Health Fair— Saturday 28

September 2013

As many of you will know, the

Davenport House Patient

Group is marking its 20th

anniversary with a Health Fair

to be held at the Harpenden

Public Halls on Saturday 28

September from 10.00am to

2.00pm The Fair will be

promoting the health and well-being of families

with young children: ‘The Essential Guide to

the Health Galaxy - You, your children and

their health’. Supported by the NHS—Herts

Valley Clinical Commissioning Group.

Planning is well advanced, with a working party

of doctors and patients bringing together a wide

range of participants. Those of you who

supported the Patient Group’s earlier Health Fair

in 2010 will recognise the format. We learned

some valuable lessons from that event. This

time the hall is larger, the programme of talks

will take place in a side hall, and the overall

noise level should be lower, but we still want to

recapture the buzz and interest of the occasion.

We plan to inform our adult visitors and to

entertain and involve their children and

grandchildren – it will be very much a family

affair.

More than twenty stalls will be set up by

organisations providing the full range of support

for healthy living for families and children,

including those who have to cope with every sort

of special need. A programme of short talks by

a range of health experts, including some by our

Davenport House doctors, will run throughout

the event. There will be an active programme of

activity for the younger children, to include

clowns, face painting and story-telling. In

addition there will be a series of short displays

on the stage by groups of children from a range

of local organisations, from football to dance. A

full programme will be published in the autumn

edition of the Newsletter.

We should like to attract even more visitors to

the Fair than the 500 attending last time.

Admission will be free. You will be able to drop

in at any time, to wander through the stalls, to

enjoy a coffee in the café, to watch an event on

the stage or to catch a talk on a topic which

interests you; or you may prefer to plan a visit

with a particular purpose. Please help us by

spreading the word to your family and friends –

we shall look forward to your joining us at the

Harpenden Public Halls on 28 September.

Teddy Bear’s Picnic—Saturday 17 August

One other date for the diary for those of you

with younger children - the ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic’

on August 17 at Lyddeker Park 11am to 2 pm.

There will be a magician on hand to help the

doctors conduct teddy bear health checks! See

back page for more details.

New Surgery Pod

In further recognising our 20 years of successful

partnership with the Davenport House Practice

we have purchased a new Surgery Pod costing

£6,306 which will enable patients to take their

blood pressure, calculate their body mass index

and assess many other health factors prior to a

consultation with their GP.

A full report on this new item of equipment is

featured on the opposite page.

THE CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTARY

By Roger Gedye

Patient Group Voluntary Committee

Roger Gedye Chairman

John Harris Treasurer & Newsletter Editor

Rosemary Horne Secretary & Proof Reader

Bob Fletcher Website

Helen Hartley Membership/Newsletter delivery

Samantha Mills Younger Patients

Gillian Thornton Newsletter Assistant

Sheila Uppington Education

Viviane Vayssieres Marketing

In addition, the Patient Group has an army

of voluntary Newsletter deliverers

organised by Helen Hartley, to whom we

are greatly indebted.

Email contact addresses for committee

members can be found on the Patient

Group Website.

HEALTH TESTS ARE SIMPLE WITH THE NEW SURGERY POD

By Gillian Thornton and John Harris

Davenport House is delighted to announce the

arrival of its latest service to patients and this

time you don’t even need to see a doctor to use

it.

High-tech but simple to use, the brand new

Surgery Pod will take your blood pressure and

pulse, work out your body mass index (bmi),

and give broad advice on other health issues

from drinking and smoking to depression.

Costing over £6,000 the equipment has been

paid for by the Patient Group and was installed

this spring in the small private room opposite

the reception area. It couldn’t be easier to

operate. Just input your name and date of birth

on the touch screen and then follow the simple

instructions, all in complete privacy.

To take a

blood

pressure

reading, for

instance,

just slide

your arm

inside the

cuff on the

desktop

machine

and 45 seconds later, a reading will appear,

together with your pulse rate. At the touch of a

button this data can then be transferred

electronically to your patient file, saving valuable

Surgery time for patients who need to take

regular readings.

Concerned you might be overweight? Just

stand on the electronic scale to get your weight

in stones or kilos, type your height onto the

touch screen, and wait a few seconds while

Surgery Pod works out your BMI. This can then

be checked against a scale ranging from

underweight to very obese. Again, the result

can be transferred

directly to your patient

records.

If the Surgery Pod

recognises that further

action needs to be

taken, a message on

screen will suggest

that you make an

appointment with your

GP or other health

adviser for one to one

advice.

