Category Archives: Carers

Big Lottery Fund gives £13m to 55 mental health charities

August 14, 2012   Carers, mental health, stigma

The money will help address the stigma that surrounds mental health and support people with their treatment, according to Nat Sloane, chair of Big Lottery Fund England

By David Ainsworth, Third Sector Online, 14 August 2012

Nat Sloane

The Big Lottery Fund has awarded £13m through its Reaching Communities programme to 55 charities in England to support people with mental health issues, along with their carers and families.

Awards ranged from just under £500,000 to the Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Outreach Team for a domestic violence advice service, down to about £38,000 to Action for Achievement for a community arts programme in Liverpool.

The £130m Reaching Communities programme offers grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 to organisations in England that help to build stronger communities and help people in need.

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Cup of cocoa a day may help memory in elderly: study

August 14, 2012   Carers, dementia

Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before bed may stave off memory problems in the elderly, research has suggested.

 

A daily cup of hot chocolate was linked to higher scores on thinking tests in elderly people, researchers said.

By , Medical Editor

7:20AM BST 14 Aug 2012

A study has found that people who were given cocoa drinks had better working memories, higher scores in reasoning tests and improved blood sugar control than those who did not have them.

Cocoa contains high levels of flavonols which are also found in tea, grapes, red wine and apples which are thought to protect brain cells from damage.

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Mental health strategy launched in Scotland

August 13, 2012   Carers, mental health, Scotland

A strategy which aims to improve people’s mental health and well-being has been launched in Scotland.

13 August, 2012 | By The Press Association

 

The issue is one of the top public health challenges in Europe, according to public health minister Michael Matheson.

The Scottish government has 36 commitments in its new Mental Health Strategy for Scotland: 2012-2015.

Mr Matheson said: “In Scotland we are proud of what we have already achieved in promoting rights and recovery, addressing stigma and improving outcomes for people who use services and their carers, ensuring people receive more effective quality care and treatment, more quickly than ever before.

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