Debs Wilkinson, Author at Deckchair Care - Home Care Services

February 13, 2019February 12, 2019

Local Paper Shutdowns Leading to Elderly Isolation

The absence of printed local newspapers has left many older people cut off from finding out what was going on in their local areas.

Many local papers have recently stopped printing, cutting an important thread holding the local community together.

The Elderly often have no idea what’s going on with thieir hospital, council and schools are doing.

Many papers moving online assumes that everyone has access to the internet. But often this isn’t the case. Also, it’s not just older people, because there are a lot of people who don’t have access to a computer or the internet.

Many have phones, but some can’t afford the data package or they might only look at it now and then.”

A quarter of local and regional papers have closed in the past decade

Charities for the elderly have warned that older people can be particularly affected by the loss of local services, such as High Street shops, post offices, libraries and pubs.

Read more about the article on the BBC website.

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

February 10, 2019February 6, 2019

UK Attitudes towards Dementia – Alzheimer Research UK

Half of UK adults cannot identify any key risk factors for dementia, according to a study by Alzheimer’s Research UK.

The report, based on a survey of 2,361 adults across the UK, has revealed that more than half of the UK population (52%) has been affected by dementia, with a family member or someone else close to them diagnosed with the condition.

It also found that only 1% were able to name the seven known risk or protective factors for dementia.

The six risk factors are heavy drinking, genetics, smoking, high blood pressure, depression and diabetes.

Physical exercise is a protective factor against the disease.

Although a third of cases of dementia are thought to be influenced by factors within our control, only 34% of people surveyed believe it is possible to reduce the risk of dementia, compared with 77% for heart disease and 81% for diabetes.

Hilary Evans, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said that despite growing dementia awareness, there was still a lot of misinformation.

“It is a sad truth that more people are affected by dementia than ever before and half of us now know someone with the condition,” she said.

“Yet despite growing dementia awareness, we must work harder to improve understanding of the diseases that cause it.”

The charity said reducing the number of people who believe that dementia is an inevitable part of ageing is “key”, as “this belief drives other negative attitudes towards dementia”.

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

February 8, 2019February 6, 2019

Workers leaving full-time employment to look after relatives

Carers UK says nearly 500,000 workers have left full-time work to look after older and disabled relatives in the last two years.

Campaigners have warned that >600 people a day are forced to quit their jobs to care for relatives; and more than three million people in the UK juggle paid work and caring for relatives.

More than 3m people combine care and work, but many are having to give up paid work altogether due to the pressure.

Carers UK says 15% of the population is now working and caring

Campaigners are now calling for the government to introduce a right of five to 10 days of paid care leave, which could save the UK economy billions of pounds each year.

Uplanned absences due to needing to care for relatives costs British companies up to £4.8bn per year.

Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, says there is a “growing need” for employers to be more flexible.

She said: “With 15% of the population now working and caring, there is a real social and economic imperative for UK businesses to adopt carer friendly workplaces.”

Read the full report here

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

February 5, 2019July 3, 2020

Whiteboard Idea Helping Dementia Sufferers

Talking to the BBC, Dr Philip Grimmer says he was “struck” by the whiteboard and had not seen anything like it before

Words of reassurance written on a whiteboard by a daughter to her mother have led to a global conversation about dementia.

What is dementia?

Dementia is a syndrome – a group of related symptoms – associated with an ongoing decline of brain function. It can affect memory, thinking skills and other mental abilities.

According to the Alzheimer’s Society there are around 850,000 people in the UK with dementia.

Dr Grimmer says the daughter explained that the board aims to reduce “anxious phone calls” made by her mother to relatives, and has been placed in her eye-line at her home in Chippenham.

Dr Grimmer told the BBC: “I’d not seen anything like it before in thousands of house visits. It’s caring, reassuring and sensible – it’s just such a simple idea.”

Read the full article on the BBC here.

Dr Grimmer is now looking forward to sharing the responses he has received from his tweet to his patient’s daughter.

He said: “Dementia is such a heartbreaking subject for so many people and this simple solution to support often elderly relatives has resonated with so many people around the world.

If you are in the UK and need support regarding dementia there are a variety of options on the NHS website.

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019

Over-40s not taking free dementia health check

People aged between 40 and 74 (with no pre-existing health problems) is automatically eligible for the check, which happens every five years.

The 20-minute painless assessment, which checks for heart, kidney and diabetes problems, has been taken by less than 50% of the 15 million eligible people over the past five years.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease remains a leading cause of death in England and Wales in 2017.

Someone who has had a stroke, or has diabetes or heart disease, is around twice as likely to develop vascular dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.

The checks are part of the NHS in England’s goal of improving early diagnosis of dementia.

Information about the health check can be found on the NHS UK website.

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service on our website here.