Love Independence ♥ Love Mobility ♥ Love Ableworld
This entry was posted in General January 30, 2018
Here at Ableworld we pride ourselves on going the extra mile for our customers, and we love to be able to shout about it. Our 34 stores work tirelessly to ensure we help as many customers as possible finding the right mobility aid for their needs and ensuring they can continue to enjoy their life.
2017 was a great year for Ableworld and we have our fantastic customers to thank for that up and down the UK. We wanted to take the opportunity to share with you the bits that we loved the most.
We launched 3 new stores last year; in Bournemouth, on the South coast of England, Stockport on the outskirts of Manchester and Southport in Merseyside. All of these stores got off to a great start thanks to all of our lovely customers helping to support our launch, and understanding that our staff really do care about their needs. We get a great satisfaction knowing that we are helping people on a daily basis, whether that be with free advice, mobility aids at affordable prices, or just going the extra mile to help someone in need, we love being able to help.
Not only did we launch three new stores, we also undertook an amazing transformation of our Newport store. Extending the store and the range we can offer our customers in the Newport, Telford and Shropshire areas.
We strengthened our brand with the addition of being dedicated to becoming Which Trusted Traders for all of our stores. We received the endorsement at the end of 2016 and have loved being able to shout about such a great achievement so far in 2017. We are endorsed as an Approved Service for the installation, repair and service of the mobility aids we provide, ensuring our customers have the peace of mind that all of our engineers are here to help get the most out of your mobility aids by fixing broken parts, offering free advice, or providing value for money solutions for any replacements you may need.
We Love Ableworld Events ♥
We have been able to attend and organise many events throughout 2017 all of which have been well loved by our customers and staff. We introduced Reconnecting Generations this year, bringing together younger and older generations to share moments and make memories together. These events have been amazing, and so satisfying watching these two generations interact together. We love being able to put a smile on the faces of people living in care homes, or children visiting from a local nursery by sharing music, snacks and stories about what they enjoy doing in their own time. Many of the older residents commented that it made them feel younger, and they loved being able to join in with their new friends.
We also hosted more of our scooter proficiency events, giving people the confidence to use their mobility equipment safely in a secure environment, providing them with information including a free highway code and little tips ensuring they love using their mobility equipment as often as they need to in the future.
We Love Giving back to Charity ♥
At Christmas we were able to support a local hospital with their shoeboxes for the elderly appeal. We asked customers and staff to support the initiative by making up shoeboxes of gifts including puzzle books, pens, chocolates and gifts to show anyone who was spending Christmas in hospital, and possibly alone, that someone does still care about them and we loved being part of such a great success, donating over 50 shoeboxes.
All of our staff love being able to come up with ideas of how we can help customers on a daily basis and this year we have been inundated with images of happy customers around our stores and amazing reviews about how our staff have helped customers. We love to hear these stories and see the pictures of how we have helped someone regain their independence.
One of the most rewarding initiatives that we continue to run is surprising our un-suspecting customers with gifts, good gestures or giving them their money back in our amazing prize draws and this year we have been able to provide more of these great moments back to our customers than ever before. We have lucky winners who won back the price of their road scooters, including customers from Rhyl in North Wales, and Stockport. We have also surprised customers with their money back for their new stairlift purchase including customers from Darlington in the North East, Broxburn near Edinburgh and Cardiff in Wales – we love seeing their faces when we surprise them with their money back.
Our dedicated staff in our stores, head office teams and directors have all enjoyed going the extra mile for our customers and local charities in 2017. Including one of our Directors climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and raising over £2500 for his nominated charities. Ableworld supported, and helped to deliver a colour run for a local school raising around £2000 for the school and a local prostate cancer charity. Stores and head office have also taken part in many bake off challenges, Christmas jumper days and sponsored events for a variety of charities including the Alzheimer’s Society, Save the Children and local charities.
We cannot thank you our customers enough for supporting us over the past year, whether you have shopped with us, attended an event, followed us on social media or picked up the phone and asked us a question, we really wouldn’t have been able to do any of these great things without you!
