Author Archives: Maureen

Can you help with dementia care at Age UK Norfolk?

August 26, 2011   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia

An appeal has gone out for volunteers to help a charity look after the elderly in need of care around Norfolk.

by John Owens Friday, August 26, 2011
10.23 AM

Age UK Norfolk celebrating a change of name last year with a Human Life Loop  their new logo.

 Age UK Norfolk are asking for people to help with finding out more about the experiences of family carers who support relatives with dementia at home and whether putting newer carers in touch with a more experienced carer helps well-being.

The programme is called Support at Home: Interventions to Enhance Life in Dementia (SHIELD), and the charity are asking for people to take on a number of voluntary positions.

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Diabetes drugs account for 8.4% of the NHS medicines bill

August 25, 2011   Carers, Diabetes

Diabetes drugs costing NHS £725m

 
 Diabetes drugs account for more than eight per cent of the NHS medicines bill and cost 725 million pounds a year

Diabetes drugs account for 8.4% of the NHS medicines bill, costing £725 million a year.

The amount spent in 2010/11 was up 41% on the £513 million spent in 2005/06, when diabetes drugs accounted for 6.6% of the overall budget, and compares to an 11% rise in the overall cost of the NHS drugs bill between the two periods.

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Home checks for high blood pressure

August 23, 2011   Carers

Taking blood pressure readings in surgeries makes many people nervous

Patients suspected of having high blood pressure are to be given home monitoring devices over fears millions have been misdiagnosed because they were simply nervous in the doctor’s surgery.

 

Taking blood pressure readings in surgeries makes many people nervous, so Nice says they should monitor it themselves using automated devices in the home

By , Medical Correspondent

10:00PM BST 23 Aug 2011

About a quarter of people become anxious while they have their blood pressure taken in the surgery, meaning they potentially give a misleading reading. This wrongly pushes many into the high blood pressure zone, a phenomenon known as white coat hypertension. This means up to three million people could be taking drugs needlessly or in incorrect doses.

Now the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has produced definitive guidelines so GPs can diagnose the condition more accurately.

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