Anthea Doran, Practice Manager, says

“The Surgery is very appreciative of the Patient

Group’s generosity in providing this equipment,

affectionately known as the Pod. Over the next

few weeks we will be producing posters and

leaflets to help patients both use the equipment

and ensure that the right data is collected to

enable your doctor to provide continuing care.

Although it is very easy to use we are more

than happy to help patients using the Pod for

the first time although you may need to wait

for a member of staff to be free to help you.

Giving your name and date of birth ensures

that any readings or answers to questions are

filed into your medical records. Any data or

option selections are entered on a touch

screen. You do not need to use a keyboard or

mouse.

The idea is to free up clinical time but also to

allow patients more flexibility in managing their

care. GPs will often ask patients to arrange

weekly nurse appointments to monitor their

blood pressure: the Pod will now allow patients

to come to Surgery at a time to suit them and

take their own readings, secure in the

knowledge that if the reading is high the Pod

will alert a clinician so that any necessary

action can be taken. Similarly, patients who are

being referred for surgery may be asked to

provide blood pressure readings, BMI and a

smoking history before the hospital will agree

to see them. All this information can be readily

collected when it is convenient, either as you

leave the Surgery or soon after your GP

appointment No appointment is necessary with

the Pod and so it can fit in with your schedule

and not ours!

We hope that patients will make use of this

excellent service and would be grateful for any

feedback as we are keen for patients to be

comfortable using the equipment.”

What is blood pressure and what is

hypertension?

Are they different? Quite frankly yes, they are

different. Blood pressure (BP) refers to the

pressure exerted by circulating blood on the

walls of your arteries. Hypertension is a medical

condition indicating that a person’s BP is

elevated above “normal” levels. It is rare for

hypertension in itself to cause a patient any

problems, although in severe circumstances it

can, but it is the long term effects of that raised

pressure against your blood vessel walls that

cause damage over time. This increases your

risk of heart disease, kidney disease, stroke,

peripheral vascular disease and retinopathy

(damage to the back of the eye), just to name a

few.

What causes high BP?

The truth is that the vast majority of people with

high BP suffer from “essential hypertension”

which is a fancy way for doctors to say that we

don’t know. BP is generated by the strength of

the heart contractions and the resistance that it

contracts against. The most likely reason is that

there is small narrowing of the very tiny blood

vessels through the body and this causes a

general rise in BP. For a minority of people there

may be an underlying cause, which doctors call

“secondary hypertension”.

What should your BP be?

If you are under 80 years old then a target of

below 140/90mmHg has been recommended by

NICE (National Institute of Health and Clinical

Excellence). See the chart in the opposite

column which illustrates a prudent approach.

If you are over 80 years old then a target of

below 150/90 is more appropriate as we know

that BP goes up with a person’s age.

Diabetics should have a target below 130/80 BP.

What do these numbers mean and what is

mmHg?

The “top” number (e.g. the higher number) is

called systolic BP. This means it is the pressure

in your blood vessels when your heart is

contracted. The “bottom” number (e.g. the

lower one) is called diastolic BP. This is the

pressure in your blood vessels between when

your heart beats, when it is at rest, hence it is

lower.

Blood Pressure Chart for those under 80

Why is my BP always high when I see the

doctor?

Well, you may have something called “white

coat hypertension” (from the good old days

when all doctors wore white lab coats). This

means that the stress response of seeing the GP

has caused your BP to rise, and potentially rise

above the normal level. This is why a doctor will

sometimes take your BP 2- 3 times whilst in

Surgery as it usually comes down during the

consultation. If however it does not come down,

then there is an excellent way of checking if you

have “white coat hypertension” or genuine

hypertension. Purchasing a home BP monitor

from your local pharmacy and checking your BP

at home is a very accurate method of assessing

your BP. Checking it morning and evening

(sitting down, twice each time, one minute

apart) for 4-7 consecutive days before seeing

your GP and showing him the results is a much

more accurate assessment than the 2-3

measures a GP can take in clinic.

What if my BP is normal?

Simple: it is recommended that you have it

checked at least every 5 years or more regularly

if you suffer from diabetes, heart disease,

kidney disease or stroke.

Blood Pressure Control by Dr James Leaver (now left his training period with the Practice)

So what can I do if my BP is high?

Now to the important bits! Lifestyle changes

have shown to reduce people’s BP. If you are

overweight, then losing some of this weight will

definitely help to control your BP. A healthy diet

and regular exercise are terms which get used

frequently. But what does that actually mean?

