Woman found guilty of slavery after keeping vulnerable pensioner captive in her home

A woman has been found guilty of slavery offences after stealing a vulnerable pensioner's money and keeping her captive in her home.

Maria Miller, 64, subjected the woman to a seven-year ordeal after encouraging her to come and live with her in Chingford, northeast London.

Miller manipulated the pensioner, now aged 74, into performing chores around the house and in a charity shop she ran.

On some occasions she locked the pensioner out of the home, leaving her to go to the toilet in the garden, sleep outside in the shed and eat cat and dog food when she got hungry.

Miller also made the woman carry out tasks in exchange for meals, and sometimes left her to go without food for days.

The pensioner, who has learning difficulties and has not been named, lost a significant amount of weight. Miller refused to allow her access to a mobile phone, money or her own pension.

Miller subjected the victim to assaults and sometimes made her sleep on the floor. She also spent the pensioner's benefits on expensive designer clothes, a new car and holidays.

Miller, who ran a cat orphanage, befriended the woman after she began volunteering there. The victim did not realise she was being ill-treated for some years.

She said she put up with it because she enjoyed working with the animals at the charity shelter. The alarm was raised with social services more than seven years later when the victim ran away from the home for the third time and sought help from a friend

Miller was convicted of two counts of holding another in slavery or servitude and one count of theft at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday 21 June and will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 31 July.

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

 

'Our life savings are spent on care that should be free'

Tell your Vulnerable Loved Ones About Continuing Healthcare(CHC)

Thousands of vulnerable patients in England are missing out on NHS funding for care that they are legally entitled to, it is being claimed. Some families say they have spent nearly all their life savings on filling the gaps.

When 83-year-old Joyce Bryant became ill two years ago with viral encephalitis, it was a tipping point. The illness left her with a substantial brain injury and unable to care for herself.

"Her behaviour was just manic," says her daughter Lyn Timothy. "She was banging on windows. She was hitting out at my dad, pulling plugs out of the sockets in the hospital ward."

The family decided additional support was needed to enable Joyce to stay at home with her husband and applied for funding from NHS continuing healthcare (CHC).

CHC covers the cost of social care for people with complex medical conditions, if the health problem is deemed the main reason they require such help. It exists in a similar form in Wales and Northern Ireland, where it is delivered by health boards. Scotland has different care arrangements called Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care.

But despite clinical documents and videos showing Joyce's "unpredictable behaviour" - those who apply are judged according to national guidelines - the family's local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) found her needs did not meet its criteria.

"They said her behaviour was not unpredictable. It could be anticipated," Lyn says, adding she is unable to understand its rationale.

Her mother is now confined to bed and has been placed on an end-of-life care register by her GP due to a deterioration in her health.

Every year about 160,000 applications are made for continuing healthcare, costing the NHS around £3bn.

The system has been deemed a "national scandal" by Continuing Healthcare Alliance as it is denying many people the free healthcare they are entitled to. Some are dying before they get the care they need or are forced to sell their homes to pay for care that should be free.

In other cases people did not know about the existence of the funding, as they had not been told about it, or had difficulties "navigating the complexities of the system"

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

 

Care Support Alliance - Getting the right care makes all the difference

Campaigning for the care we need

No one deserves to suffer in silence when they are denied the basic care to help them with their illness or condition. Yet at least 1.4 million people, that’s larger than the population of Birmingham, are not getting the care they need. That’s help with getting dressed, or help with meals, or it can be the support to go to work or live independently.

Please help end the silence and join us in telling the new Government why good care is so important!!!!

Please click on the link below to fill the form out:-

https://careandsupportalliance.e-activist.com/page/43568/data/1?locale=en-GB 

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

Measles and mumps outbreak prompts vaccination calls

Mumps cases in England have increased almost three-fold in the first three months of this year.

Public Health England figures show that there were 795 cases in the first three months of this year, compared to 275 during the same period last year.

There have been 3,789 cases of measles across the continent during the first three months of this year according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The highest numbers have been in Romania, France, Poland and Lithuania.

