costs.
eCommerce Associates
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/british-gas-help-the-aged-partnership-731973.html
Why does a gas combi boiler switch off if the water pressure drops too low?
As a Doctor…… What would you do?
I have received an assignment for my university course which requires me to look at various health care professionals and public services’ opinions and courses of actions for certain case studies.
I was wondering if you are not too busy if you would be able to respond with your professional opinion and course of action regarding the case study?
The Smith Family consists of
David: Father, aged 28, Factory Worker, White British
Clare: Mother, aged 25, Housewife, White British
Children:
Andrew, aged 2, attends local toddler Club
Annie: aged 6 months
Both David and Clare attended special schools for learning disability. David has a lower ability than Clare.
They live in "new Town" whose inhabitants are mainly working class, having been moved from the East End.
The housing association flat that the family live in is sparsely furnished with second-hand items but is mostly clean and tidy. There is no contact with their immediate families but they do have a small circle of friends at a learning disabilities club they attend.
Learning disability partnership professionals are involved with the parents and feel that the two children are loved are cared for albeit at times in a haphazard way.
INCIDENT:
A duty doctor from the local hospital A&E department contacted the out of hours social worker following David and Clare attending A&E with Andrew. Andrew had sustained an injury to the back of his head. The wound had been inflicted by an air-gun pellet.
David admitted accidently shooting his son in the head. The hospital discharged Andrew back into his parent’s care having treated the superficial wound.
The out-of-hours social worker visited the family the same night and was allowed in to the home by the parents. In the lounge , pinned in the corner of the room was a target. Opposite the target was a single armchair in which David usually sat. Allegedly, Andrew was in the kitchen with his mother. David was sat in his chair firing pellets into the target with his air gun . Andrew came running in to the lounge and got hit as he crossed the line of fire.
Now if you were the doctor who had seen Andrew:
What would you do next? What would your course of action and responsibilities be?
also please consider:
What would your initial opinion be taking into consideration David and Clare’s disability?
What course of action would you take to further any investigation? (would you contact any particular services?)
What would you consider to be a "haphazard way" of caring and loving a child?
Does the surgery’s system record any concerns regarding any previous inuries and if so
Would you take a different course of action if you had discovered on your system that any suspect injuries had occurred within the family before?
We as a group are approaching various services and professionals who may be involved with this case (i.e the Police regarding the firearms in the house) and asking them when looking at this case what they would then progress to do.
Many thanks for helping out on this.
as it says in the case study there is no contact with their immmediate family any contact with grandparents is unavailable. This is not a true case but a university exercise foe which I need to ascertain how much involvement the doctor in A&E would have.
If the adults in the house are disabled with learning difficulties why are they even allowed such dangerous items like pellet guns at home?
It is the obvious thing to remove such and any potential dangerous items frm their home, especially with tiny toddlers around.
They need some support and guidance with bringing up their kids, which the social services should be able to provide.
If previous accidents have been reported then the cause of these should be removed or rectified.
Most of the time its common sense that needs to be applied before hairsplitting with several ‘experts’ are started which often ends with nothing done.
If the grandparents are anywhere nearby then their help can also be invaluable.
References :