Average length of stay in a care home has decreased to around 13 months, compared with 1.8 years before the pandemic and 2.2 years in 2011, according to figures quoted by the Downing investment company. The company states that the sector is changing because the needs of those moving into care are increasingly acute. Mark…
Many GPs believe that assistive technologies could bring substantial benefits to their patients with dementia, particularly devices like an intuitive app to help them navigate their community, gadgets reminding them to take medications, and smart glasses to tell them who they are looking at. According to an Alzheimer’s Society survey, 76% of GPs worry that…
Up to 73% of dementia cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes, a new study of 344,000 people over 15 years suggests. Researchers behind the study, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, investigated 210 modifiable risk factors and found that personal measures such as increasing physical strength, more leisure and social activities, more time…
Around 390,000 people left their social care jobs in 2022/23 and around a third of them left the sector altogether, says Skills for Care in its annual State of Social Care report. In spite of the numbers leaving the sector, vacancy rates fell to 9.9% from 10.6% the previous year, although the reduced figure still…
A two-day workshop to talk about the Montessori approach for dementia and ageing will take place in London on 20 and 21 November. It will be led by Anne Kelly, a nurse and expert in the care of older people, who has been a major proponent of the approach in her native Australia. “Dementia and…
Young Dementia Network (YDN) has created a short animation explaining what YDN is, what it does and how to join up. The narrator in the “What is the Young Dementia Network” video, available on the YDN website and on its YouTube channel, talks from the perspective of someone with young onset dementia and the typical…
The Filo Project, which provides an innovative model of day care for people with dementia, has been announced as one of just four global winners of a prestigious award recognising its work. It won 100,000 euros and the international prize in recognition of community impact. Run by the Fit for Life Foundation, the awards are…
Palliative care charity Marie Curie has produced a new resource for local health and social care boards to help with the legal requirement to provide palliative care to those who need it across England. Called the ICB Inspire Resource, aimed at NHS and local authority integrated care boards, it will support ICBs in their duty…
Research from Anglia Ruskin University shows how care home staff can be empowered to provide creative activities for residents. The outcome of a four-year project with care home provider Excelcare, arts charity Magic Me and four other arts organisations, the report illustrates how to build relationships between artists, residents and staff through participation in the…
Game changer: Tennis coach Judy Murray – mother of former Wimbledon champion Andy – shared her top tips for brain health and mental wellbeing at Edinburgh Dementia Café. Part of a Brain Health Scotland initiative, Judy’s approach makes use of everyday items like balloons, ribbons and soft balls to make tennis accessible. “I’ve seen the…