Aries
It must be love that's keeping you happy and inspired even when it gets tough. Enjoy looking good and sharing a few of life's luxuries with loved ones.
Taurus
Jupiter still favours progress for you but is it that progress means giving up some things holding you back, so you can take up other things that are more nourishing for you?
Gemini
Get ready to strut your creative talents and make the most of a little planetary propulsion onto the world stage where all can see just how artistic you really are.
Cancer
You are preparing for the future and the 21st New Moon shines down on a new interest or initiative that will be important for years ahead.
Leo
People you associate with offer support for your aims and some are sharing gossip that might put you off your stride. Ignore them and take care who you listen to in future.
Virgo
A sociable time when being with others is important for your wellbeing, as is sharing life's little ups and downs. Endings bring a new beginning.
Libra
Relationships keep uplifting and inspiring you to aspire to greater heights in all you do, but is an eccentric friend really someone you would take home to meet the family?
Scorpio
Night life might not be as exciting as you would like but that's because the day job is taking up all your attention as you try to navigate important changes in daily routine.
Sagittarius
You try so hard to set foot on new pathways, knowing full well that some of them are not for you. Wait till March to see some better opportunities to come your way.
Capricorn
If you are singing 'things can only get better' then that's because fate and fortune are waiting just around the corner to bring an upward swing in life.
Aquarius
Independent by nature you are not easily oppressed by blockages that stand in your way, but if you are feeling a little thwarted know that obstacles will soon be removed.
Pisces
Your birthday month arrives and with all the excitement surrounding you, as people buzz around making a fuss, we can be sure that fun celebrations are about to lift off.
Lunar Lore
After sunset 25th, you may spot Venus and Jupiter to the left of the Moon. Look for “earthshine" lighting up the dark side of the Moon which lunar lore calls "old Moon in the arms of the new.' How romantic is that?
stars by Tricia www.starsite.org.uk
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Campaigns & Issues
Councils’ care home policy may cost families £millions a year, says charity
Thousands of families in England may be paying councils millions of pounds a year for care home places that should be free, according to a report by older people’s charity Independent Age.
The families are having to ‘top-up’ their elderly relatives’ care home fees because some councils refuse to pay the full market cost themselves. Councils are required to provide an appropriate care home place to elderly people with few assets but the maximum rate they will pay in England is on average £45 a week, compared to an average real cost of £524.
News
Inflation falls for all age groups, although elderly still hit hardest
- The latest figures from the Alliance Trust Economic Research Centre show that all households experienced a decline in their inflation rates in April
- Despite this, it is still the elderly households which face the highest rate of inflation
- The over 75 year old households face an inflation rate of 3.6% and although this is the lowest level since October 2010, it is still higher than the official rate of inflation
- The 30-49 year olds, once again, have the lowest rate of inflation at 3.0%. This is the lowest level recorded for this age group since November 2009
- Gas price inflation remains elevated at 15%, which continues to affect the elderly households disproportionately
Competitions & Fun
Win a pair of tickets to South Pacific
This breathtaking and lavish Lincoln Center Theatre production reinvented Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical.
It swept the 2008 Tony Awards, played for two years to sold-out houses on Broadway and was televised across America.
Reader Offers
You could win one of three superb weekend breaks in Silver Travel Advisor’s “Best of British” Diamond Jubilee celebration this month
Silver Travel Advisor is a friendly website packed with advice, tips, information and honest reviews written by and for silver travellers (aged over 50).
A team of advisors are on hand to answer queries (for free), and you can share your own experiences too.
It’s time to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee this month with an amazing British prize draw:
Win a two night stay for two people at Flackley Ash Hotel , Rye, East Sussex
Health & Wellbeing
Patients to benefit from better advice on pain control
New guidance for doctors and other prescribers on the use of strong painkillers for patients with chronic or incurable disease has been welcomed by researchers at the University of Leeds.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is today (23 May) launching a new clinical guideline on the safe use of opioids – a family of drugs derived from the opium poppy that have been identified by the World Health Organization as essential in the treatment of severe pain. The new NICE guideline should help ensure that when patients receiving palliative care for chronic or incurable illnesses start treatment with strong opiods, the drugs are prescribed safely and consistently..
Property & Finance
Older people need specialist housing
Britain’s housing market is failing to meet the needs of the elderly, despite a rapidly-ageing population and a growing demand for retirement housing, a charity has warned. Housing charity Shelter has found that if demand remains at current levels supply would have to increase by over 70 per cent in the next 20 years in order to keep up.
The report explored the housing options available to those over 55 - a group that will make up one in three people in England by 2030.
Lifestyle
Learn how the internet can make life easier for you
Stocking up on the heavy grocery essentials was a full day out for Sheila, age 82. “I could see the advantages of doing the supermarket shop on the internet: having the groceries delivered, saving the taxi fare and not relying on others to shop for me if I’m ill,” said Sheila.
“But although I used the internet for emails, I didn’t really enjoy or trust it. My daughter suggested that Pearson Love to Learn’s Internet Basics online course might give me confidence and when she offered to try it out with me, I decided to give it a go.
Travel & Leisure
New sat-nav for older people
There could be a new solution for the increasing number of elderly drivers in Britain who are driven round the bend by complicated sat-nav devices. Scientists are developing a new satellite navigation system - dubbed the Granny-Nav - to help technophobic pensioners. The new device, which tells pensioners to turn at a specific point, such as a pub and not in a certain distance, is being hailed as a new way to keep the elderly as independent as possible.
What a brilliant paper! Well worth the money for the subscription or the bus to the local library!