Tag Archives: carers

Millions volunteering in retirement

August 14, 2013   Carers

Millions volunteering in retirement

Source : Press Association

Published on 13 August 2013 02:00 PM

Millions volunteering in retirement

Two-fifths of older people are doing their bit for charities and their communities by engaging in voluntary work.

A poll by the Royal Voluntary Service found that one in five – around 2.2 million people over the age of 60 – help out with at least two different charities.

The research found that more than a million (11%) volunteer for three or more charities, with hundreds of thousands (6%) helping four or more good causes.

Men are most likely to volunteer their services to health charities or local football clubs, with women likelier to help children’s charities or lunch clubs.

The vast majority (83%) of the volunteers said they help because they believe charity work is important. Half of those polled said it helps them as they enjoy having a purpose in life.

 

But 3% of those questioned said that volunteering gives them the time they need away from their partners.

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Basic rights of mentally ill 'violated'

August 14, 2013   Carers, mental health
14 August 2013 Last updated at 01:05

Basic rights of mentally ill ‘violated’

By Adam Brimelow Health Correspondent, BBC News

 The cross-party group of MPs is urging Parliament to take action

The basic rights of some mental health patients in England are being “violated” because of a shortage of beds in psychiatric units, MPs say.

The Health Select Committee said there was evidence some people are being sectioned unnecessarily to secure hospital treatment.

It also warned safeguards to protect patients who lack capacity are often ignored.

The charity Rethink said the findings were “shocking”.

Changes to mental health laws in 2007 were supposed to ease pressure on psychiatric units by extending the treatment available out of hospital.

Legislation provided for Community Treatment Orders so some people previously detained in hospital could be treated – under supervision – in the community.

But compulsory detention has continued to increase.

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Test of famous faces 'helps to spot early dementia'

August 13, 2013   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia

Test of famous faces ‘helps to spot early dementia’

13 August 2013 Last updated at 01:30

 Recognising “the King”, Elvis Presley, would score points on the face test…

Asking patients to identify pictures of famous people, such as Elvis Presley and Diana, Princess of Wales, may help spot early dementia, say researchers.

Doctors currently use simple mental agility tests to screen for the disease, but US experts believe a face recognition test should be used too.

A small study in the journal Neurology found it could flag up the beginnings of one type of dementia in 30 patients.

Trials are needed to see if it works for other forms of the disease.

The research at Northwestern University in Chicago found that people with early onset primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a rare form of dementia, struggled to identify black and white prints of 20 famous people, including John F Kennedy, Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King.

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