We have already made a great start to 2018, and look forward to making it another year to remember. If you have an image you want to share or a story to tell us, we would love to hear from you – just give us a call on drop us an email at [email protected]
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Ageing and Sleep
This entry was posted in General January 25, 2018
As we get older, our sleep patterns change, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Whilst our sleep patterns change throughout our life span, our sleep needs do not. Sleep occurs in multiple stages of active dreaming (REM), light and deep sleep. As we age, we spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep, meaning we might wake up more often during the night and feel more tired during the day as a result. As well as having fragmented sleep, experiencing a decline in REM sleep and taking longer to fall asleep, seniors also tend to become more tired earlier in the evenings and wake up earlier in the morning; this phenomenon is called advanced sleep phase syndrome. Another common phenomenon amongst seniors is that of insomnia, which may be present because of different reasons such as day napping, caffeine, medications and more. When suffering from insomnia, or any other sleep problems, it is always a good idea to speak to a doctor about the symptoms that you might be experiencing. Sleep is an important part of our life and it is fundamental to know how we can improve its quality through day to day activities, especially as we get older. Below are some tips on how to have a better night’s sleep.
Bed Quality
This is an important factor towards achieving a restful and comfortable night’s sleep; having the correct bed and mattress is something that can significantly impact your sleep pattern and quality. Choosing a bed that is right for you can be difficult, however, with a little help from our trained staff, the answer can be made much clearer. Not only does the right bed and mattress improve your sleep, it has also been linked to lowering stress-levels such as, nervousness, irritability, headaches, worrying thoughts, trembling and more. As we age, it is vital that we remain mentally healthy, as well as physically healthy. Our desire for a good night’s sleep shouldn't be compromised, options such as electric beds and orthopaedic beds can be a great solution for many. Adjustable beds can ensure a comfortable night’s sleep as they are specifically designed to relieve aches and pains such as muscle strain. They can also be adjusted quickly and easily to suit your comfort preferences and are proven to help with problems such as sleep apnea, heartburn, acid reflux, snoring and more; all of which can impair sleep.
Incontinence
Although incontinence is sometimes seen as an embarrassing topic, it can be comforting to know that a lot more people experience this issue than we may presume. In the United Kingdom, between 3 and 6 million people suffer from incontinence and many of them suffer in silence. Admitting that there is an issue and seeking advice are crucial steps, as incontinence can cause a great deal of discomfort and really affect your sleep. When struggling with incontinence it is important to remember that it is a very common issue and, for this reason, there are many options available for you to lead an active, comfortable and regular lifestyle. Continence pads and pants, for example, are a great and simple option to help manage this issue during the day and at night, as they ensure a more restful sleep by taking away the discomfort and worry of leaks. Other solutions that can help with bedtime incontinence are mattress covers and bed pads. Each will mean that you can have an uninterrupted sleep, without the worry of discomfort due to incontinence.
Nutrition
Research has shown that certain foods we consume interfere with sleep, such as products containing high caffeine levels as an obvious example. With an estimated 50% of those over the age of 65 suffering from sleeping difficulties, nutrition can seriously affect this figure. Changing or maintaining a healthy diet, full of nutrients, improves our brain’s health and in-turn means we are more likely to achieve a good night's sleep. Eating a healthy and balanced diet allows the body to absorb nutrients that provide the brain with a positive chemical environment; this is what is needed to produce neurotransmitters which are required to maintain an adequate sleep pattern. Not only is what we eat important for our sleep, but when we consume food too. Eating three hours before bed is often seen as the best option as you shouldn’t feel too hungry or full before you go to sleep. Going to sleep on an empty stomach on one hand, can cause a drop in your blood sugars, promoting insomnia and fragmented sleep. On the other hand, having a full stomach means your body is using a lot of energy for your digestion, leaving you restless. Food choices help to regulate our circadian rhythm over 24 hours, which keeps our body clock running, making us function effectively. A healthy metabolism is important and keeping a fairly consistent eating schedule can also improve your sleep.
Social Engagement and Sunlight
Previous studies have shown that older adults who participate in social engagement sleep better than others who do not. Although these are factors that we tend not to link together, just like health and diet choices, social activity can also have significant impact on sleep, especially when it comes to seniors. Along with social engagements, sunlight is one of the most influential external factors to affect sleep. Light affects our internal clock through light sensitive cells in the retina of our eyes. These cells tell the brain whether it is daytime or nighttime and sets our sleep patterns accordingly. Natural sunlight works with our bodies, however the amount of artificial light we now come into contact with can potentially impact our sleep pattern negatively. Both social engagement and the intake of natural sunlight can boost positive energy levels and work with our natural body clock which is a likely way to improve sleep pattern. Considering joining local social groups, possibly those who take place outdoors, could largely improve your quality of sleep.
At Ableworld we know how difficult it is to find the right products for your needs. Our highly trained staff will be happy to help you find exactly what you are looking for at the best price, use our store locator to find a branch near you.
