Category Archives: Norfolk
Country’s first emergency department for over 80s to open in Norfolk
Members of the NNUH Emeregncy care team and Older People’s Medicine. Photo: NNUH
The county’s busiest hospital is to become the first in the UK to open an emergency department (ED) specifically for the elderly.
The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) announced innovative plans to transform the way it delivers emergency care and will open the first A&E dedicated to patients over the age of 80.
From the end of November, when a patient over 80 years old arrives at the NNUH ED, they will go straight to the older people’s ED, where there will be a multi-disciplinary team consisting of ED consultants, consultant geriatricians, and emergency and older people’s medicine nurses waiting to provide care for them.
Currently around 50 patients a day aged 80 or over visit A&E, and the new department will cater for around this number.
Digitally excluded: The 90,000 Norfolk households not going online
Older people can lack the confidence to go online, according to Norfolk County Council research.
More than 90,000 homes in Norfolk have no or very limited access to the internet, either because of lack of connections, not being able to afford it or not having the confidence to use it.
Research has shown that almost a quarter of the county’s homes are defined as “digitally excluded”.
A similar study in London showed just 15pc of households there were unable or unlikely to use the internet.
The Norfolk County Council research showed homes where people were unlikely, or unable, to use the internet included “significant” numbers of older people, families on low incomes and those living in social housing.
Workshops aim to aid communication between carers and people with dementia
A charity is putting the focus on helping carers of people living with dementia at a series of free workshops.
Age UK Norwich is running simple, friendly information workshops at easy-to-reach locations around Norwich for anyone who is struggling to support a person diagnosed with dementia, including tips on the best ways to communicate and understanding common behaviour associated with the condition.
Marie Lucas, dementia development lead for the city-based charity, said: “We have already held three sessions, and they have gone really well. One gentleman whose mother recently had a dementia diagnosis told us that, after getting the diagnosis from her GP, he had not known where to go next or what help was available. That is something we often hear. What we are trying to do is to empower carers and give them confidence. We can ’signpost’ them to what other help is available, and we can also give them tips and information about coping with everyday situations.”
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