The Jigsaw Club – older people doing it for themselves

Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of Eve, my friend now in her 90s, who is tackling getting older with considerable aplomb.

This week I learnt of her latest project. Eve was speaking to a friend who runs a charity shop which had a great many donated jigsaws. Whilst the jigsaws were popular, the volunteers simply did not have time to check that all the pieces of each puzzle were in the box so the jigsaws often languished in the stock room.

Up steps Eve who suggests that she could get together a group of friends who would happily check and complete the jigsaws so as to enable them to be sold.  And so the Jigsaw Club was born.

Once a week Eve and her friends get together over a cup of tea and do jigsaws -  not only does it help the charity, the activity, as Eve says ”keeps both brain and fingers moving”.

What a lovely idea  – and a win, win for everyone involved.

Life stories – Dr Penny Aeberhard – retired GP

Dr Penny Aeberhard retired as a GP in 2005. In 2007 she volunteered to teach gynaecology skills in Nepal.

“Before starting out, I refreshed my supply of books for use in the developing world, buying the newest edition of “Where Women have no Doctor”, a manual in leprosy and the Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicines. I also packed my book on “Hindu and Buddist Myths”, knitting, music tapes, a small radio for the BBC world service and my laptop.

I found myself on the rim of the Kathmandu valley amidst stunning scenery but with somewhat changeable mountain weather. Manmohan Community Hospital had been built 2 years earlier by a partnership of 2 Nepalese NGOs. Serving 63,000 people, the Hospital had 7 general beds, three maternity plus the labour bed, X ray and basic pathology.

After a week of fact finding, I presented my thoughts to the management committee who agreed that I would spend my remaining time on management and training.

I kept sane in my six and a half day week by good reflection time in pleasant if simple surroundings, warm and friendly people, local walks, reading, and the BBC news .

After I returned home, I received an email from one of the doctors: “Though it was a very short time I had the opportunity to be with you. But I have learned lot of ideas to run the hospital perfectly. It is not a matter of relation between doctor and patients but also between the staff and administration which I am trying to improve. Everybody got their third dose of hepatitis B vaccination. Cleaning commete also working very smoothly.” (sic)

With continued frustration in the NHS, it is good to feel creative and unencumbered by paper, computers and red tape.”

A longer version of this article first appeared in the RCGP International Newsletter Summer 2007.

Life stories – Ronnie Fox

Ronnie Fox has been a City lawyer all of his professional life. Having already founded one law firm, Fox Williams, and at an age when most of his contemporaries had already been pensioned off, he left to set up new firm, Fox.

“I am determined to have fun and enjoy what I am doing. The most exciting period of my professional life was the couple of years after starting Fox Williams and founding Fox 20 years later reignited that excitement. Just doing this makes me feel ten years younger.

Besides, by comparison with US lawyers, the British stop far too young – it’s a great waste. People are starting to want to work longer and I feel that I am part of this new trend”.

Ronnie Fox is one of the leading employment and partnership law specialists in the UK – and for good measure, an expert on age discrimination.

Fox lawyers – http://www.foxlawyers.com/

Life stories – Eve and Sue

Eve is in her 80s and her daughter, Sue visits her every day. I have always been struck how elegantly they have managed to negotiate the challenges of the mother and daughter relationship as they both get older.

Eve

“Sue and I have always been close. I enjoy my independence but Sue and her husband Rob are always there when I need them. I think it is important to talk openly to your children about how much help you need – and sometimes more importantly, dont need”

Sue

“Mum and I are very good friends. She is a very independent lady and whilst making sure she knows that we are always there when she need us, I am careful not to tread on her toes. She does tell me when she thinks I am being too over protective. I think that being open with each other helps us to maintain our good relationship so that we can cope with whatever life throws at us with resilience and good humour”.

Life stories – Michael Aldrich – on line shopping pioneer, father of 4 and grandfather of 8

I have been on the look out for inspirational life stories and what better place to start than with my father.

Michael Aldrich worked in the IT industry from July 1962 to January 2000, when computers changed from being the size of small houses to the size of a thumbnail. Here’s an extract from the archive which he put together in 2009 chronicling his experiences.

“In December 2007, I was asked out of the blue:”Grandpa, did you invent internet shopping?” I thought about the question and replied, “No, but a very long time ago I was involved in something called ‘teleshopping’. Years later it became internet shopping.”

I had had to think because I had long forgotten teleshopping as well as most of my business career. My memory has always been dysfunctional. I can’t remember names which was a real problem doing a history degree! I have no random access memory. My memory is associative. If I can get the first link then I can follow the chain but frequently lurch off at a tangent. In many ways that is the story of the Archive. I set off to find the story of teleshopping and then one thing led to another. I ended up rediscovering my working past. “

The Michael Aldrich Archive: www.aldricharchive.com