The Louth & District Seniors’ Forum was formed in 2004.

Open meetings are held on the 1st Friday mornings of March, June, September and December (AGM). At each meeting, speakers are invited to enlarge on particular subjects in which they are specialists.

In the last two or three years, the following subjects have been of interest to us at our quarterly open meetings:-
Mental Health and Older People, Hearing Loss and equipment to help (provided by DeafLincs), Local Crime and Community Sentencing, Library services including the Home Library service (WRVS) and Mobile library services, Trading Standards, Public Transport including Dial a Ride, Digital TV Switchover, Louth Hospital changes, Fire prevention measures, Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS), Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service, Driving Standards – Arrive Alive, Adult Education provision, Adult Social Care.

In the earlier years, topics have included:-
Care homes and care in the home, Dentistry, Fitness – Active for Life and District leisure centre facilities, Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Equity release, Ambulance Service, ‘independent Age’, Abuse of the Elderly, Falls Prevention.

At the start of 2010, a number of issues are emerging for our attention:-

• Information and advice for Older people – leaflets?, directory? newsletters? or web site? Especially we want to find out what opportunities there are for older people in the rural area around Louth town to socialise and pursue their leisure and learning wishes.
• How can older people deal with issues surrounding death better?
• The results of the “Shaping the Future of Care together” green paper about long term government decisions on how to fund Care and Support
• Care homes in Lincolnshire
• Lincolnshire Adult Social Care’s Working Together strategy and how this helps older people.
• Isolation and loneliness affecting many older people especially in rural areas.
• Our local NHS Lincolnshire and services at Louth Hospital and surrounding areas

But it’s not all about issues and concerns …

At our 5th AGM, Charles Baron, the first Chairman of the Forum in 2004 provided a delightful ending to our programme by playing three Fritz Kreisler pieces on his violin:- Schoen Rosamund, followed by Liebersfreud and lastly Liebesleid; the last two meaning Love's Happiness and Love's Sorrow respectively. Charles has played violin off and on for most of his life and has been a Fellow of Trinity College of Music since 1975 after passing the necessary examinations as an ‘older person’ at the age of 55!.