How can I stay active, healthy and safe?

Keeping Healthy

In touch
Feeling isolated or wanting to live more independently? Need some help with basic tasks in or out of the home? Perhaps you just want to make new friends or try a new activity? The Council’s In-Touch service can help.

Luton Home Improvement Agency
Luton’s Home Improvement Agency specialises in helping older and vulnerable people to take advantage of services they might not be otherwise aware of. It works with a number of other organisations, both locally and nationally, that can help with grants, loans or day-to-day assistance for a huge variety of tasks.

Assistive Technology – help at the touch of a button
Luton Telelink Care Service provides a home safety and personal security system that allows you to live safely, independently and stress free in your own home. Some of the technology available includes personal trigger alarm, bogus caller button, smoke detector, fall detector, flood and movement detectors, bed/chair occupancy sensor. All equipment is linked up to a 24-hour telephone link to the Telelink Care Centre.

Slips, trips and falls training
Luton Adult Community Learning provides a Slips, Trips and Falls Workshop covering areas such as taking care of your feet, keeping active to promote good co-ordination, balance and strength, and much more.  You can also see our leaflet: Helpful hints on how to avoid slips, trips and falls.

Age Concern - Falls Prevention Scheme
The Falls Prevention scheme helps older people in danger of having accidents, such as falls, in their own homes. A handymen will visit you in your to complete a basic safety assessment and carry out any work that can be done at the time to reduce the risk of you falling.

Taking care of your feet
Having difficulty cutting your toe nails? Unable to afford chiropody? Not eligible for free NHS Podiatry? The Council has teamed up with Age Concern Luton to provide a toenail cutting service for anyone who can’t afford or who isn’t eligible for free NHS podiatry. The service is subsidised as it is usually less than £15. For more information email Age Concern Luton or call 01582 45 68 12.

airAlert
If you suffer from respiratory health problems, or care for someone who does, you may want to register for airAlert. airAlert sends a voice or text message direct to registered users via mobile, home telephone or email the day before elevated air pollution is expected. Those with respiratory health problems can then make choices on what they do, where they go and whether they need to take their medication with them.

Keep Well, Keep Warm
A leaflet packed with advice on saving money on fuel as well as keeping well and healthy.

Free courses to help you deal with long-term health conditions
Expert Patients Programme (EPP) is a FREE course for people who live with any long-term condition(s). Topics include managing tiredness and pain, coping with feelings of depression, relaxation techniques and exercise, healthy eating, action planning, problem solving and communication skills. For more information and to find out about courses in your area, download the EPP leaflet. EPP also offer an online course which may be particularly useful for those whose health conditions may prevent them accessing a community course. 

Reducing the risk of stroke
There are many factors that can increase your risk of stroke. Visit the Stroke Association website for more information about strokes and how you can reduce the risk of having one. If you or someone you care about has had a stroke, please see our leaflet Life After Stroke for information, advice and support services in Luton.

Communities for Health Programme
The Communities for Health Programme exemplifies the increasing role Luton Borough Council plays in supporting health improvement and reducing health inequalities. This progress report includes community activities aimed at encouraging behaviour change and strengthening our local partnership with NHS Luton to tackle a wide range of key health priorities.

Luton Irish Forum
Luton Irish Forum provide information and advice, benefits information, health and wellbeing advice and support to help alleviate poverty. They run a drop in facility at Kathleen Connolly House, 102 Hitchin Road from 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday with some activities on Saturday and Sunday. There is also an elders club which meets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Keeping Active

Become a volunteer
Becoming a volunteer is a great way to gain new skills and meet new people. Whether you’re looking to improve your employment prospects or just want to help out in the community, volunteering can help you!
We are now running our own volunteering scheme, volunteering at luton. Why not contact us and see how you can help?

Time banking - Stopsley
If you live in Stopsley and have a skill that could benefit others, you might be interested in time banking. This involves exchanging a similar amount of time in a skill you have with someone who is unable to carry out the task you are good at. For example, one person could carry out one hour of sewing in exchange for an hour of gardening from another person.

Take 3 4 Life – Are you doing 3x30?
Adults in Luton are being encouraged to sign up to the 3 x 30 Pledge. Take 3 4 Life is all about promoting the benefits of physical activity and people who sign up, will be pledging to make a change to their lifestyles by exercising at least 3 x 30 minutes each week.

Prime Times – magazine for over 50s
Prime Times is your regular newsletter packed with activities, tips and events to help you get the most out of life by having fun, keeping fit and healthy and staying safe.

Full of Life at 50+
The Full of Life campaign is all about promoting the activities on offer for over 50s in Luton. Activities on offer include multiple keep fit classes, introductory bowls, dance, swimming and art sessions, 50+ parties and plenty of discounted games, hobbies and social outings right across Luton.

Your Luton - Service Directory
Your Luton is a comprehensive online service directory packed with details of a wide range services and activities available to adults in Luton to help you have fun, keep fit and healthy and stay safe.

Keeping Safe

Buy with confidence
Want to avoid cowboy builders, rogue traders, shoddy workmanship or being overcharged? Luton Borough Council’s Trading Standards team is now operating the ‘Buy with Confidence’ scheme in Luton.

Bogus callers
If it sounds to good to be true – it probably is. Before you answer any knock on your door, it is vital you ask yourself if you are expecting a visitor, have you got a door chain fitted and who is calling and what do they want?  Remember to keep your door shut, and don’t be afraid to say ‘go away’ through the letterbox. Or ask them to leave a calling card for you to call them back later, once you’ve checked them out. 

Fire service Alarms
If you live in Bedfordshire or Luton, we will supply and fit smoke alarms for you. A home fire safety check is a basic risk assessment of your property. It provides us with an opportunity to provide friendly, understandable advice specific to your home and covers the major fire risks. It also gives you the opportunity to ask any questions in a safe environment.

Bobby Scheme
The Bobby Scheme is operated by Bedfordshire Police Partnership Trust and is available to any elderly or vulnerable victims of crime in Luton. The bobby man will be happy to attend your home on request and carry out a free home security Survey – free of charge.

*We have produced a 2011 Prevention Calendar and leaflet which outlines a lot of the above initiatives and more. You can download these below.