Lone Worker Solutions

5th September 2014

Some of the organisations we work with, such as local councils and charities, have workers who work alone in low to high risk situations.  There is a legal duty of care of  employers for workers in that situation.  Due to the close link of our stairlift and mobility scooter service to this duty of care we have teamed up with one of the UK’s leading providers of Lone Worker Solutions.  This solution is the most comprehensive in the UK, at a competitive price when compared to other solutions, and accredited to BS8484.

If you want to know more about this solution please contact info@stairliftrecycling.co.uk or call Gary Fawcett on 07817 707472.

Why residents across Yorkshire are looking forward to retirement

15th August 2014

Retirement is seen as a positive experience by residents across Yorkshire a study revealed yesterday.

Researchers found that being care-free, having more time to relax and spend with family and going on more holidays mean many view retirement as a good thing.

‘Golden years’, ‘stress-free’ and ‘exciting’ are other words used to describe our view of the years after quitting work for good.

In fact, the average Yorkshire resident views retirement as 65 per cent positive and just 35 negative.

It also emerged that people’s view of retirement becomes more positive as they get closer to it, with those aged under 50 more likely to see the post-work era as ‘boring’ and ‘depressing’.

The research was commissioned by Skipton Building Society and Siobhaun Dempsey, manager of the Skipton branch, said: “To young people, retirement can be seen as a bad thing.

‘”When you are just starting out in your working life, the idea of not having to get up for a job can seem boring and unexciting. 

‘”Retirement can also seem so far away when you are young, with those who are already retired seeming ‘old’ and ‘boring’ in comparison to the ‘exciting’ lives they lead.

‘”But it seems as you get closer to your retirement this changes, with those aged over 50 feeling far more positive about their years after work.

“Years spent living a 9-5 life can mean you really start to look forward to a time when you don’t have to get up to an alarm every morning and have much more freedom to spend your time exactly how you want to.”

The study of 2,000 Brits found that 63 per cent of Brits view retirement as a positive experience, with just 11 per cent believing it is negative. But 69 per cent of over 50s see it as a good thing compared to just 57 per cent of those under 50 under.

‘Care-free’ is the term most likely to be associated with retirement, followed by ‘relaxing’, ‘holidays’ and ‘family time’. Other positive words include ‘fun’, ‘wonderful’ and ‘quiet’. The only negative term to feature within the top ten is ‘end of an era’ while ‘old’, ‘no money’ and ‘boredom’ are also within the top 20.

It also emerged that 72 per cent of people are looking forward to their retirement, with four in ten even admitting to being jealous of those who have already quit work.

But 57 per cent of people admitted to being at least a little worried about their life after work, with financial worries the biggest concern.

Other worries include ill-health, no longer using their brain, being lonely or bored and having nothing to get up for each day.

Despite the money worries, less than half of Brits have some kind of plan in place of how they are going to fund their retirement.

And worryingly, 48 per cent of over 50s also admitted to having no retirement fund, despite the end of their working life being just years away.

But eight in ten would feel even more positive about their retirement if they had their financial plan in place.

Siobhaun added: “Many of our customers are aged fifty-plus and it’s great to see that their age group appears to be really embracing the positive opportunities retirement can bring.

“However, people’s lack of preparedness comes as no surprise, unfortunately. We’re acutely aware that retirement planning is a complex and daunting area and this can sometimes put people putting off the planning they need to do to ensure themselves the best possible future.

“Indeed, our customers have told us that they feel confused, particularly in light of changes to State pension provision and the recent Budget announcement about changes to annuity rules.

“That’s why Skipton is trying to tackle this growing social issue head-on, On 1 July we launched our unique new High Street retirement planning service, with the strapline Skipton – For Life Ahead.

“We’ve teamed up with our wholly owned financial advice subsidiary, Skipton Financial Services (SFS), to offer people all the help they need with their retirement planning.

“We are inviting anyone who wants help in achieving the kind of future they want to come in and undergo a free My Retirement Review and start the conversation about their life ahead.”

Are The Elderly Still Judged By Younger Generations

8th August 2014

We read an interesting article recently in Care Industry News about society becoming more accepting of the elderly and their mobility needs. It highlighted an interesting fact that the stigma of being useless and frail attached to the use of mobility aids is actually mainly in the minds of the user, not the general public.  

The article discussed a survey conducted by Stair-Lift-Comparison.co.uk which showed that 33% of the 350 users that took part believed that there was a stigma attached to the use of mobility aids, with over a third believing that mobility scooters attracted the greatest stigma. 

However, a parliamentary report shows that the number of UK citizens aged 65 and over will nearly double from the current 10 million to 19 million by the year 2050, so with people living longer, the older generation continues to grow and therefore their is a greater need for mobility products. As a result mobility scooters, mobility aids and stairlifts are a more prominent and a regular everyday public sight. The director of Stair-Lift-Comparison.co.uk, Jason Tate commented: “It is human nature that the more familiar we become with something, the more accepting we are.”

