Monthly Archives: January 2015

Norwich music teacher’s toolkit for fighting dementia

Music teacher with a passion for helping people with dementia

Pat Phelan (left) with her daughter Lesley Evans. Picture: Matthew Usher.

Monday, January 12, 2015
6:30 AM

A music teacher with a passion for helping people with dementia has come up with a musical toolkit to help families, friends and healthcare professionals communicate more effectively with those affected by the disease.

Using autobiographical collections of the music and sounds which have coloured their lives, volunteers help people who have been newly-diagnosed with dementia to create a Music Mirror which can be used to engage them as the disease progresses.

Women suffer most from Coalition cuts

WOMEN, and new mothers in ­particular, have suffered disproportionately from Coalition welfare cuts according to new figures released by the SNP.

Using data from the House of Commons Library, the party said 68% of all Westminster welfare cuts between 2011-12 to 2015-16 would fall on women.

In Scotland, that meant £4.1 billion less for women as a result of a five-year cuts package of £6bn.

Fears unpaid carers’ health being harmed by workload

 Many unpaid carers also have to hold down a job.

By Claire Warrender, 8 January 2015 12.16pm.

More than a quarter of Fife’s army of unpaid carers are spending at least 50 hours per week looking after others, it has been revealed.

The majority of those with the biggest burden are pensioners, although many are younger with homes and families to look after.

Those spending long hours caring have reported the strain is affecting their health, prompting calls for better support for carers.