Monday Club

We are fortunate to have a variety of interesting talks on our programme, and today we enjoyed hearing from two separate speakers. 

First up was Fiona Farr from the Isle of Whithorn.  Her talk “What a Good Idea,” was about simple but effective memory aids, including the use of coloured paper and stickers to organise keys, spectacles and a myriad of other household objects.  Fiona also shared what she calls ‘silly but clever’ ways to remember important information and dates. She then introduced a few simple gadgets for making life a bit easier around the home, and handed out information sheets containing handy tips and advice.  Fiona emphasised the importance of reinforcing the positive side of memory, which reflects our group’s self management philosophy of focussing on what we can do, not on what we can’t.  As she said, too often we tell ourselves we are stupid or useless if we forget things, when we should be kind to ourselves about the things we have successfully remembered.  Sound advice indeed.

Yvette Nutt was our second speaker, representing HandyVan/Small Repair and Home Support Service.  This charity offers a free service across Dumfries and Galloway to homeowners/private tenants aged 60+, or living with physical or mental health issues or domestic abuse.  Services include the supply and fitting of home security including door/window locks and smoke detectors, small repairs and household adaptions.  Yvette also described the Falls Prevention service, which provides gutter cleaning, fitting grab rails, and securing carpets and curtain rails.  Eligible clients can access this valuable service free of charge twice a year for up to two hours each time.  For more information please contact HandyVan on 0800 069 9173.

Our thanks to both speakers for informed and interesting talks, and we also had time for questions and discussions afterward, with an opportunity to share our own experiences and tips.

To finish off, ten members took part in Pam’s gentle exercise session.  Her choice of music is so inspired, and complements the activity beautifully.

All in all we managed to fit a lot into today’s meeting, and of course there was also time for chatting and catching up.  I think it’s fair to say we left feeling more informed, motivated and encouraged and looking forward to meeting again on 26 August.  Our speaker that day will be  Charlotte Bennie, talking about gadgets and tips on living with impaired vision.  

The Monday Club is open to anyone aged 50+ and meets every second Monday in Penninghame Church Hall, Newton Stewart,  from 10 am – 12 noon. For more information, please contact Karen Barbour on 01988 501111 / 0773 972 3563     or karenbarbour@nhs.net.  New members always welcome.