Dementia sufferers more likely to be diagnosed with urinary or fecal incontinence
Dementia sufferers more likely to be diagnosed with urinary or fecal incontinence
August 27th 2013
Patients with a diagnosis of dementia have approximately three times the rate of diagnosis of urinary incontinence, and more than four times the rate of fecal incontinence, compared with those without a diagnosis of dementia, according to a study in this week’s issue of PLOS Medicine by Robert Grant (Kingston University and St. George’s, University of London) and colleagues. Furthermore, patients with dementia and incontinence were more likely to receive incontinence medications and indwelling catheters than those with incontinence but without dementia, the authors state.
The authors analyzed records of patients in The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database, a database of nearly 500 UK primary care practices. They extracted data on 54,816 people aged 60 years with a diagnosis of dementia and an age-gender stratified sample of 205,795 people without a diagnosis of dementia from 2001 to 2010. The THIN database does not distinguish nursing home (care home) residents from those who live in their own homes.
MP’s concern over lack of wheelchair access at Norwich assessment centre
Adam Gretton Health correspondent adam.gretton@archant.co.uk
Monday, August 26, 2013
A Norfolk MP has called on the government to ensure that all medical assessment centres are disability friendly after highlighting the accessibility problems at a Norwich facility.
ATOS disability protestors in Norwich. Photo: Bill Smith
Protesters gathered outside a Norwich disability centre last year to demonstrate about the lack of wheelchair access at St Mary’s House, which is run by private contractor Atos Healthcare.
The centre in Duke Street, where people undergo medicals for disability benefits, can not be visited by wheelchair users, has no parking and is a not near a bus or train station.
MP Richard Bacon urged the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to ensure that Atos Healthcare’s centres are accessible to wheelchair users and people with limited mobility.
GPs charge disabled up to £130 to appeal fitness-to-work decisions
Doctors are charging sick and disabled people up to £130 for medical evidence to appeal decisions about their fitness to work, The Independent has learnt.
NHS GPs are telling patients they will only provide the necessary details to challenge controversial Work Capability Assessments if they pay. Others are refusing to help at all.
Citizens Advice say in many areas GPs are helping with an appeal only if patients pay a fee of between £25 and £130. There are also reports from 15 of its centres that family surgeries are refusing to provide evidence at all.
GPs who refuse to help – or charge increasingly high fees – argue that writing up medical evidence takes up time when they could be helping patients.
But Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Charging sick and disabled people more than £100 for medical evidence beggars belief. This process is clearly failing.”