When should I start taking medication?

It is your body and your choice, so don’t let

anyone else bully you into taking medication

that you don’t understand. General advice from

doctors follows the latest NICE guidelines.

These state that you should be on BP medication

if you are:

1) aged under 80 years with a bp over140/90

(stage 1 hypertension) who have one or more of

the following:

Target organ damage (protein in your urine,

heart strain, changes in the back of the eye)

Established cardiovascular disease

Kidney disease

Diabetes

A 10-year cardiovascular risk equivalent to

20% or greater (calculated by your GP)

Or,

2) any age with BP over 160/100 (stage 2

hypertension)

There was previously concern that treating

patients BP over the age of 80 actually did more

harm than good. This is not the case. A large

multinational study based in London showed

that for patients with BP over 160/90, treating

their BP actually reduced the risk of stroke but

also all causes of mortality.

What treatments can a doctor prescribe

me?

There is a vast array of medications available to

patients suffering from hypertension. Which

treatment greatly depends on your age,

ethnicity and any previous side effects you may

have had with other medications. In general,

medication to treat blood pressure works in 3

different ways.

Vasodilation (dilating your blood vessels to

reduce the total resistance to the blood flow)

ACE inhibition (inhibits the primary

hormone system your body uses to control

blood pressure)

Diuretics (increase volume or urine

formation which reduces your circulating

volume)

A combination of some or all of the above may

well be used depending on your requirements.

Diet

We recommend a diet that is approximately:

1/3 starchy foods (potato, rice, pasta etc),

1/3 fruit and vegetables

1/3 for all of your milk, dairy and protein

(meat and fish) foods. Lean meat is better

and poultry or fish are better than red

meat.

The government recommends 5-6grams of salt

a day and in truth most of us will exceed this

as salt is in many food products you wouldn’t

know about. Avoid adding salt to food at the

dinner table, and substitute herbs and other

flavours when cooking. For a very clear

summary on dietary advice see

www.patient.co.uk/health/Healthy-

Eating.html

Exercise

We recommend that on at least 5 days each

week you should take some regular exercise

lasting 30 minutes or more such as brisk

walking, swimming and dancing. Relaxation

exercises can also reduce BP, but unfortunately

these services are not provided on the NHS.

Caffeine & Alcohol

Another important factor is what you drink. By

reducing your alcohol intake to 3 units per day,

with 2 alcohol free days in a week you can

lower your BP but also improve your general

health. Caffeine products are the ideal boost

and that is why most of us drink so much

coffee. However that same boost gives you a

booming blood pressure as it helps your heart

beat harder and faster, raising your BP, so it is

wise to limit yourself to 1 or 2 cups of a

caffeinated product per day.

Smoking

Probably the most important intervention you

can make to your health if you have high BP is

nothing to do with your BP at all. If you are a

smoker, giving up will reduce the added

damage to your blood vessel walls and greatly

reduce your risk of future complications from

hypertension.

FINAL MESSAGE

Blood pressure control is very important in

reducing your risk of stroke, heart disease,

eye and kidney disease. The good news is

that there is a lot that you can do about it

for yourself in partnership with your GP.

As far back as 1973 the

economist, J Galbraith,

said that, ‘Virtually all

of the increase in

modern health

hazards is the result

of increased

consumption’, and this

is as true today as it

was then. Eating too

much salt is linked to

high blood pressure,

which in turn increases

the risk of strokes. Extra sugar is converted in the

liver to triglycerides, a type of fat that goes

straight to the belly and waist to be stored. Sugar

is also linked to diabetes, tooth decay, and some

cancers. However, sugar is a carbohydrate, and is

absolutely vital to life as it is a major energy

source.

Salt is, chemically speaking, sodium chloride, and

Sodium is needed for conducting nerve impulses

and helping muscles contract, whereas Chloride

ions control the acid-base balance in the body.

Where do we find all this extra salt and sugar?

The culprits for salt are processed and fast foods,

ready meals, cheese, canned soups, stock cubes,

snacks such as salted nuts and savoury biscuits,

and preserved meats like bacon, ham and salami.

Excess sugar is found in fizzy drinks, sweets,

cakes, biscuits and puddings. About 25 percent of

the average breakfast cereal is sugar, and cereals

also contain salt! On top of all this is what we put

in our own home cooked food while cooking and

at the table.

How to limit your salt and sugar intake

Any food that contains more than 1.5 grams of

salt per 100 grams is too salty, but less than 0.3

grams of salt per 100 grams is okay. Adults

should aim for no more than 6 grams of salt (half

a level teaspoon) a day, although the ideal is 3

grams per day.

