Help Your Older Family Enjoy Life, Day In, Day Out!

Published on: 4 Mar, 2016
Updated on: 4 Mar, 2016

What will your mum (and let’s not forget dad, gran, grandad and other family) be doing after Mother’s Day?

Doubtless, you will give her a special treat this weekend but what will she (or they) be up to next week?

Guildford Borough councillor Tony Rooth and his mum.

Tony Rooth, the lead councillor for social welfare at Guildford Borough Council, says: ” We all love, care and help our older family as much as we can. I will take my 93-year-old mum out for the day on Mother’s Day.

“I try to phone her nearly every day and visit her every fortnight – I am not a paragon of virtue but she still wants to live by the seaside at Bognor!

“We should all want to keep our older family like my mum active and happy, not lonely and bored. But how can we make their lives fun when we are not around?

“Well, in Guildford your borough council has plenty going on to help you keep them happy, both physically and mentally and here are details.”

Guildford’s Borough Council’s two social centres, community transport scheme, lunch clubs and community meals service combine to help older people enjoy activities at the social centres, see friends and family and enjoy good health and wellbeing.

At the Park Barn and Shawfield Social Centres, anyone who lives in the borough over the age of 55 can enjoy the range of services on offer.

Visitors can take part in activities, meet friends, enjoy food and refreshments in the café and benefit from additional services at the centres including hairdressing, chiropody and advice on living aids to install in your home.

Visitors can drop in any time during opening hours – no need to stay all day. The centres hold regular health check clinics and have community wardens based on site.

The activities schedule focuses on the importance of staying physically and mentally fit. Examples include: new age kurling, team games on the Nintendo Wii, youth club for older people, tai chi and crafts.

The Park Barn Social Centre in Guildford is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 4:30pm.

The Shawfield Social Centre in Ash is open Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 3.30pm.

For more information visit www.guildford.gov.uk/socialcentres or call Park Barn Social Centre on 01483 458055 or Shawfield Social Centre on 01252 326304.

The council’s community transport service helps people who can’t easily use public transport, including people over 60 years of age.

Its new fleet of fully accessible buses help people with journeys they would expect to make in a car or bus, such as shopping trips, visiting friends, as well as visits to the doctor or hospital. The buses also take older people to our social centres.

To register for the service please visit: www.guildford.gov.uk/communitytransport call: 01483 458052 or email: communitytransport@guildford.gov.uk

The council’s community meals service supports independence at home by providing hot meals to elderly or disabled residents across the borough.

The aim of the service is to enable people to remain in their own home. Meals are cooked and delivered in purpose-built vehicles – they are hot and ready to eat.

The choice-based menu includes a main course and dessert. They are deliver seven days a week if required, but people can choose to have meals delivered on whichever days suit.

For more information and to register for the service visit: www.guildford.gov.uk/communitymeals or call: 01483 503010.

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