| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: | |
| When: | Monthly on Wednesday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm |
| Venue: | SPJC - St. Philip & St. James Church |
| 2026/27 meetings | |||||
| Sep 9 | Oct 14 | Nov 11 | Dec 9 | Jan 13 | Feb 10 |
| Mar 10 | Apr 14 | May 12 | Jun 9 | Jul | Aug |
What is this group all about?
Fleet U3A Health and Wellbeing Group was established in 2015 with the aim of raising health awareness in older people. Membership has over the years grown considerably and we now have about 200 members. The Group meets monthly with a typical audience of around 100. At our meetings – held on a Wednesday afternoon from 2-4pm at St Philips and St James Church, Kings Road, Fleet, GU51 3AR - we have a guest speaker talking on some aspect of health issues in later life, how to recognize them and where possible to take action to minimize them. Our speakers generally talk for about 40 mins + 20 mins questions usually with a PowerPoint presentation. Topics we have covered over the last year have included “Skin Complaints in Older People”, “Importance of Dental Hygiene in Later Life”, “Coping with Back Pain” and “Diet and Dementia” and many others. After every meeting we usually circulate the speakers slide set to all members of the group such that those who may have missed the presentation have a chance to see what was discussed.
At about 3pm we have a break for tea/ coffee and biscuits followed by an informal general discussion on issues that affect us as we age. Our meeting room has good audiovisual facilities with dual projectors, lap-top and lapel and stick microphones etc. There is ample free parking available in the Church car park or on the adjacent Westover Road
This past year a number of our presentations and discussion sessions have focused on the risk of cognitive decline in later years and steps we might take to minimise that risk. We had excellent presentations from Dr Dan Lamport from Reading University and Dr Andreia Fonseca de Paiva from Surrey University on the importance of diet and exercise, so-called “modifiable risk factors” in cognitive decline. For our last meeting before the summer recess, we had an excellent presentation on Occupational Therapy explaining how we can remain independent in our own homes as we age.
The Group has an active Facebook page created to keep members up to date with forthcoming presentations as well as interesting snippets from our Group Meetings. Click on the link below to open up the Facebook page.
For more information about this Group please contact either
Richard Franklin, Group Leader: Richard.Franklin2@outlook.com
Or Stuart Williams, Secretary: stuart.williams27556@ntlworld.com
The group also has a facebook page created to keep group members up to date with upcoming presentations and interesting snippets from our group meetings. Click on the picture to open up the facebook page.
For our last meeting before the summer recess, we had our first Webinar live from Manchester. A sensitive subject of bladder and bowel issues attracted one hundred and twenty four members for a presentation from Karen Irwin, a specialist nurse from the charity Bladder and Bowel UK. Bladder and bowel problems in adults are surprisingly common affecting both males and females of all ages. Karen highlighted common problems such as the frequent and/or urgent need to pass urine, bladder and bowel incontinence, and difficulties emptying the bladder or bowel. These issues can have a major impact on an individual’s quality of life and often people are reluctant to discuss their symptoms with anyone as they find it difficult to admit they have a problem. Karen outlined the services available including treatment and management options. She stressed that much can be done to treat, manage and improve symptoms and there are specialist NHS services available. She also mentioned the availability of “just can’t wait cards” that enable sufferers to access toilets in cafés, restaurants and other commercial premises. The following website gives further information - disabledliving.co.uk We were very fortunate to have the technical expertise of Alan Jones and Graham Hix on hand who ensured that this webinar event went off successfully, and we would like to thank them most sincerely for all their help.