Find out all about what’s been happening in the care sector during April 2018, with the latest edition of Care Sector News Review.
Welcome to Care Sector News Review, April 2018 edition.
Here, we’ll provide you with a selection of care-related news stories from the last month that you need to know about.
Join us for this news review to find out what’s been happening across the care sector in April 2018:
Care services
- Older people are being forced to live in ‘dangerous conditions’ due to the housing crisis, the Human Rights Commission will report next month. The report will highlight that too few houses built today are accessible. It will also show that only 7% of UK housing stock offers the most basic accessibility features.
- There has been an increase in the number of people passing away after a fall, especially among the elderly, according to the Office for National Statistics. Mortality rates have risen by 177% among people aged 85+, which doctors believe is a cause for an immediate reappraisal of care services.
- Care home manager Paula Munday has written to Andrea Leadsom MP to highlight the difficulty of finding dentists willing to carry out dental checks on people with dementia. Ms. Munday described the situation as ‘unprofessional’ and stated that residents may be landed with fees for private treatment.
Medical research
- A traumatic brain injury increases the risk of developing dementia by 24% over a period of 36 years, new research from University of Washington has found. Even relatively minor incidents (such as a mild concussion) can put up the odds of developing the condition by 17%.
- People with irritable bowel disease (IBD) are 30% more likely to develop Parkinson’s, researchers at Icahn School of Medicine have claimed. The same study also demonstrated how the use of anti-inflammatory drugs could subsequently reduce this risk by 80%.
- Researchers from University of Manchester have developed a new treatment shown to dramatically improve the speech of stroke patients with aphasia. The treatment was around twice as effective as previous examples among a sample of 20 people with the condition.
Awareness initiatives
- Bowel Cancer Awareness Month took place in April; an annual event in which leading bowel cancer charities pool their efforts to raise funds for research into treatment and prevention techniques. The overarching aim of this initiative is to ensure that by 2050, no one will die of bowel cancer.
- 9-13 April marked Parkinson’s Awareness Week, which centres around World Parkinson’s Day on 11 April. In addition to raising awareness and vital funds, these initiatives seek to change public attitudes surrounding the condition and signpost people towards support services.
- April was also Stress Awareness Month. Though stress is primarily associated with factors such as work and family life, stress – and its long-term health effects – are also prevalent among older people. Through this event, experts raise awareness of both the causes and ways of alleviating stress.
- Lastly, charities, businesses and schools came together to mark National Pet Month. The event promotes responsible pet ownership and raises money for animal welfare charities. It also highlights the benefits of keeping a pet as a companion – something especially important for older people.
Join us again in the last week of May for the next edition of Care Sector News Review.
If you’d like to find out more about The Good Care Group’s live-in care services, contact our friendly team.
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