Pugwash

The flats on the corner of Upland and Darrell were originally a mental health day centre run by SLAM called Number 10. As a money saving exercise, SLAM closed this centre many years ago and sold off to a private developer who by building an extension on, turned it into several flats. Most of the original attendees of No 10, have died or moved on so highly unlikely the current anti social behaviourists have anything to do with the ex centre.

Now that the HSBC bank has closed - my hubby pays in cheques at this PO. It was handy as had longer opening hours which is great when you do not get home from work until 7 pm and need to post a parcel etc.

Do people still dress formally for a funeral? A nice v neck jumper over a shirt with dark trousers seems to be an acceptable compromise from the funerals I have attended or a waistcoat over long sleeved shirt and tie.

Details were published in the local papers a week or so ago.

responsible 6th Former who wants a bit of pocket money>

Agencies generally do not let staff pick people up from hospital and not all carers have cars. When I had surgery my husband just called a cab company to pick me up from Kings. Would you qualify for hospital transport home?

If your mother is not going to be a self funder, you will need to request an assessment of need from social services. If that assessment shows that your mother is eligible to be placed in a care home/nursing home they will run through the financial situation with you. Your mother will need to be financially assessed re her income, savings and any property ownership. It may be that the assessment shows that your mother can remain at home with you with the provision of carers - this option will be considered first and unless very exceptional circumstances (i.e.CVA/stroke which leaves person with significant needs) local authorities will always trial care at home in the first instance - usually going as much as 4 times daily carers/day centres etc. Most care homes/nursing homes are very expensive and local authorities will only pay up to a certain level of fees and a third party top up will be required by family. Queens Oak, although in Peckham, is block purchased by Lambeth Social Services and Southwark residents cannot apply for placement there. Lew Evans and Lime Tree House in Nunhead are both extra sheltered housing with a dedicated team of carers based on the premises 24 hours a day although residents are in their own flats - the carers deal with all personal care including toileting, meal preparation, medications and domestic care. A new Extra Sheltered Housing is opening up in Cator Street Peckham in the next few weeks. With the national shortage of all forms of care and nursing homes- fees are rising - but local authorities income from government is reducing each year and all LAs now have a strict ceiling of placement fees. From recent experience - care home fees stem from around ?700 plus a week upwards, with nursing home fees starting around ?800 pw and reaching around ?1800 pw. From experience - 37 homes were contacted between Southwark and Hastings (family living in London, kent and Sussex) for an elderly lady with dementia recently, those who had vacancies wanted in excess of ?1200 pw and others refused to take any that required funding from local authorities. Age UK have very good leaflets relating to care homes and care at home and explain how the finances work - you can read them on line or download them. I am afraid that placements now in care homes are usually the last resort when all other care options have been exhausted. The Elms, being a Baptist home, when my aunt went there. required that the proposed resident had a church connection and required a 'reference' from the minister or someone senior in the Church. My aunt attended Christ Church so was acceptable in terms of her 'religious connections' not sure if The Elms still require this

I assume that either your mother or your family will be paying the fees for a care home?. If Mum is a 'self funder' she is still entitled to her Attendance Allowance (which I am thinking she may already receive) I am not sure whether the Abbeyfield Care Home is still up Sydenham Hill, otherwise there is Castlebar which is predominantly a nursing home. There is a care home shortage in SE England and most homes have long waiting lists. Could you mother's needs be met in an Extra Care Sheltered Housing where she has her own flat but carers are on site? The Elms has always been a very good home, an aunt of mine was there for 2/3 year until her death and I have recommended many people to consider.

The one time I had to complain re noise - the Noise Team could hear the music through my phone - it was a house a few doors down and at least 8 other neighbours had already complained. Noise Team were called out twice that night.

From our end of Barry Road - we can see London Eye - especially good at New year to see the fireworks from the bedroom windows. From the Front of house - can see various tall buildings in London

Whilst this is an appalling tale- I hope that medical staff have improved their knowledge and humanity when confronted with patients who are terminally ill. Education around End of Life care has been rolled out over the last few years to social workers, health workers and medical staff of all descriptions. St. Christopher's Hospice Staff in their Education Department have held lectures/talks etc around this highly emotional subject. If someone is terminally ill and life expectancy is a matter of days or couple of weeks, and they wish to die at home, Palliative Care Nurses can arrange for specialist carers to assist the family with caring for their loved one. This is known as Fast Track and is the responsibility of the health service not social services. My mother died in St. Christopher's Hospice, she had always expressed a wish that she died there, she did not want to be at home or in hospital. When it was clear that she had a limited time, she went to the Hospice. Initially was given 3 days to live but lasted 10.The care and support she was given was excellent and we were well cared for as well. Pain was well controlled and at no time did she express being in severe pain. It was a gentle death - which everyone should have. Inhumane care of the dying (or anyone else for that matter) should not be allowed and must be exposed. I have (and my colleagues) have reported inhumane/unkind/thoughtless ward staff when working in hospitals (both in person and in writing) Poor practices cannot just be swept under the carpet

My grand daughter took Kumon Maths when she was in primary school. Very quickly began to excel and enjoyed the work. Gave it up around 10/11. Went to secondary school where after a couple of terms, the kids were ability streamed. She and a few others were put in what was called the Super Stream for Maths and were given GCSE papers to work from the age of 13, Received an A* at GCSE. Kuman Maths really helped he with this subject. Her younger brother was not interested in doing Kumon.

