Author Archives: wendy

How caring for a dying parent can be the greatest achievement of your life:

November 4, 2013   Uncategorized

In an age when so many consider elderly relatives a burden, one man’s inspiring account

  • Charlie Otterly cared for his mother for 13 years after she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma
  • The TV presenter doesn’t regret one moment of the time spent looking after her 
  • Jessica Ottely died in 2009 after fulfilling her dreams of visiting Macchu Picchu

By Charlie Ottley

PUBLISHED: 02:01, 4 November 2013 | UPDATED: 02:06, 4 November 2013

 

Jessica Ottley was 44 when she gave birth to son Charlie, pictured here aged 6 months

When I was born, my mother, Jessica, was 44.

I think the last thing she or my dad had expected when they sent off my 13-year-old brother, Richard, to boarding school was the prospect of changing dirty nappies yet again.

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Call for national dementia database

November 3, 2013   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia, DOH

A police chief is calling for a national database holding the details of people suffering from dementia.

Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, said it would help emergency services assist people who are either confused or agitated.

“It will enable the caring agencies to give a much better service when we receive a call and decide how to treat it,” Sir Peter said.

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Minister calls for new mental health service targets

November 2, 2013   Carers, hospital, mental health, Norfolk

The introduction of hospital-style treatment targets would help address the “institutional bias” against mental health services, a health minister said.

Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk. Picture: Denise Bradley Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk. Picture: Denise Bradley

Saturday, November 2, 2013
7:00 AM

The introduction of hospital-style treatment targets would help address the “institutional bias” against mental health services, a health minister said.

Norman Lamb said he was determined to address the imbalance between physical health and mental health by bringing in new targets by the time of the next general election.

The North Norfolk MP and health minister yesterday said that hospitals had targets to treat patients needing non-emergency surgery within 18 weeks. However there were no similar targets or a payment by results system for mental health trusts.

Mr Lamb said that the introduction of targets would help to focus more NHS commissioner funding towards mental health services and it was “totally frustrating” how long it was taking to change things.

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