If a food item contains more than 10 grams of

sugar per 100 grams, that is too much, and less

than 5g per 100g is considered a healthy amount.

Processed foods are the biggest culprits for both

salt and sugar, so eat as much of your own home

cooked food as possible. Fresh vegetables and

fruit, lean meats and wholegrain should be our

staple diet.

Keep salty snacks, puddings and desserts to a

minimum. Eat fresh fruit instead of a sugary

snack, and if you must eat tinned fruit, make sure

it is in its natural juice instead of syrup. Fizzy

drinks and supermarket juices are often loaded

with sugar. Look carefully at food labels when

buying your groceries. Be careful how much salt

you add while cooking, and don’t add salt at the

table.

Finally

Sugar and salt are very addictive, but the good

news is that it is easier to change your habit with

these than with tobacco and alcohol! And the time

to start is now. Look at your diet and see what

needs to change and begin making changes

slowly. If you take 3-6 months to change your

shopping and eating habits, it is more likely to be

a more permanent change.

Books to read:

Sweet Poison: Why Sugar Makes Us Fat by David

Gillespie

Salt Matters: The Killer Condiment by Trevor

Beard.

SUGAR AND SALT; TIME TO CALL A HALT

By Dr Alka Cashyap

Life does not need to be miserable, and we

do not need to stop eating the forbidden

foods completely.

Try and follow the 80:20 rule as a

minimum, which means that you could try

and eat healthily 80% of the time, and be

‘naughty’ 20% of the time.

Drugs

Drug dependency/addiction means you need that

particular drug to function normally. Most people

think of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines but

nicotine, alcohol and also prescribed drugs like

Temazepam and Zopiclone are addictive.

Drug dependency can involve several aspects:

Psychological addiction – a craving, feeling

compelled to use a drug.

Physical addiction – you feel unwell if you

stop a drug (withdrawal). We often give less

addictive drugs or slowly dilute the drug down

to minimise this effect.

Tolerance – certain drugs are less effective

the more you use them. You therefore start

using more of the drug to get the same effect.

Drugs that are commonly prescribed which can be

addictive are Codeine, Temazapam and Zopiclone.

We try and prescribe in smaller amounts these

days to avoid addiction. More serious addiction,

e.g. heroin and cocaine, needs more specialist

advice. Please see your doctor. A useful source is

0800776600 or www.talktofrank.com

Smoking

It remains the largest avoidable cause of death

and disability in the UK and causes 120,000

deaths per year. Most common diseases include

chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, coronary heart

disease and stroke.

Quitting is not easy but we are confident that if

you see me, the smoking adviser for the Practice,

we can maximise your chances of success.

Nicotine is put in cigarettes with the result that

you get a physical withdrawal if you quit. We can

replace this nicotine and slowly titrate the dose

down to minimise this effect. There are various

methods to assist in quitting, for example,

tablets, patches, gum sprays and others

depending on your preference.

The psychological addiction is related to

motivation. We try to personalise the consultation

depending on your health problems and focus on

the positive effect of quitting. For example, saving

money, smelling and tasting better. We measure

your carbon monoxide which binds to your blood

when you smoke and stops oxygen binding. After

4 weeks of quitting this should be normal, leading

to improved breathing and circulation. Last year

we were one of the most successful Practices in

the area for successful quitters. See your GP or

www.smokefreehertfordshire.nhs.uk

Alcohol

The recommended weekly amount of alcohol is

currently 21 units for men and 14 units for

women. This should be spaced out during the

week, ideally no more than 4 units for men and 3

units for women per day. The liver can only

metabolise small amounts of alcohol per day-

above this it can cause damage.

Most of us enjoy a social drink. Harmful drinking

is a pattern above the recommended amount that

causes health problems, such as stomach ulcers,

throat cancer and liver disease. It is thought that

33% of men and 16% of women are potentially

harmful drinkers. This pattern can lead to alcohol

dependence where the symptoms include craving,

increasing tolerance and withdrawal symptoms if

you stop.

Tips for lowering your alcohol intake include low

alcohol beer, having alcohol free days, pacing

yourself and alternating with soft drinks. Avoid

social situations where you will be tempted and

resist peer pressure.

If you are worried please see your doctor who will

screen you for dependence and may do some

tests to check for harmful effects. This may

include blood tests, medication to help you come

off alcohol or referral for therapy. If you are a

very heavy drinker see

your doctor BEFORE

stopping alcohol,

otherwise there is a risk of

a seizure.

