A threefold increase in delayed discharges and 855,000 emergency admissions to hospital for older people (in 2019/20) that might have been avoided are just two of the headline figures from a new report by Age UK. According to the report, one in six emergency admissions of people over 75 occur within 30 days of last…
Figures from Skills for Care reveal that care worker vacancies have fallen from a historic high of 165,000 last year to just over 150,000. While the vacancy rate remains above pre-pandemic levels, it will provide some reassurance in a sector that has been struggling with skills shortages. Responding to the report, Nuffield Trust deputy policy…
New results from the final stage of extensive clinical trials for the anti-amyloid immunotherapy drug “donanemab” have confirmed significant benefits for people in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, which was shown to slow cognitive and functional decline by 22%, could receive regulatory approval for use in the USA by the end of…
Winning ways: Artist Willy Gilder’s Self Portrait with Alzheimer’s has won a prize in an art competition run by the Edinburgh Practice together with Alzheimer Scotland. Willy says: “It was painted shortly after diagnosis and represents an amount of confusion”. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2021, he lives in Edinburgh and devotes his time to painting,…
The Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at Stirling University is encouraging care providers to make use of its Environment for Ageing and Dementia Design Assessment Tool (EADDAT) by inviting them to self-certify free of charge during July. The DSDC said self-certification would reassure people with dementia using providers’ services that their needs were being actively…
Admiral Nurses share tips on “Supporting children and adolescents when a parent has young onset dementia” in new advice from Dementia UK. Topics covered include juggling parenting and dementia, supporting your child, recognising themselves as young carers, and changing family dynamics. It is available at www.dementiauk.org.
Dame Suzi Leather has been made chair of Alzheimer’s Society and takes over the role from Stephen Hill in September. Dame Suzi has previously chaired the Charity Commission and held several other leadership positions in the health and charity sectors. CEO Kate Lee welcomed the announcement by the Society’s board of trustees and said Dame…
Music charity Playlist for Life is inviting care providers to get involved in its summer programme of musical teas. The charity, whose founder Sally Magnusson was awarded an MBE for services to dementia in the King’s Birthday Honours, hopes that its “Summer of Musical Teas” will raise funds. Free musical tea packs for putting on…
The Young Dementia Network has made its June webinar about a young onset dementia nurse-led service available on catch-up. The webinar is presented by Jenny Kerti, community psychiatric nurse manager, alongside colleagues from the Younger Persons with Dementia Team in Northamptonshire. It reveals how the service offers continuity of support from GP referral for a…
Advice on “How to support somebody living with dementia in hot weather” has been produced online by Alzheimer’s Society. It focuses mainly on how to prevent dehydration by making drinks more accessible and by leaving prompts and reminders, among other things, but also gives tips to help people with dementia stay cool when it’s hot. …