Category Archives: dementia
THOUSANDS of dementia sufferers have not had their condition diagnosed
Essex: Only 32% of dementia sufferers in the area are properly diagnosed, report says
By Ross Bentley Wednesday, February 27, 2013
12:00 PM
THOUSANDS of dementia sufferers in north-east Essex have not had their condition diagnosed – denying them crucial treatment and support.
Figures from the Alzheimer’s Society estimate only 32.2% of sufferers in the North East Essex Primary Care Trust area are currently being identified – putting it among the lowest five areas in England for diagnosis rates.
The charity believes there are more than 5,500 people living with dementia in the area, and that the figure is set to rise to more than 7,000 by 2021.
A spokesman said: “Getting a diagnosis gives people access to support as well as drug treatments that have the potential to slow down the progression of the condition.
Dementia care pledge for Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent
Pledge for excellence in dementia care for Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent launched
By rosa mcmahon
Saturday, February 23, 2013
7:00 AM
An initiative advocating exemplary care for people in the region affected by dementia was launched in mid Norfolk yesterday.
Manorcourt Care day centre in Griston hosted the Dementia Pledge for Norfolk Suffolk and Kent, which encourages those caring for people with dementia, either at home or in day centres, to sign up and commit to providing high standards of care.
A central part of the pledge, which aims to include more than 500 care providers, is to put the individual with dementia at the centre of care, as well as gaining a strong understanding of the condition.
The curious incident of the toast in the night-time
Phyllida Law: my mother’s dementia had its funny side
By Elizabeth Grice
8:00AM GMT 23 Feb 2013
A life on the stage, and marriage to the writer of ‘The Magic Roundabout’, equipped Phyllida Law with a sense of humour. In a new book she takes a comic, yet moving, look at her mother’s dementia.
So much merriment courses through Phyllida Law’s account of looking after her demented mother, Meg, that some busybody from the mental health police is bound to object that she isn’t taking the subject seriously enough.
Many of their exchanges belong in an Alan Bennett play. “You haven’t got your distance glasses on, Mother,” shouts the actress as Mego, as she was known, a little unsteady and suffering from glaucoma, totters off for her morning walk, waving her stick. “Don’t worry, dear,” comes the reply. “I’m not going any distance.”
Then there is the curious incident of the toast in the night-time. Mego woke in the early hours, yodelling: “Yoo-hoo. Anyone home? What’s for breakfast?” “I slithered downstairs to tell her it was 3am,” Phyllida recalls. “She seemed to be fiddling with her radio, so I asked if she’d like it on. She said, no, she was just trying to make herself a piece of toast. Something made me lock the front door as I went back to bed.”