Practical suggestions on improving the design of environments in which people with dementia live are central to two new books by a husband-and-wife team. Award-winning landscape architect Annie Pollock is author of A Breath of Fresh Air: The importance of air quality in aged care design, while Ricky Pollock has written Acoustics in Aged Care. … Read more
TV celebrity Alan Titchmarsh gave residents of a Hampshire care home a lovely surprise when he called in on them in his capacity as Deputy Lieutenant of the County. Titchmarsh, gardening expert and novelist, also took the opportunity of his visit to the Lawn, in Alton, to congratulate staff for their hard work during the … Read more
Alzheimer’s Society has updated its estimate of the number of people in the UK with dementia to 900,000 aged over 65. It revises the previous figure of 850,000, which dates back to 2014, and takes into account “excess deaths” of people with dementia during the pandemic. The new figure of 900,000 is based on modelling … Read more
A decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to refuse a licence for the dementia drug aducanumab has been described as “bitterly disappointing news for people with Alzheimer’s disease.” Alzheimer’s Research UK chief executive Hilary Evans made the comment after the EMA rejected an application by the manufacturer Biogen to distribute the drug across the … Read more
A sixth of people with dementia spent last Christmas alone and a fifth of families struggled with feelings of guilt and anger as vulnerable relatives were forced into social isolation. These findings from an Alzheimer’s Society survey accompanied the launch of its Christmas appeal, which is raising money to pay for more support. In its … Read more
Training and guidance on identifying signs of domestic abuse should be provided to health professionals, Age UK said on International Human Rights Day (10 December). Citing a rise in domestic abuse incidents during the pandemic, Age UK said older people were often overlooked in discussions about it. It was only in October, following a campaign … Read more
Falls are three times more common among care home residents than people of similar age living in the community, but new research published by the British Medical Journal has shown a way to achieve significant improvements. Pip Logan and colleagues (BMJ 7 December) developed and tested the Guide to Action Care Home (GtACH) programme, in … Read more
Care workers could benefit from a £300 million recruitment and retention fund launched by the government, money which it said could be used to “pay for bonuses and bring forward planned pay rises” as well as for overtime payments. It is in addition to £162.5 million announced in October. But there are serious questions about … Read more
Dancing to a soundtrack of Indian-themed music was all part of the fun at St Catherine’s View in Winchester, where chefs and care staff teamed up for an unexpected cultural celebration. “I can’t believe people arranged all this for me,” said resident Nalini Bhagwat (centre), who lived near Mumbai when young. Joining in the dancing … Read more
Proposals for reforming social care have been set out in what the government describes as an “ambitious 10-year vision” based on person-centred care. The White Paper, People at the Heart of Care, outlines how the government expects £1.7 billion of its previously announced additional funding for social care to be spent on “major improvements” across … Read more