For more info please see

National Alcohol Helpline

08009178282 or

www.alcoholic-

anonymous.org.uk

SMOKING, ALCOHOL AND DRUGS

By Dr Chas Thenuwara

BEATING HEART DISEASE

Report of Patient Group meeting - Shelia Uppington

We were privileged to have an evening led by 3

of our local cardiologists - Dr David Hackett, Dr

Masood Khan and Dr Philip Moore - and have any

fears allayed about having to visit their

departments in Watford, Hemel or St Albans

Hospitals.

Watford has a critical cardiac unit, a cardiac ward

and 2 catheterisation labs and consultant ward

rounds are carried out twice daily including

weekends.

In an emergency ambulances will carry out an

ECG and take the patient to Watford in the day

and possibly Harefield at night. Two specialist

surgeons visit Watford once a week to carry out

cardiac surgery to save patients having to go

further afield.

About 100-150 angiograms are carried out every

month (done to investigate artery blockages)

plus around 35 pacemakers fitted (keeps the

heart beating when rhythm slows) and 30 stents

(to hold blocked

arteries open).

Several

defibrillators

(shocks the

heart to reset

the rhythm)

and loop

recorders (to

monitor those

suffering from

blackouts) are

also fitted per

month.

A PACEMAKER

We were shown

all these devices,

how they

worked, how

long they lasted

and why they

were necessary.

As a country we

are under-

providing these

device implants compared to many European

countries (partly due to NICE constraints and

funding). However, West Herts is at the top of

the national league in their provision.

The department is developing by reopening a

day ward, and evolving more complex imaging

services which will eventually extend into

community outpatient clinics.

Replacement of heart valves was discussed,

some of which can now be done with minimal

invasion through a tube up the artery from the

groin. The technique of heart 'bypass' operations

was also explained.

It was interesting to hear initially from Dr Charli

Barber-Lomax of his 1970s treatment of heart

disease which was to bed rest patients for 3

weeks and hope for the best. Now, as the team

explained, all the new technology has

revolutionised treatments with less open heart

surgery and shorter hospital stays with quicker

recovery times.

Remote follow-up monitors are used (sitting on

people’s bedsides at night) that alert the hospital

instantly if there is a problem. In fact in an area

such as ours it was felt that because people were

living more healthily and being treated at an

earlier stage the number of heart attacks had

now peaked and was declining. The use of

statins has helped to slow artery blockage by

plaque as they leach cholesterol out of the

plaque.

However in the future

pacemakers would be needed

in greater numbers because

of an ageing population with

cardiac wear and tear.

So thanks to the cardiac

team for illustrating so

clearly what they could offer

us if our hearts missed a

beat.

Measles

I am sure that many of you are

aware that there is an

increasing number of measles

cases being reported across

England. Measles is one of the

most infectious diseases and

far from being just a childhood

illness can cause severe

complications in some patients.

In the next few weeks, Public Health England will

be launching a campaign to prevent measles

outbreaks by vaccinating as many unvaccinated

and partially vaccinated 10-16 year olds as

possible in time for the next school year.

The Surgery will

be contacting

parents of these

children and

offering the MMR

immunisation

although we are

happy for parents

to book a nurse

appointment as soon as possible to ensure that

their children are fully protected. Parents may

wish to be aware that single vaccines were and

are not recommended by the NHS: 2 doses of the

MMR are needed to be considered immune.

Staff News

Patients of Dr Barber-Lomax may be aware that

he has recently undergone a foot operation and

will be recovering until September. We are

pleased that our ex registrar, Dr Nusrat Jabeen

has agreed to look after Dr Barber-Lomax’s

patients in his absence. Dr Jabeen has worked

with us for the last 3 years and will provide an

excellent service to his patients.

In July we will say good bye to Dr Emma

Chakravarty who has been with us for 2 years.

We have been joined by Dr Sapna Dave who will

be training with us until December. Dr Dave has

already slotted into Surgery life and we look

forward to working with her over the next few

months.

NHS 111 Telephone Number

Out of Hours care in

Hertfordshire is now linked to

the national 111 service. This

service has received some

poor press nationally but the

local service appears to be

bucking the national trend.

The service answers calls for

the established Out of Hours

Doctors’ service, HUC and

feedback from HUC GPs is

excellent. As well as being

available when the Surgery is

closed, 111 can be contacted

in the day if you have a medical problem but are

unsure where best to go for appropriate care. If it

is considered that a pharmacy or minor injuries

unit is appropriate they can inform you of the

nearest unit and its opening hours.

