Category Archives: Carers

Cure for dementia will be found in 7 years says Jeremy Hunt

July 6, 2013   Alzheimer’s, Cancer, Carers, dementia, health

BRITISH scientists will find a cure for dementia in just seven years, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has declared.

By: Jo Willey

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt

Not only will this save lives, it will also save the NHS by slashing ­billions of pounds a year from the cost of caring for those with the ­condition.

Mr Hunt said: “Finding drugs that can halt or cure dementia may seem a distant prospect now but there are drugs companies that think they will have a cure for dementia by 2020.”

He said the answer lay in DNA mapping, claiming it could unlock a “treasure trove” of information to help tackle diseases from dementia to cancer.

Plans are already under way for Britain to be the first country in the world to map the personal DNA code – known as a genome – of up to 100,000 patients.

The project would be the “medical equivalent of the invention of the internet in terms of its significance”, Mr Hunt told the annual conference of the Local Government Association in Manchester.

He added: “For the UK, this is a very big opportunity, because we are the country that first cracked what DNA was back in 1953.

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Robots to help people with dementia in Western Isles

July 5, 2013   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia, health, Independent living, internet, Scotland, Social care

NHS Western Isles is putting robots into the homes of people with dementia as part of a pilot scheme

 

Members of the Remodem project team with the Giraff robot
Backers of the plan believe robots can replace the human touch

NHS Western Isles is putting robots into the homes of people with dementia as part of a pilot scheme to help them to continue to live independently.
A relative or carer – potentially hundreds of miles away – can drive the machine around the house to check that everything is all right.
The pair can also have a chat through a two-way video call system.
The Giraff robots are 1.5m (4ft 11in) tall with wheels, and a TV screen instead of a head.
A relative or carer can call up the Giraff with a computer from any location. Their face will appear on the screen allowing them to chat to the other person.

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How Care Homes Can Help Isolated Older People

July 4, 2013   Carers, Depression, Older care

Guest blog by Jason Tucker

Isolation and depression in the elderly has been a hot topic in the media in recent months. Following a slew of studies and reports the plight of older people has been thrown into a new light. Sadly, as a youth-obsessed nation the issues surrounding the elderly aren’t often given much in the way of attention by the press, but with a recent study showing that social isolation leads to a 26% higher chance of death over a seven year period, people are beginning to realise that something needs to be done.

The shrinking of our social circle seems to be directly correlated with our increasing age. As friends pass away and our ability to get out and about is limited it becomes harder to build and maintain relationships. Older people who have had children may find that they help in care of grandchildren, which helps keep them active and in regular contact with relatives. But with families living further apart than at any previous time in history, it’s not uncommon for grandparents to only see their grandchildren every few months or on school holidays.

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