Category Archives: health

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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£675,000 will help family carers cope in Renfrewshire

June 28, 2013   Carers, health, Scotland

New strategy put in place to help carers

Jun 27 2013 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

Council chiefs are putting up £675,000 to help carers look after their loved ones without sacrificing their own health.
The generous package has been earmarked for Renfrewshire’s 22,600 carers who themselves need support.
They often give up careers to look after relatives and Renfrewshire Council hopes the £675,000 will help them cope.

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