Seeing the same GP on every visit to the surgery significantly lowers health complications and emergency hospital admissions for people with dementia, an Exeter University study has found. More than 9,000 patient records were examined and they showed that fewer medicines were prescribed when the person with dementia was consistently seen by the same GP … Read more
DEEP – the UK network of dementia voices – will be “shouting out loud and proud” this year to celebrate its 10th anniversary. There will be an online festival on 5 – 9 December with a wide range of sessions, including a mixture of fun and serious discussions, practical activities and the showcasing of DEEP … Read more
In what is believed to be a care sector “first”, Dr Isabelle Latham has been appointed researcher in residence by Hallmark Care Homes. Dr Latham moves to her new role from Worcester University’s Association for Dementia Studies (ADS), where she had a lengthy career as a senior lecturer. Hallmark is a family-run business with 19 … Read more
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dementia is investigating what people affected by dementia want from the social care workforce so that they can live well. MPs and Peers on the APPG are particularly keen to explore specialist needs of people with dementia and what the barriers are to accessing care tailored to these needs. … Read more
Visiting restrictions for care homes in England have been relaxed by the government as the Covid omicron wave has begun to pass. Since Monday (31 January) there has been no limit on numbers of visitors and self-isolation periods for residents who test positive have been cut from 14 days to 10 days with further reductions … Read more
Best-selling author and blogger Wendy Mitchell will be taking part in a series of young onset dementia webinars on 16 February. Webinar viewers are invited to sign up for “Authori-tea with Wendy Mitchell: What I wish people knew about dementia by someone that knows”, which will be broadcast from 2.30-3.30pm by the Young Dementia Network … Read more
Birthday treat: Military veterans charity Royal Star & Garter, which runs three care homes, held a tea party celebration for its 106th anniversary. Residents joined in the celebrations, including Paddy (pictured) in the Solihull home. They tucked into a delicious birthday cake and played anniversary-themed bingo and other games.
Alzheimer’s Society has called for action after a parliamentary question showing that government spending on dementia research has fallen. MP Chi Onwurah asked the government why total research spending on dementia had dropped from £112.9 million in 2018/19 to £104.7 million in 2019/20. The news came despite the government’s “dementia moonshot” pledge to double spending … Read more
Numbers of people with dementia worldwide are forecast to rise nearly threefold by 2050, a new analysis suggests. According to research published in Lancet Public Health, numbers will increase from an estimated 57.4 million in 2019 to 152.8 million in 2050. The current pattern of more women than men with dementia looks set to continue … Read more
Local memory clinics are “chronically understaffed and overworked,” Alzheimer’s Society has said, as a backlog of people waiting for assessments builds up and diagnosis rates take a hit from the pandemic. “On a local level, we’ve heard that one memory clinic, which usually performs around 20 (memory) assessments per week, now has a nine-month waiting … Read more