Tag Archives: health

Norwich disabled man’s battle for home after leaving hospital

Wheelchair-bound man has spent five weeks sleeping on his father’s sofa

Tom Bristow tom.bristow@archant.co.uk
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
6:36 AM

A lack of flatwheelchair-bound man has spent five weeks sleeping on his father’s sofas for disabled people in Norwich has meant a wheelchair-bound man has spent five weeks sleeping on his father’s sofa, despite being in the “emergency” band for a council house.

Simon Kindleysides, 29, left the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in a wheelchair five weeks ago expecting to be placed in a ground floor flat adapted for disabled people.

Neighbourhood watch groups could help with elderly care

Neighbourhood watch groups in England could provide companionship and practical help for pensioners living alone, under an idea being considered.

 Ministers say more collaboration is needed between the state and voluntary groups

Social care minister Norman Lamb said many older people were living “very lonely lives”, without family support.

While professional care remained vital, something extra was needed, he said.

The “principle of neighbourliness” could be extended to address the “extraordinary challenge” presented by an ageing society, he told the BBC.

There are 173,000 neighbourhood watch groups in England and Wales, a scheme which started in the 1980s to encourage local residents to report suspicious behaviour in their area and to help prevent burglaries.

The farm giving disabled people the chance to experience rural life

Medicine comes in many different forms

 Paula with Will Payne and volunteers and participants at High Mead Farm

Medicine comes in many different forms. Whittling wood, tending the land, caring for animals and feeling the sun on your skin can do wonders for physical and mental wellbeing.

Providing that therapy for many members of the community is High Mead Farm near Longham.

Since last autumn the four-acre plot has offered a supported work environment for people with learning and physical difficulties as well as youngsters who are out of work or who have been excluded from school.

Will Payne and Mark Gregory took over the land, which was in a run-down state, but with the help of local people it’s back on track to becoming a sustainable farm.

“We wanted to make it accessible to the whole community,” explained Will.