Aries
On the one hand you feel as though you constantly have to rely upon inner resources to just get by, but you could be ignoring loved ones who really do want to help.
Taurus
You seem to be on a bit of a roller coaster ride with highs and lows providing a lot of excitement. Do take care to plan relaxing times so you don't accumulate too much stress.
Gemini
Mechanical and electrical equipment provide frustrating interruptions to smooth running: don't worry you succeed ultimately in achieving your ambition at the right time.
Cancer
Mixing work and home appears to be inevitable with your heavy schedule but you do need to set some boundaries if you want to get the desired results.
Leo
You are under stress and changes are inevitable, but you do need to read the small print on any contract old and new if you want to move onwards and upwards.
Virgo
People around you are friendly enough but there could be one who seems determined to take over your role. Explain to them what you will and wont accept in future.
Libra
You have begun to love the new, unusual, unorthodox and even the downright eccentric and this seems to be preparing you for some exciting times ahead.
Scorpio
Some frustrations around meeting your goals but be patient for in the long run you will get where you want to be in April, once your ruler Mars begins to be more assertive.
Sagittarius
Life is full of revolving doors for you where some offer hope and others just block the way forward, but be aware of the universe bringing lovely people to meet on the way.
Capricorn
Home is where the heart is and you seem to be sharing some warm-hearted times with people you love and care for and enjoy inviting in.
Aquarius
There are subjects you know a lot about and some about which you know nothing, but it seems you are able to impress others with what you have to say about anything!
Pisces
A little bit of tension can arise in relationships where misunderstandings can turn into major differences unless you play the diplomat.
Lunar Lore
February this year had 29 days but only three lunations and you have to go back to the 28 days of February 1995 to find this rare event repeat itself.
Stars by Tricia at www.starsite.org.uk
Similar Stories
Your stars for the week 18th - 25th May 2012 - 17 May 2012
Your stars for the week - 11th - 18th May - 09 May 2012
Your stars for the week 27th April - 3rd May - 25 April 2012
Your stars for the week 20th-27th April - 19 April 2012
Youe stars for the week 6th-13th April - 12 April 2012
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.
Mature Times is going from strength to strength!