“Treasury wants you to retire better by default” by Laura du Preez

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Proposals aimed at nudging you to do the right thing and preserve your retirement savings if you leave your job and helping you to convert your savings to a pension at retirement, were released by National Treasury this week. The far-reaching proposals, contained in draft regulations under the Pension Funds Act, won’t remove your right to take your retirement savings in cash from an employer-sponsored fund if you leave your job, but will force you to think twice about doing so. This is because your fund will be obliged to […]
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Loneliness bad for elderly

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Elderly men and women with solitary lives suffer more age-related mental decline than those who enjoy lots of company. Research has shown that social isolation is more damaging than not exercising – and twice as harmful as obesity. The latest study, by Harvard Medical School in Boston, shows the effect of loneliness on the mind. Although the mind would be expected to slow down with age, the effect was accelerated by 20 percent in the loneliest people. Researcher Dr Nancy Donovan said: “Lonely people decline cognitively at a faster rate […]
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Mandela Day celebrations at TAFTA

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We are so grateful to each and every person that made a difference in the lives of our elderly residents on Mandela Day. We are so lucky to have the friends we do, can’t thank you enough for brightening up all of our lives. Below are just a few of the special treats our residents received.
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Durban Bowling Club celebrates Women’s Day

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Join in the Women’s Day celebrations with the Durban Bowling Club. When: Monday 10 August 2015 Time: 9am Entrance fee: R100 per person (includes tea, sandwhiches and lunch) Contact Margaret 072 049 3131 | margie@vdlingen.net or Charmaine 079 782 0611 to enter. Order of events: 1 game of 12 ends Tea & sandwhiches 1 game of 12 ends Lunch 1 game of 15 ends Prizegiving In celebration of Women’s Day the Durban Bowling Club wishes to salute not only women but the elderly – parents who always provided a safe […]
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More smiles for you

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A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who contributed towards Meals on Wheels recently. Delivering nutritious cooked meals to elderly people in their own homes is a service that has been operating for nearly 50 years! And it just wouldn’t be possible without our loyal band of volunteer ‘hoppers’ and friends like you who subsidise the cost. “I am 73 years old and nearly blind,” says one of our residents. “I can’t go shopping on my own and I burn myself if I try to use the stove. Meals on Wheels […]
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Harsh reality of getting old

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For years Mrs H. lived happily with her youngest son in a retirement flat in Durban. As time wore on and she became frail and weak, she depended on him more and more to pay the bills and keep the place clean. Then one day he went out and didn’t come back. After a week, a concerned neighbour called us. Our social worker found the flat filthy and Mrs H. lying unwashed in bed, with nothing but a few morsels of stale food in the place. Mrs H was sent […]
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Message from Margie

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Dear Friend of TAFTA In April, the government Old Age Grant increased by R60 (4.4%) to R1 410 per month . . . still far short of what you’d need for the cheapest rent, food and medical care. With this month’s 14.25% hike in Eskom tariffs following hot on the heels of the latest fuel price increase, you don’t need to be a mathematical genius to realise that state pensioners are now worse off than ever! Even those who’ve saved hard all their lives for their retirement cannot keep their […]
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This is a home to be proud of – thank you!

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Fresh paint on the walls, spotless new ceilings and light fittings, sparkling basins and toilets, new curtains, cupboards, chairs and beds – no wonder the old folks at John Conradie House are smiling! 60 residents who’ve put up with hammering, drilling and plaster dust for over a year as well as 60 residents who were staying at other TAFTA homes have finally moved into their renovated rooms in April. And they couldn’t be more grateful to people like you, who helped transform their old home. “Being surrounded by lovely new […]
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End November D-Day for Langeler Towers

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By the time you read this, the roof should be on at Langeler Towers! Meanwhile, inside the building, plasterers, plumbers, electricians and tilers are hard at work to meet the builders’ completion date of end November 2015. We’d like to thank everyone who contributed to make this dream a reality. Not only will the new building help ease the critical shortage of accommodation for elderly Durban people – rentals from the ground floor shops will help create a sustainable model for elder care.
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Not one person left out – thanks to our wonderful friends

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Every single one of the elderly people living in TAFTA’s 14 buildings received a hot cross bun this Easter – thanks to the generosity of Mrs Babs Moodley and family, and Pick n Pay at the Workshop. The store manager donated the treats to the residents at Kings Hall and Ray Hulett House, as a thank you; many of them still walk to the Workshop to shop at his store. Residents at John Conradie House also received a special visit from five Umhlanga Ski Boat Club members, who arrived with […]
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