Monthly Archives: July 2013

Neighbourhood watch groups could help with elderly care

July 15, 2013   Carers, disability, Older care

Neighbourhood watch groups in England could provide companionship and practical help for pensioners living alone, under an idea being considered.

15 July 2013 Last updated at 11:35

 Ministers say more collaboration is needed between the state and voluntary groups

Social care minister Norman Lamb said many older people were living “very lonely lives”, without family support.

While professional care remained vital, something extra was needed, he said.

The “principle of neighbourliness” could be extended to address the “extraordinary challenge” presented by an ageing society, he told the BBC.

There are 173,000 neighbourhood watch groups in England and Wales, a scheme which started in the 1980s to encourage local residents to report suspicious behaviour in their area and to help prevent burglaries.

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The farm giving disabled people the chance to experience rural life

July 14, 2013   Carers, disability, Downs syndrome, learning difficulties, mental health

Medicine comes in many different forms

11:00am Sunday 14th July 2013 in News By Maria Court

 Paula with Will Payne and volunteers and participants at High Mead Farm

Medicine comes in many different forms. Whittling wood, tending the land, caring for animals and feeling the sun on your skin can do wonders for physical and mental wellbeing.

Providing that therapy for many members of the community is High Mead Farm near Longham.

Since last autumn the four-acre plot has offered a supported work environment for people with learning and physical difficulties as well as youngsters who are out of work or who have been excluded from school.

Will Payne and Mark Gregory took over the land, which was in a run-down state, but with the help of local people it’s back on track to becoming a sustainable farm.

“We wanted to make it accessible to the whole community,” explained Will.

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Have your say on dementia care at King’s Lynn hospital

July 14, 2013   Carers, dementia, Norfolk

West Norfolk residents will be given the chance to have their say on dementia care services in the area at an event being held at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital next week.

Health news from the Lynn News, lynnnews.co.uk,

Published on the 13 July 2013

Officials say that the Dementia 2gether event, which takes place on Monday, has been organised in response to a high level of public concern in the borough about the condition and will help to influence service development.

Valerie Newton, the hospital’s deputy director of nursing and patient experience, said: “The aim of the event is to give local people current information on dementia and to give them an opportunity to discuss the experiences they have had in relation to dementia at the hospital.

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