SURGERY SNIPPETS

By Anthea Doran

Hospital wins Patient Experience

Award The Luton & Dunstable Hospital has won a Patient

Experience Network National Award for its work

in listening to

patients and

acting on

feedback.

The L&D is

thought to be

the first

hospital in the

country to call

all inpatients to ask their views.

All inpatients are telephoned within 48 hours of

going home to ask about their experience of

hospital.

Clinical staff at the L&D also take turns to be on

duty in the call centre and learn at first hand

what patients think of the care and treatment

they receive.

Your Local Hospital Governors

Malcolm Rainbow and John Harris continue as

your local Hospital Governors and would welcome

feedback on your experiences at the L&D so that

we can more fully represent your interests.

NEWS FROM THE L&D

By John Harris

Journalist and Patient

Group committee member

Gillian Thornton profiles

the organisers of

Harpenden’s first event to

celebrate International

Day of Older People.

One minute it seems we’re

taking our small children to

school; the next moment,

our children are having

children of their own, and we realise we’re on

the wrong side of middle age. Around 20% of

Harpenden’s population is now over 65, officially

classed as Senior Citizens and entering a new

phase of life.

So if you are one of them – or simply know

somebody who is – you might want to jot down

some numbers from the new poster shown on

the opposite page which is to shortly appear on

the Surgery notice boards. Davenport House

doctors are pleased to be publicising the work of

Harpenden Seniors Forum, which points the way

to a huge range of local clubs and cultural

societies as well as organisations offering

practical help to older residents.

The Forum grew out of a Sustainable

Community Strategy for 2021, published by St

Albans City & District Council in 2005. ‘This

forward-thinking document covered all

aspects of the district from transport to

teenagers, but gave only a passing mention

of the growing population of elderly

people,’ recalls Alan Cox, then Chairman of the

Harpenden Trust. ‘So a meeting of 24 town

stalwarts was called and we agreed to

develop a Harpenden Seniors Forum as a

helpline and information point.’

Working with Town, District and County

Councillors, the Forum convinced the District

Council that there was a yawning gap in their

community strategy and the document was duly

revised in 2009. Meanwhile, the Forum

developed its own website and recruited a team

of volunteers willing to man a helpdesk and

phone line at the Day Centre.

Now Harpenden Seniors Forum is

organising a major event in Harpenden

Public Halls on Tuesday 1 October, which

has been designated International Day of

Older People.

‘Twenty-four organisations have already

agreed to take part, ranging from

Computer Friendly to Helping Hand, Friday

Market to Go Together Travel Club,

Harpenden Trust, and Age UK,’ explains Alan

who is now chairman of HSF. ‘A number of

sports and other clubs are also interested

and we have contacted shops and small

businesses to ask if they will give a

discount that day on production of the

town’s Loyalty Card. The response has

been hugely positive with some even

saying it should run for a week!’

At the same time, the publishers of Harpenden’s

popular What’s On booklet are preparing a

Harpenden Seniors Handbook which should be

available in November and will be delivered free

to members. Around 1400 local Seniors are

currently registered to receive free information

bulletins and invitations to HSF events.

And if that wasn’t enough to keep them busy,

the HSF helpdesk will be moving to a new home

over the summer when the Day Centre is

redeveloped. At the time of going to press, they

look likely to move into the new library premises

on Lower High Street, but the phone number

will remain the same.

‘Our volunteers take a wide range of calls,’

says Alan. ‘It might be someone needing a

gardener or plumber, in which case we will

give them a choice of three numbers. But

we had one lady recently concerned about

a decorator who wanted all his money up

front. Fortunately she was suspicious,

called us, and we were able to direct her to

more reputable firms.’

‘Most people simply need advice or a phone

number, but we do hear occasional cases of

genuine hardship too. Three of us are able

to make home visits, assess the situation

and, if necessary, give a modest emergency

grant from our fund.’

And when it comes to getting out and making

friends, Harpenden has a great deal on offer for

Seniors. ‘The difficult thing is often taking

that first step,’ agrees Alan. ‘But Harpenden

Seniors Forum can at least point people in

the right direction.’ Website:

www.harpendenseniorsforum.org

Telephone: 01582 462926.

If you could spare a couple of

hours to man the help desk - no

previous experience necessary -

just call the helpline.

AT YOUR SERVICE - HARPENDEN SENIORS FORUM

By Gillian Thornton