Tag Archives: dementia
How Sharon became a carer as well as a wife
SHARON Armstrong’s life changed forever when her husband was diagnosed with working age dementia.
SHARON Armstrong’s life changed forever when her husband was diagnosed with working age dementia.
The 56-year-old of Synge Close, Clifton, became a carer as well as a wife.
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Daily struggles: Steven Armstrong, 60, from Clifton, who has dementia.
She said: “I noticed things just around the house, he was leaving taps running and his co-ordination went.
“He puts his clothes on the wrong way round and has total disorientation when he goes out.
“He can’t remember what he wants to tell you.
Her husband Steven was diagnosed in March of 2012, aged 59, and is now unable to play the sports he loves or drive his car.
His condition also means that he has recurring nightmares and can hallucinate in the daytime.
Sharon said: “Steven’s not the person I married. It’s like someone’s chopped off my arm or I’ve been bereaved. It’s not the same as it was.
“He feels resentful and it comes out in family life sometimes.”
Sharon, who works part-time for the city council, said the working age dementia scheme has given them a new lease of life.
‘I have seen a lot of people who look after a dementia patient become sick and even die’
‘I have seen a lot of people who look after a dementia patient become sick and even die’ – Joan Woolard
Carers in Holbeach who look after relatives 24/7 will get extra support each month in response to a growing need.
Littlebury Patients Participation Group (LPPG Outreach) is extending its drop-in sessions from once a month on Mondays to twice monthly, beginning on Wednesday.
Treasurer Joan Woolard said: “Our aim is to provide relief from the isolation of caring for someone at home or from the loneliness of being unable to get out and mix socially through disability.”
The group is one of a number in the county offering support to carers – and with life expectancy increasing, the need is expected to grow.
Cameron pledges to stamp out unacceptable care in hospitals
Untrained health “assistants” will not be able to work in hospitals under plans to improve standards in the NHS, ministers will announce.
7:30AM GMT 04 Jan 2013
More than 50,000 low-paid and unregulated assistants will have to receive formal care training.
A set of “minimum standards” will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Assistants found to be not caring properly for patients are likely to be banned from working in hospitals.
The findings of an official review into the scandal at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust, where substandard care led to hundreds of patients dying, will land on ministers’ desks soon.
The report is expected to make wide-ranging recommendations which will effectively mean that NHS workers dealing with patients should be regulated.