Sometimes the bin men will not walk into the garden to collect and ask that the bins are put on the pavement.

A neighbour purchased a leasehold flat which was a former right to buy council property ( in a semi detached house) 1 bed flat now going for ?575,000. He probably paid around ?150.000 for it at the time. I purchased my house originally for ?16.300 in 1975. However have re mortgaged the property several times to pay for essential work. In 2004 it was valued by surveyors at ?250.000. In the 80s when interest rates seemed to rise every month. I increased my payments but did not change them when rates dropped. Consequently paid off the mortgage almost a year early. We want to downsize but want to remain in ED - even by considering property with 4 rooms less, by the time we pay legal fees and tax etc the cost of a smaller property would still be so high that we would gain very little (if anything)from selling. Both of us have mobility problems so a very large flat (3 bed) ground floor with garden is the basic requirement. We also have 8 grandchildren who when visiting stay overnight as do not live in London . We may end up renting out a Monday - Friday room to help pay the heating costs. 2 bed terraced houses seem to be going for over ?875,000.

Does not leave much time for volunteers to get DB check - they can take a few weeks to come through at times.

My grand daughter (17) was fed up with her local swimming pool being closed due to shortage of life guards and has been accepted on a Life Guard training programme. It is from 10- 4 pm daily and includes first aid. It is understood that there is a general shortage of trained life guards in London and elsewhere and although the course costs ?300 she hopefully will emerge as a qualified Life Guard and able to take up posts anywhere in the country. I thought Brockwell Lido was run by an independent company? Was the injured child in the water with an adult or much older child? Some swim venues insist that under 11s must be accompanied in the pool by an adult or over 16.

The Gardens have a very defined area and it does not go up LL or Overhill

Wivenhoe Close has 'ordinary' flats as well as a Sheltered Housing Unit.

Dulwich College Library

Shelter are very good - I referred a homeless gentleman who was very unwell from living on the streets and they found accommodation for him

When my child went to St. Anthony's some time ago, there were pupils from Nunhead, Camberwell and Dulwich. The main thing is to get a letter from Parish priest to confirm regular attendance at church. which I imagine should include the new church that your family now attends.

My daughter was moaning about the fact that her 2 year old girl was always whining and generally being stroppy at home ( they don't call them the terrible twos for nothing!) When she mentioned this to her friends - they were surprised as they found daughter very polite, helpful and a pleasure to have around. I asked my daughter would she prefer to have her daughter to be perceived as badly behaved etc outside the home or inside the home? She got my point. Dining out with young children is stressful at times, us Mums in the family always take paper, crayons to the restaurant as bored kids can be distracted for a while. There is also a limited as to how much food you can give a child who is determined not to eat it. It also sounds that the child was seeking attention from the Mum who may have been giving more attention to the friend.

My neighbour is a leaseholder in ex council flat had to pay ?5000 for exterior painting which in less than 6 weeks is already peeling off. His downstairs neighbour is a council tenant pays nothing. I have received a quite for exterior painting front and back for whole house for a similar price.

stolen number plates?

I suppose that as a family we have been drawn naturally to healthcare etc type jobs. I originally was a senior administrator with responsibility for 120 staff and a ?1m budget - I liked the work but people more than figures are more 'me' One son in law is a plumber, the other works in newspaper advertising/sales. Hubby worked in a Post Room before retiring. One grandson works in a warehouse So we have mixed connections. I work with people who have for their first degree -Law, Social policy, Nursing, European Studies,politics, with the exception of the nurse, all found difficulty in gaining permanent work, or even in some cases, casual work, which eventually lead them to train at post graduate level for a 'professional qualification' - none of them have been out of work since. If you have a flair for IT/Finances - then it is great We all bring different skills etc, a now elderly cousin for many years was a shop assistant and loved baking cakes. This lead her in her 50s attending a course in cake decorating at the local polytechnic - she ended up in her 60s teaching cake decoration at the local Adult Education Centre. Most of us start out our working career doing one thing and it is rare thing to still be in the same type of job 20 or 30 years later!