The survey also showed that 81% of those that took part believed that society is becoming more accepting of mobility aids: probably due in large part to this growing presence in society and in pop culture but that the growing acceptance may be linked to the growing number of over 65s in the UK.

We found it heartening to read this article and the report to see that the elderly are starting to be recognised as the respectable citizens that they are and that the stigma associated with mobility products is lessening.

What’s your opinion? Join us on Twitter to discuss further @StairliftREC

Top tips to stay cool during summer….

16th July 2014

We’re pleased to see that summer is sticking around this year. So that you can make the most of it and enjoy the hotter months, we put some top tips together on staying cool.

• Turn your heating off completely (make sure the timer isn’t on without you realising)
• Avoid spending long periods of time outside between 12-4pm as this is the hottest part of the day.
• Drink lots of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty! Fill up bottles of water and keep them in the fridge and take one with you if you’re going somewhere.
• Avoid doing anything too active – do housework and gardening in the mornings or early evenings while it’s cooler.
• Close blinds and curtains in rooms where the sun shines through to keep the heat out.
• Wear loose, light-coloured clothing. Cotton or linen are usually the best materials for hotter weather.
• If you’re really struggling to cool down take a cold bath or shower. This is a great tip before bed as it’ll bring your temperature down and help you drift off to sleep.
• Avoid big heavy meals, especially with lots of salt in as this will dehydrate you.
• Make sure you keep in contact with relatives, friends or neighbours to let them know you’re ok. If you know someone who is by them self give them a call or drop them a text to make sure they’re ok.
• If you know a heatwave is on its way, speak to your GP beforehand if you’re worried about any health issues that the heat might affect such as breathing problems or heart condition.

Northumberland County Council and Barrow Borough Council

11th July 2014

We’ve recently gained two new partners, Northumberland County Council and Barrow Borough Council.

They have listed us on their household directory website for those in their area looking for stairlift/chairlift and mobility scooter removals and recycling. They were delighted to find a service that removed stairlifts for free and donated half of their proceeds to a number of charities. All the while helping the environment by reducing waste. And we’re delighted to be working with them.

How our service works is that when someone contacts us to donate a stairlift or mobility scooter, it is then reconditioned and recycled by us and our partners in the stairlift industry. It doesn’t matter what make your stairlift is or if it is straight or curved.

If you wish to donate, then contact us either by email or through the 0800 number on our website we will collect your details, contact you to check them, send out an engineer within 2 weeks to remove the stairlift and take it back to our factory and recondition, wherever possible by our expert engineers, or strip out all usable parts and recycle them back into the market in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way as possible. Our reconditioned stairlifts will then be sold back into the market at half the price or less than a new stairlift, or rented out to people that need them but cannot afford the cost of a reconditioned stairlift. All of our reconditioned stairlifts come with a 12 month warranty.

We’re looking to partner with other councils, so if you’d like to organise a meeting to discuss further, get in touch. 01535 612167

#RightToKnow

2nd July 2014

The Alzheimer’s Society has launched a new campaign #RightToKnow in a bid to support proper diagnosis of dementia.
 

According to the charity too many people are denied diagnosis, denied treatment, and denied the chance to plan for the future while still able to do so and that there is a desperate shortage of information for those following diagnosis.
 

The Independent reported today:
 

In a survey of nearly 400 people affected by dementia, the charity found one in five were given no information or support after diagnosis, while 90 per cent said they were “dissatisfied” with the amount of advice they received about their condition and support services. The charity also warned over diagnosis rates for dementia, which remain “unacceptably” low, despite small rises since David Cameron made improved dementia diagnosis a priority two years ago.Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said that being diagnosed with dementia without support from health and care services was like “entering a maze blindfolded”.
 

“Too many people are left without a guiding hand to help them come to terms with this debilitating, terminal condition,” he said. “The Government has shown clear commitment to improving the lives of people with dementia and action is under way to improve diagnosis rates. However, we cannot escape the lack of support following a diagnosis which leaves vulnerable people adrift.” He said that the Government should guarantee a dementia advisor – a named professional contact – to any patient diagnosed with the disease, to help them come to terms with the news and advise them on the care services they may now need.
 

The Alzheimer’s Society’s new campaign has been launched to support those that have been diagnosed with Dementia and have a #RightToKnow about the condition, how to tackle it and what advice and information is available to help them. The charity is asking for people to sign up and support the campaign. There is more information here 

Le Tour Yorkshire Comes to our Partner, A1 Stairlifts

25th June 2014

A1 Stairlifts is inviting locals and visitors to make the most of its top Tour de France viewing spot on its large forecourt and enjoy great entertainment and a family fun day all in aid of charity. Starting from 9am until 4pm on Sunday 6th July.

