Kent News and Views Winter Edition | Page 2

Welcome to the latest news&views In this edition read about the launch of our new website! The mobile friendly, improved site was designed with residents and we hope you find it easy to use. More on page 14. We’ve a word search competition on the back page, take five minutes to give it a try and you could win £30 in high street vouchers! If you’ve any ideas for future editions of the newsletter please do let me know, I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or call 0800 121 60 60. Jennifer Bates Communications Officer Stay warm, stay healthy Here are some useful tips from the NHS for staying warm and healthy during the cold weather this winter: „„ If you’re aged 65 and over, or have a health condition, heat your home to at least 18C Let’s get digital! „„ If you’re under 65, active and healthy, cooler than 18C is fine if you’re comfortable The newsletter is available online. If we hold your email address we’ll automatically send you a digital copy. If we don’t have your email address please let us know at: [email protected] or call 0800 121 60 60. You can also update your contact details on MyAccount, our online customer portal. „„ Have hot meals and drinks regularly throughout the day Keep calm and be kind! Our staff want to provide a great service to residents, so please treat them with respect. Since 2014 our staff have reported 66 incidents of verbal abuse and/or threatening behaviour towards them by residents. This kind of behaviour isn’t acceptable, and we’ve taken action against residents who’ve continually abused staff. Remember, staff are here to help you. 2  - 0800 121 60 60   „„ Check if you’re eligible for a free flu jab – prevention is better than cure! „„ Use a hot water bottle to keep warm in bed, but not with an electric blanket „„ If you can, keep active – even moderate exercise can bring health benefits „„ Wear warm clothes – lots of thin layers rather than one thicker one is best „„ Check with your energy supplier if you’re eligible for the Winter Fuel or Cold Weather Payments „„ Collect one of our free energy saving packs from your area office or call us on 0800 121 60 60. The Energy Saving Trust has advice on saving money on energy bills. Go to www.energysavingtrust.org.uk or call 0300 123 1234.  - [email protected]   - www.amicushorizon.org.uk