The chancellor’s Spring Budget on March 15 got a mixed reaction from the care sector with a welcome for measures that supported care workers in employment coupled with a sense that more should have been done. The National Care Forum (NCF), representing not-for-profit providers, said that better funding for childcare and an extension to the…
“Sharing Joy”, a theatre show for people living with life-shortening conditions like dementia, is touring again in care homes, day services, hospices and hospitals in June and July. Music, dance, masks, nostalgia and laughter are all part of the show run by Vamos Theatre, and everyone is encouraged to take part and enjoy themselves. Among…
At a House of Lords event hosted by Lord Best, three new resources on Extra Care housing and dementia have been published as part of the DemECH project, run by the University of Worcester’s Association for Dementia Studies. Lord Best, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) “Housing for people with dementia” inquiry, oversaw the…
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.