When Le Tour Yorkshire comes to Keighley it passes right in front of A1 Stairlifts on South Street. On the forecourt, up-and-coming pop punk quartet You Had Me At Hello, from Keighley – who were recently featured in top UK music mag Kerrang –  will be performing throughout the day alongside a BBQ, drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic), bouncy castle, face painting, tombola, hook a duck and much more.

All proceeds on the day will be split between two local causes that are close to the A1 team’s hearts  and they have a target to raise £1000 for each charity.

The first is A Walk for Estelle – an annual event founded in April 2012 to help find a cure for Rett Syndrome, a condition which Estelle suffers.  Each year fundraisers take part in a 127 mile charity walk of the Leeds & Liverpool canal. This year it’s taking happening from 9-12 July.  There will be representatives at the event for anyone that wants more information on Rett Syndrome or the walk http://www.justgiving.com/teams/awalkforestelle2014 (everyone is welcome to take part for any distance of any day).

The next cause is in support of A1’s friend Diane Sugden who is trekking the Himalayas in aid of Sue Ryder Manorlands starting on 8 November.  Diane will be at the A1 event if you wish to speak to her. There’s also more information on the event here  and if you wish to donate, please click here

Stairlift and Mobility Scooter Recycling admires all carers during National Carers Week

11th June 2014

A recent poll revealed a concerning level of ignorance about the increasing reliance on families to provide unpaid care for frail, sick or disabled people, because local authority budgets for adult social care have been so significantly reduced.

6.5 million people – 1 in 8 adults – are already caring for a family member or close friend and 1.4 million people spend 50 hours or more a week on caring responsibilities.

The number of carers is predicted to rise to 9 million by 2037 and yet most adults don’t think caring will happen to them.

The current level of unpaid caring is estimated at saving the country £119 billion.  That’s an almost unimaginable saving all made possible because of the daily unselfish acts provided by our society’s carers.

Whereas Stairlift and Mobility Scooter Recycling is not expert in caring, and we admire all the carers out there, we will do our best to support charities that help the disabled, frail or sick people which might, in turn, provide a little bit of help to the carers. On top of this we make mobility products more affordable which might again help carers to some degree.

We will do our best to help because we know that you are doing the best you can in generally difficult circumstances.

Please send any comments about this blog to info@stairliftrecycling.co.uk or tweet @stairliftREC.

What happens after we have collected the stairlift for recycling?

19th May 2014

Once one of our engineers has visited you and removed the stairlift (or chairlift) it is taken to our factory in Keighley, West Yorkshire.  One of our skilled engineers will assess the stairlift initially and then decide what to do with it.

Some stairlifts will not be suitable for reconditioning and resale so the engineer will dismantle the stairlift ensuring that re-useable parts will be retained and place into stock.  Any parts that can’t be re-used will be scrapped and recycled in the best possible way environmentally.

If the engineer assesses that the stairlift is suitable for reconditioning then the stairlift will be stripped down (the picture illustrates a partly stripped down stairlift) and each component will be tested.  Any damaged or faulty components will be replaced. The engineer will then thoroughly clean the stairlift ready for resale.  Each type of stairlift has a different checklist that the engineers work through and all reconditioned stairlifts are tracked through the process by recording which engineer prepared the chair and carriage, which engineer prepared the track and who completed the kit box for each chair.

This process allows us to provide a 12 month warranty for our stairlifts and they are as good as new by the time we’ve finished reconditioning them.

Why Recycle Your Stairlift?

14th May 2014

Although we have just launched this service for the community and the environment we have been in the stairlift market for over 25 years and we work with partners that have a similar level of experience.  Through this service all types of stairlifts (sometimes called chairlifts) can be removed, reconditioned and recycled by us and our partners in the stairlift industry.  It doesn’t matter what make your stairlift is.  The main stairlift manufacturers are Acorn, Stannah, Platinum, Minivator, Handicare, Brooks, Thyssen, Meditek, Churchills, Age UK, Companian and Access. And it doesn’t matter if the stairlift is straight or curved.

If you wish to donate a stairlift then contact us either by email or through the 0800 number on our website we will collect your details, contact you to check them, send out an engineer within 2 weeks to remove the stairlift and take it back to our factory and recondition, wherever possible by our expert engineers, or strip out all usable parts and recycle them back into the market in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way as possible.  Our reconditioned stairlifts will then be sold back into the market at half the price or less than a new stairlift, or rented out to people that need them but cannot afford the cost of a reconditioned stairlift.  All of our reconditioned stairlifts come with a 12 month warranty.

For every stairlift donated we will donate to our panel of charities on an equal basis.  So by donating your stairlift you will be helping the environment and the community.  There are not many services that can say this!