Author Archives: wendy

Why bus drivers are being taught about dementia

December 17, 2012   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia

By Jane Dreaper Health correspondent, BBC News

Thousands of bus drivers around Britain are being given special training so they can help passengers with dementia.

 

Drivers Chris Peter and Krystyna Ryan took part in the dementia awareness training

It’s part of an initiative by the Prime Minister which is trying to encourage everyone to be more aware of the needs of older people who have dementia, to help them in their daily lives.

 Can you remember what is on a 1p coin?

I watched a training session at a First Group depot in an industrial part of north-west London. It is home to more than 100 buses, and a work base for 300 drivers.

Upstairs, 11 members of staff gather for what proves to be a hard-hitting couple of hours. It begins with a simple memory test.

The trainer, Keith Sheard, promises the drivers an easy exercise. He asks them to draw a picture of both sides of a 1p coin, with as much detail as they can remember.

He jokes: “Dead easy this – you handle these coins every day!”

Over time, the dementia will come back and take everything from you.”

Keith Sheard Trainer

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Parents who look after grown-up disabled offspring face benefit cap

December 17, 2012   Carers, disability

Ministers confirm £500-a-week cap will apply to carers after children reach adulthood, forcing some into care

 

Jacqueline Smirl with her son, who is 20 and needs 24-hour care.

The government’s proposed benefit cap will apply to carers looking after their disabled offspring, forcing some parents to move out of their home or put their child into care, it has been confirmed.

Ministers have repeatedly said disabled people will be exempt from the £500-a-week benefit cap that is due to come into force in April.

But they have now accepted that if a parent is still looking after a disabled child after they reach adulthood, even if the child’s mental age is as low as eight, the parent and the child will be treated separately, and the parent will be subject to the benefits cap.

In the Commons last week the work and pensions minister Esther McVey said: “In practice most carers will be exempt [from the cap] because their partner or child is in receipt of disability living allowance.”

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Extra funding announced to support people in their own homes

December 13, 2012   Carers, disability, Older care
12 December, 2012

Care and Support Minister, Norman Lamb has announced an extra £40m will be added to the Disabled Facilities Grant to help people remain independent in their own homes for longer.

Speaking today at the Housing Learning and Improvement Network Conference 2012, Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said:

“For people with disabilities and older people, even the simplest things such as walking, getting up the stairs and climbing in and out of the bathtub can become difficult.

“We know that most people want to remain independent and be supported in their own home as far as possible. This funding will help people make the necessary practical changes to help them remain in their own home and prevent or even postpone the development of health and care needs.

“An adaptation can make a huge difference to the life of an older person by helping them access all facilities and all parts of their home safely and independently. Research shows that for every £1,000 spent through the Disabled Facilities Grant, the quality of life gains are estimated at £1,723 per year.”

This extra funding will enable more older people and adults with disabilities to have better quality of life and also help them remain independent and in their own home for longer.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/extra-df-grant/

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