Monthly Archives: February 2014

Royal Caribbean Is Latest Entrant into Autism-Friendly Travel

February 28, 2014   autism, Carers

 

Autism-friendly travel

Feb. 25, 2014
ABC NEWS via Good Morning America

PHOTO: Royal Caribbeans "Serenade of the Seas" ship.

Royal Caribbean is riding high on the waves after a leading travel organization distinguished it as the first official autism-friendly cruise line. The announcement is the latest acknowledgement of a growing number of autism-friendly travel offerings industry wide.

“When you think about accessibility on a cruise line, you often think about physical, visual and hearing disabilities,” said Ron Pettit, manager of ADA and Accessibility Compliance for Royal Caribbean International. “But we want to make sure we are offering services to all of our guests. When we noticed a trend a while back with land-based hotels and movie theaters offering more autism-friendly programs, we immediately wondered, ‘well, what can we do about this here?'”

Since then the company has been working to incorporate programs and amenities that follow guidelines provided by Autism on the Seas, the leading travel organization catering to vacationers with autism and other developmental disabilities.

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'Dementia friends' in shops part of new care package

February 28, 2014   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia

28 February 2014 Last updated at 10:01

Two-thirds of dementia sufferers are women in the UK

A new package of care for dementia sufferers will help fight the illness, the health secretary says.Jeremy Hunt has announced help from businesses to support customers with dementia, and a “world dementia envoy” has been appointed.

NHS England will invest £90m in an effort to diagnose two-thirds of people with dementia by March next year.

But Labour warned that the government must tackle “poor care standards” in order to combat the condition.

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Man who’s wife suffers from dementia has published a book.

February 27, 2014   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia

“Anyone involved in dementia care, either personally or professionally, will benefit from sharing Tom’s experiences.”

12:12pm Thursday 27th February 2014 in News By Joshua Barrie

 Tom Wearden with wife Margaret last year

Chartered engineer Tom Wearden, 83, said he hasn’t had a “meaningful conversation” with other half Margaret for over 10 years.

Mr Wearden’s book, Front Line Alzheimer’s, is an account of his life providing 24-hour care and has medical professionals and social workers in mind.

The writer said he wants to show the hope and fulfilment he’s enjoyed looking after the love of his life – in an otherwise “harrowing” situation.

He said: “I hope that these notes about my experiences as a 24/7 carer for Margaret help to explain what real life is like for many family carers who spend most of their time at the front line.”

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