Category: Announcements

A recent Covid-19 Experience of a Hucknall and District u3a member

Member Alan Ratcliffe writes about his recent diagnosis and hospital treatment for Covid -19. If you read this you will have little doubt about the need for social distancing, hand washing and varying degrees of lockdown.It was written for close friends and family and I wish to thank Alan on our behalf for agreeing to share it with us.
David

Alan writes:
Thursday: today was a good day for a stroll in the garden. Yesterday I returned home after spending seven days in the Covid Unit of Kingsmill Hospital, having tested positive for Covid the previous Tuesday. Neither my wife Una nor my daughter Fionnuala was keen on me dying alone in hospital. However, we took the decision that my chances of surviving would be increased if I went into hospital. As the tailgate of the ambulance was raised I couldn’t help thinking I was taking my last look at them. I could see the anxiety in their faces and I’m sure they could see the anxiety in mine.

On arrival at hospital, I was wheeled in bed to see the doctor. He explained in very clear terms what were my chances of survival and what course of action he recommended. The bed was then wheeled around a labyrinth of corridors and I ended up in a very palatial room on my own. I thought that it would be a very comfortable room in which to die.

However, after a short while, the bed was on the move again and I ended up in a ward of about fifty feet square with three other men, the four beds being in the corners. The next day I was connected for most of the time to an infusion where liquids meant to kill the virus were pumped into my body.

The next day with the infusion now removed, I became more aware of the schedule of activities that would aid my recovery. Food would be served at specific times of the day but before that we were given menus from which to choose our meal. The menus had a really wide selection to choose from and when the food arrived, it was absolutely delicious.

Doctors appeared every day to inform each of us how we were doing. At regular interval, nurses would appear to check blood pressure and oxygen concentration in my blood. This was a vital factor in monitoring our progress. The oxygen level had to attain a certain level before we would be considered sufficiently healthy for us to be sent home.

Days were not so bad. There was always a flurry of activities and it did take a lot longer for normal activities, such as washing, toilet activities and even eating. We were allowed to choose our own techniques, whether that be bedpans, basins of water in bed or a shower. I was able to hobble over to the toilet and have a shower and a shave but at the start it took me an hour to complete the process.

The nights were rather different. We were allowed to make our own decisions as to when our individual bed lights were turned off, but the nights seemed interminably long, particularly if you cannot sleep. During the night, the nurses would appear at specific intervals to take the readings of blood pressure and oxygen levels. They didn’t rouse us and I had no difficulty in getting off to sleep when they had carried out their checks. Their smiling faces appearing in the middle of the night were a source of immense comfort. I felt I was being watched over by angels as I slept.

Finally the day came when the numbers came out right. I could not have been happier if I had won the lottery.During my time in the ward, there were a few comings and goings. Some left the ward and were allowed to go home to their families. Sadly, some left the ward but didn’t make it home. Of the ones who were happily returned to their families, to my knowledge, none were as old as I am.

On the day I was released, I believe there were almost five hundred deaths from Covid nationally in hospitals in the country.

Finally, I have to say that for their professional competence and their duty of care, whether they were cleaners, porters, food preparation people, nurses or doctors, this is the most dedicated and inspiring group of people I have ever met and they work at Kingsmill Hospital, Mansfield.

Alan Ratcliffe

You are invited to take part in a virtual Christmas spectacular

For more details, please click on the link below:

Virtual Christmas Spectacular 2020

Monthly Meeting via Zoom October 14th, 2020
This month the ‘guest’ speaker was a double act. Terry Hill and myself were the presenters talking about trekking in the Khumbu (also known as the Everest Region) which is a region of north eastern Nepal on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest. This is the home of the Sherpa people. We have both completed this trek up to a height of 5500m where oxygen is reduced to 50% of that at sea level. We were younger then.

NOVEMBER 11th, 2020 – Monthly Zoom Meeting 2.00 pm to approx 3.00pm
Many people who travel around giving talks to U3A groups have made the transition and are offering zoom presentations. We have booked our first one for this meeting:

A Nice Cup of Tea- a Potted History of Tea
The British answer to any problem or crisis is often a cup of tea! If you have had a shock or an upset someone will make you a nice cup of tea. But how did the British love affair with tea start? It is a fascinating tale of adventure, taxes, criminality, temperance, rationing and a morale booster in World War I and II. You’ll also find out how a hungry Duchess with a taste for a ‘cuppa’ established the ritual of afternoon tea.

Talk length – 42 minutes. Presenter: Sandy Leong who is an international, professional speaker, and published author.

A local door to door scam
Reported to me this week by U3A members who were caught out by a caller at the door. They live on Vaughan estate and nearby is the new Sherwood Gate development. The smartly dressed, well spoken man at the door claimed to be from the development and they had been asked to clear some furniture from the show house. He was in a van with the wording ‘Better Homes’ on the side.
In short they bought something, paying too much for a fake product. They have no connection to Bellway Homes at Sherwood Gate so please be aware as they may be coming your way.

Premium Rate Phone Scam
This scam tries to snare people searching online for phone numbers of government advice services, by creating ads which contain premium-rate telephone numbers. It works by displaying an advert for the phone number of the relevant government advice line. All well and good, you might say.
But the sting is that you’ll be charged a premium for using this advertised telephone number – in some cases, as much as £20 or £30 a call.

You will be put through to the right advice line, but will be paying a very high and unnecessary connection fee. In comparison, calling the advice line directly by using the correct phone number is usually free or relatively low cost.

Beware 090 Numbers
Searches for car tax discs, renewing your driving licence, passport and completing your tax return are some of the areas currently prone to these premium-rate number scams. To avoid being ripped off in this way, you should firstly never use numbers beginning with 084, 087, 090, 091 or 098 when calling government advice lines.

No official government service would ever use an 084, 087, 090, 091 or 098 number to deliver a legitimate government service. Use the government website to search directly for legitimate government telephone advice line numbers. This way you’ll always be able to find the right number to call directly for the service you want.
Care: they do not always come first on a Google search.

David Rose

As many of you are aware Rumble Tums in Kimberley is both a community café and a supported training project for young people with a learning disability, some of whom may also have an additional physical disability.

Part of their income comes from recycling crisp packets. Thanks to your generous support we were collecting large quantities at our monthly meetings. For a time the recycling was suspended however it has now resumed and in the absence of the monthly meeting three of our members have kindly volunteered to act as collection points:

John and Sue Gibson at:
1 Gardeners Close, Hucknall, NG15 7GT (just off the Wood Lane end of Sandy Lane)
And Christine Vincent at:
20 Devitt Drive, Hucknall, NG15 8BL (Vaughan Estate)

Please pack the empty packets flat if possible and drop off at the cafe or as shown above.
http://rumbletums.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/crisp-packet-thingy-or-something.mp4?_=1

Thanks for your support.