A number of notable medical developments have made the news this month, while the main care stories are increasingly focused on how to support people in their own homes.
Welcome back for the January edition of Care Sector News Review.
A number of notable medical developments have made the news this month, while the main care stories are increasingly focused on how to support people in their own homes.
It was a quiet month for awareness initiatives, but we expect to see lots more in February.
Read on to learn more about what happened in January:
Care services
- Over 13,000 elderly people may be placed into residential care against their will as part of NHS cost-cutting plans. Over half of the UK’s Clinical Commissioning Groups stated they would not pay for care in the home if it was cheaper to move someone into residential care. A move already criticised by AgeUK director Caroline Abrahams.
- Three Commons committees have called for a cross-party review into care funding in a bid to reach a broad political consensus on sustainable future spending in time for the next Budget.
- Hospital discharge delays are rising most rapidly in mental health trusts, according to new data from NHS England. The Department of Health has announced that £400m would be invested over the next four years to help support people in their own homes.
Medical research
- Vitamin A deficiency may cause Alzheimer’s to start developing while a person is still in the womb, according to early-stage research from the University of British Columbia and Chongqing Medical University.
- A new immunotherapeutic treatment for the prevention, treatment and cure of Alzheimer’s disease is currently undergoing testing. The vaccine – developed by neuroscientists from USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute – has been shown to target toxic proteins and repair impaired immune systems in mice.
- People living close to busy roads have been found to be 7% more likely to develop dementia, according to researchers from Public Health Ontario. The study surveyed 6m Canadian adults over 11 years, with effects thought to be linked to traffic noise and air pollution.
- A bioengineer and neuroscientist from Stanford University has come up with an innovative new way of mapping cognitive conditions, such as Parkinson’s. It’s hoped this will lead to more targeted treatment for individuals, as well as enhancing research into other brain ailments.
- Parkinson’s disease may stem from mitochondria in dopamine cells, according to Norwegian scientists. It’s hoped this discovery will aid in the development of new treatments for the condition.
- Neurologist Prof. Michael Levin has been made inaugural chair of MS research at the University of Saskatchewan. His team has been given £6.7m to identify the causes of MS and develop new treatments.
Awareness initiatives
- International Holocaust Remembrance Day was marked on 27 January. Survivors and witnesses of this horrific event were called on to share their stories with younger generations to teach them the importance of mutual respect and cooperation.
Join us again in the last week of February for the next edition of Care Sector News Review.
If you would like to find out more about how The Good Care Group works to improve care standards across the industry, contact our friendly team.
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