Tag Archives: Older care
South Lanarkshire: Countdown to Caring Callers going live
Countdown to Caring Callers going live
Aug 14 2013 by Lynda Nicol, East Kilbride News
Whether you’re an older person living alone in South Lanarkshire or you know of a friend or family member who is, help is now at hand.
Good Morning South Lanarkshire, a new telephone contact scheme to offer vital support, is just days from going live.
An enthusiastic group of young telephonists are making final preparations before hitting the phone lines across the region.
The caring callers’ aim is to check that older people throughout the area, especially those at risk of isolation, are safe and well in the mornings.
The pilot scheme, set up by Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire (VASLan), will also support key agencies, carers and families by acting as an early warning system if there are any issues.
More than a third of over-65s are online
According to data from the ONS, the number of older people going online has shown a positive increase, with over a third of over-65s using the internet on a daily basis.
Sending and receiving emails and finding information about goods and services were shown as the most popular activities among those aged 65 and over, while only 1% used the internet to take online courses.
Although internet use via mobile phone has increased in the past three years, access to the internet ‘on the go’ using mobile phones and/or portable computers was just 17% for the 65+ age group. The statistics also showed that internet use differed by gender. For example, whereas 29% of males aged 65 to 74 years had never used the internet, the corresponding total for females was 38%.
On-going training and support still needed
Aromatherapy soothes people with dementia
Lemon Balm extract as a lotion
By Tele management, |
Lemon balm extract is effective in reducing symptoms of agitation in people with dementia, say researchers in the UK.
Agitation – a mixture of restlessness, anxiety and aggression – is all too common among people suffering from dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Often agitation is treated with anti-psychotic drugs, but these have severe side effects. They may, for instance, accelerate mental decline and also make the patient withdrawn.
In a new study, researchers at Newcastle General Hospital in England, have looked at the effect of lemon balm on agitation. They used either a lotion containing lemon balm or a placebo lotion to a group of 72 patients with dementia. The lotion was applied twice a day for four weeks.
