Tag Archives: alzheimers

Council boss ‘appalled’ after elderly woman left on bus overnight

May 6, 2012   Alzheimer’s, Carers, disability, Older care

How could this have happened

MISSING: The woman should have been returned to Jill Jenkins Court

THE chief executive of Luton Borough Council has described an incident in which an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s was left locked in a minbus overnight as “appalling”.

Trevor Holden said the council deeply regretted the distress caused to the woman and her family, adding: “We are deeply shocked that something has gone so seriously wrong.”

The woman, who is in her 80s, was left on the council minibus at the Kingsway depot on Monday night at 5.30pm, and was not discovered until 7am the following morning.

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92-year-old waited 38 hours for medical help for her gashed leg

April 28, 2012   Alzheimer’s, Carers

Despite repeated calls for help from her carers and family

Published on Saturday 28 April 2012 06:00

A FRAIL 92-year-old woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease had to wait 38 hours for medical assistance after she was left with blood pouring from a gashed leg.

Despite repeated calls for help from her carers and family, Irene Roden was left alone by emergency services, who said her injury was not a high priority.

Now health officials are investigating why nurses using a call-out system for the elderly took so long to respond to Mrs Roden’s injury.

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Dogs to help people with dementia

April 27, 2012   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia

Dogs that make people with dementia more confident and a scent device to improve appetites are two designs that have won official approval

 

Dementia dogs can be trained to offer specialised support for people with dementia.

Five teams, £360,000 and 20 weeks to research and design a product or service to help people living with dementia. It sounds like something from The Healthcare Apprentice but the Design Council and Department of Health has unveiled five projects that they hope will significantly improve the lives of people with dementia and their carers. They calculate that the combined social return value of the project will be £500m.

Among the projects is dementia dog, a programme training specially selected assistance dogs to improve the confidence, wellbeing and support of people with dementia; online tool grouple, which helps families plan and share the care of a person with dementia; and ode, a plug-in device that emits aromas at set times to improve appetite and eating patterns.

Alongside the buddiband, and trading times, the projects were selected from more than 150 entries to be given funding and support from an expert panel including Gill Ayling, deputy director of older people and dementia at the Department of Health, and Joshua Hardie, the head of corporate responsibility at Tesco.

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