Monthly Archives: January 2012

The Archbishop of York says our elderly men and women must not suffer

January 13, 2012   Carers, disability, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Older care, ukcuts

Elderly care: Commentary by the Archbishop of York

This year, and for many years to come, the demands on the national purse will be huge.

 

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu

By Dr John Sentamu

7:00AM GMT 13 Jan 2012

We are in debt. We cannot go on spending as though there is no tomorrow. Stringent savings are needed, but must be applied with caution and compassion. Only the most callous would want defenceless elderly men and women to suffer as a result.

Today, the ratio of wage-earners to retired people is about 3:1 in the UK. As we are living longer and longer, that could become 2:1 by the time today’s teenagers have retired. That may not be as fearsome as it sounds:

• Older people are healthier than they used to be and laws governing the age of retirement are being changed.

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Daily consumption of bacon and other red meat products can raise cancer rates

January 13, 2012   Cancer, Carers, health

Bacon linked to higher risk of pancreatic cancer, says report

Study claims eating two rashers or one sausage a day can increase threat of contracting disease by nearly 20%

 

Daily consumption of bacon and other red meat products can raise cancer rates, according to the study.

Eating two rashers of bacon a day can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 19% and the risk goes up if a person eats more, experts have said.

Eating 50g of processed meat every day – the equivalent to one sausage or two rashers of bacon – increases the risk by 19%, compared to people who do not eat processed meat at all.

For people consuming double this amount of processed meat (100g), the increased risk jumps to 38%, and is 57% for those eating 150g a day. But experts cautioned that the overall risk of pancreatic cancer was relatively low – in the UK, the lifetime risk of developing the disease is one in 77 for men and one in 79 for women.

Nevertheless, the disease is deadly – it is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage and kills 80% of people in under a year. Only 5% of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis.

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Half price therapies for carers

January 12, 2012   Carers, Scotland

Half price therapies for carers

Published Thursday 12th January 2012

Carers and family members who provide care are being offered half price therapies.

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