Tag Archives: carer

Revamp for dementia

Published: 31 Oct 2013 08:00

WORK is under way to create a specialist dementia-friendly ward which will include the country’s first in-hospital cinema.

 

A CGI image of what the ward will look like

Rowan Ward at Prospect Park Hospital has been stripped and work has started to transform the unit specifically for the use of elderly patients and their families.

New, soft flooring will be installed to minimise the risk of falling, with circular handrails for patients with Parkinson’s disease or arthritis, while ambient LED lighting and colour-coded areas for males and females will help patients move around independently.

Flexible working is great but carers should have rights too

If you are a carer, the need for flexibility can creep up slowly or arrive overnight

Andrew Marr experienced the need for a family carer after a stroke. David Cheskin/PA

If you are a carer, the need for flexibility can creep up slowly or arrive overnight. Guardian journalist Jackie Ashley and her broadcaster husband Andrew Marr experienced this after he suffered a stroke and their lives were put into turmoil. Both have written about how this affected them, calling for new ways of supporting carers in similar situations.

Carer advised by council she’d be better off QUITTING her job and living on benefits

She was left speechless when she was struggling to pay bills and the council suggested she should stop working 27 hours a week

Battle: Chelsea Press and daughter Lacey

Battle: Chelsea Press and daughter Lacey Battle: Chelsea Press and daughter Lacey

SWNS

A single mum has been told by council staff that she would be “better off” resigning her job and living on benefits.

Chelsea Press, a part-time carer for the elderly, was seeking financial advice after struggling to pay bills.

But the 23-year-old was left speechless when her local Basildon district council in Essex suggested she should stop working 27 hours a week.

The consultation revealed Chelsea, who has a two-year-old daughter Lacey, would have £2,850 more each year – £54.80 a week – if she was unemployed.