A charity specialising in medical ID jewellery is working with the police to trace and support people with dementia who become lost. MedicAlert UK is launching a “Safe & Found” initiative, using an emergency helpline number engraved on the jewellery, and will initially partner Thames Valley Police to help them find out about anyone who…
Fourteen pilot schemes across England are attempting to increase diagnosis rates by checking care home residents to see whether they have dementia. Under the NHS’s £900,000 drive to revive the flagging dementia diagnosis rate, GPs will share lists of care home residents with specialist teams who will go into care homes. Nurses and other clinicians…
A Language and Heritage section has been launched as part of the Living with Dementia Toolkit, which is a freely available website offering resources such as films and links to give people with dementia hope, inspire them through real-life experiences, and suggest ideas to help them live well. The new section is premised on the…
Permanent support schemes for people affected by dementia have been set up by Alzheimer’s Society as part of its partnership with the Football Association (FA). So far 20 County FAs have established referral pathways into Society services providing advice and practical and emotional support. The schemes are intended for past and present players, managers, referees,…
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is calling for nominations to a reference group for a dementia research project. Two places are available on the reference group, which will be involved in a literature review looking at what good care looks like for people with dementia in residential care settings for people with protected characteristics. The…
Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) has applied to have anti-dementia medications placed on the World Health Organisation’s Essential Medicines List. ADI said that the move, made alongside Newcastle University and the LSE, would ensure everyone everywhere had equitable and affordable access to dementia medications.
A new blood test developed at Pittsburgh University may hold the key to diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease relatively inexpensively. Results published in the journal Brain show that the test reliably detects a biomarker called “brain-derived tau”, using an antibody that selectively binds this protein found specifically in the blood of people with Alzheimer’s. “At present, diagnosing…
Expert training in reminiscence arts in dementia care is to be held at the University of Greenwich over two days later this month. Scheduled for 19 and 20 January, the experiential course will be led by experienced practitioners and trainers with input from volunteers and former carers. It will be certificated by the European Reminiscence…
A sharp rise in the proportion of dementia care homes rated “inadequate” or “requires improvement” has been recorded by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), according to an exclusive story in the Guardian. It shows more than 50% of care homes offering dementia care in England and subject to inspection were rated in these categories in…
Social care workers are paid 41% less than their NHS equivalents, contributing to an unprecedented rise in vacancy rates. This is the verdict of a new report called Unfair to Care, commissioned by the charity Community Integrated Care, which demonstrates that social care workers earn more than £8,000 less than their NHS counterparts. Social care…