Nutrition and Hydration Week (March 13-19) has seen some care homes seize the opportunity to promote a good diet for their residents, with both Nellsar and Royal Star & Garter being among the care home groups taking part. At Nellsar, a group of 13 care homes in the south-east of England, a week-long campaign encouraged…
A campaign to raise money and highlight the impact of dementia has been launched by Alzheimer’s Society, including emotional TV and radio adverts showing what it can be like living with the condition. The ads, which feature stories of couples affected by dementia, are narrated by actor Colin Firth. “Couples from across the UK have…
The government’s flagship initiative for finding dementia drug treatments – the “Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission” announced last year by the then PM Boris Johnson – is to be headed by Hilary Evans and Professor Nadeem Sarwar. Evans, CEO of Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), and Sarwar, who has held leadership positions at global pharmaceutical company…
National Care Forum has teamed up with Oomph! Person Centred Software to give NCF members two months free access to the Oomph! On Demand digital platform. It enables care staff to create bespoke rehabilitation plans for people in their care based on taking part in specialist activity programmes. The initiative ties in with the government’s…
More than 2500 archive film programmes, clips and newsreels showing aspects of life in the 20th century can be found via Living Memories Online, a social enterprise promoting the use of archive film to trigger memories and start conversations between the generations. Developed by Brian Norris and his wife Leonore, it is the result of…
An opera that aims to bring to life the subjective experience of dementia and reduce the stigma surrounding the condition is to be staged in English and Welsh in North Wales. The opera, entitled Y Bont/The Bridge, blends the human voice and instrumental music to create a piece giving the audience a sense of what…
A blog on the Alzheimer’s Society explains “Why spotting the early signs of dementia is so important.” It explores the importance of early diagnosis in deciding eligibility for disease modifying treatments and in unlocking the door to other forms of post-diagnostic support. Read the blog at www.alzheimers.org.uk.
Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for dementia, but new research suggests that a drug used to treat the diabetes simultaneously reduced the risk of dementia. Scientists at Seoul University discovered that people with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed pioglitazone had a lower dementia risk compared with those who weren’t prescribed the…
Taking vitamin D supplements is associated with a lower risk of dementia, a large-scale study conducted by Calgary and Exeter universities has found. Researchers explored the relationship between vitamin D dietary supplements and dementia among more than 12,000 US participants, finding that taking the vitamin appeared in result in living dementia-free for longer and a…
A Chelmsford hospital run by eye surgery specialists SpaMedica has won a “Working to Become Dementia Friendly” award from Alzheimer’s Society. The hospital has worked closely with the Society and the award follows implementation of SpaMedica’s dementia action plan across all 46 of its UK hospitals. Measures include dedicated noticeboards, posters and booklets for patients…