Grandparent carer advice

Some useful tips when the grandparents get called upon to take action.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX9zxzuiDoo]

Kirklees adult social care cuts approved

Kirklees adult social care cuts approved
Adult social care in Kirklees is being scaled back as the council makes millions of pounds of savings following government funding cuts.

Vulnerable people will now have to be in “critical” need in order to access care as part of changes to the service.

Kirklees Council said the new approach would result in £2m savings a year, contributing to the £80m savings the council has to make by 2014.

The proposals were voted through at a meeting on Wednesday night.

The council said a person defined as “critical” included those whose life was threatened or had significant health problems.

A spokesman said there would still be discretion for people with “high substantial needs” to get support.

The changes have come under fire from protesters who say vulnerable and disabled people will suffer.

Drink cherry juice to recover quicker

Drink cherry juice to recover quicker

Gym-goers and joggers have been advised to drink cherry juice after a study found that it helps reduce muscle damage caused by exercise.

7:00AM GMT 11 Feb 2011

Researchers gave 10 trained athletes one ounce of an antioxidant-packed cherry juice concentrate twice daily for seven days before and after an intense round of strength training.

The athletes’ recovery after the cherry juice concentrate was significantly faster compared to when they drank other juices without the same nutrient content of cherry juice.

After drinking cherry juice, athletes returned to 90 per cent of normal muscle force in 24 hours, compared to only 85 per cent of normal at the same time point without cherry juice.

This significant difference could affect an athlete’s next performance.

Researchers at Sports and Exercise Science Research Centre at London South Bank University believe that the powerful antioxidant compounds in cherry juice cut damage to athletes’ muscles – the damage that normally occurs when muscles are worked to their maximum – allowing muscles to recover more quickly.

The research is the latest linking cherries to muscle recovery.

Researchers attribute the benefits to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant compounds in the red fruit called anthocyanins, also responsible for cherries’ bright red colour.

Dr Wendy Bazilian, a registered dietitian and expert on super nutrients, said: “Cherries are what I call the ultimate superfood.

“Not only are they a perfect complement to a training routine since they are available year-round in dried, frozen and juice forms, but they taste great.”

Dr Bazilian says some of her favourite ways to include cherries in the diet range from topping dried cherries in oatmeal to enjoying a smoothie of cherry juice and low-fat yogurt.

In addition to the benefits of recovery after exercise, researchers also suggest cherries could reduce inflammation which is linked to heart disease and arthritis.

The research was published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

http://goo.gl/UbUMu