PHE's head of immunisation Dr Mary Ramsay warned that with measles outbreaks across parts of Europe families should make sure they are vaccinated before they travel.

The MMR vaccine is given on the NHS to babies, usually within a month of their first birthday. A second injection of the vaccine is given before starting school, usually at three years and four months.

The vaccine is also available to all adults and children who are not up to date with their two doses.

One dose of the MMR vaccine is about 90-95% effective at preventing measles, rising to around 99% after the second.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community.

Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

Sepsis - the warning signs

Every year more than 50,000 people die after contracting sepsis. Many thousands more are left with disabilities and life-changing consequences.

Symptoms include:

Symptoms in young children include:

With early diagnosis and the correct treatment, normally antibiotics, most people make a full recovery.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community.

Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

I lost my arms and legs - stop it happening to others

A man who woke from a coma to discover both his arms and legs had been amputated and part of his face removed has called for mandatory training on sepsis for NHS staff.

Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a serious complication of an infection, which can have devastating consequences if not treated quickly.

There were delays in spotting Tom Ray's sepsis.

He says more training is needed to avoid such tragedies.

Tom's story

Tom Ray was fit and healthy and living in Rutland in the East Midlands before he contracted sepsis at the age of 38 in 1999.

He had had a successful career in corporate banking and was in the process of setting up a business with his pregnant wife, Nic, when he fell ill.

His sepsis - thought to be caused by a cut to his gum during a trip to the dentist, combined with a chest infection - came on rapidly and led to vomiting and a high temperature.

But it took five hours at the hospital he was admitted to before the condition was diagnosed.

He spent months in a coma, during which time his wife Nic gave birth to their second child, Freddy.

His recovery has been a long and gruelling process, involving years of plastic surgery.

He has had to learn to walk, drive and live day-to-day life with prosthetic limbs.

The family lost their house and he has struggled to work.

"It is not the life I wanted to lead. It is not the life I wanted for my children. I have had some terrible lows, but I have learnt to battle on."

He puts that down to several factors. The "amazing" love and care provided by his wife and being mentally disciplined. "I have learnt to control what goes into my mind. I only let positive thoughts go in.

"I also realised it is not all about me. I had to be there for my children - to help them with their school work and take them places. Terrible things can happen in life, but you can get through them."

Now 57, Tom spends a lot of his time doing motivational speaking and campaigning to improve the way the NHS tackles sepsis.

Together with his wife and Pippa Bagnall, a former nurse and NHS chief executive, he has formed Resilience and Co to raise awareness of the problem.

Top of their wish list is mandatory training on sepsis for all staff who work in the health service.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community.

Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

'Broken' care system for most vulnerable

Patients with mental health problems, autism and learning disabilities are being let down by a "broken" care system, a report warns.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) says it knows of at least 62 adults and children that have been living in segregation in mental health hospitals for long periods of time.

The report presents the CQC's initial findings on the use of long-term segregation on mental health wards for children and young people and wards for people with a learning disability or autism.

The CQC has so far visited and assessed the care of 39 people in segregation - most had a diagnosis of autism.

The most common reason given for segregating was to keep other patients safe or a belief the patient would be unable to cope around others.

The CQC found some of the wards were not suitable environments for people with autism and many staff lacked the necessary training and skills to work with patients with complex needs and challenging behaviour.

Some of the hospitals visited had "features of institutions that are at risk of developing a closed and even punitive culture".

In the case of 26 of the 39 people, staff had stopped attempting to reintegrate them back in to the main ward environment, usually because of concerns about violence and aggression.

Dr Paul Lelliott, of the CQC, said: "The people we have visited have had contact with health, care and education services for many years, pointing to missed opportunities that may have prevented admission to hospital in a crisis because there was nowhere else for them to go.

"These people have been failed by the current system of care and that system must be changed."

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community.

Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

We must ditch red meat to save planet, top scientist warns

People need to give up red meat to prevent catastrophic damage to the planet's climate, a former government chief scientist, Professor Sir David King has said

A report claims a 20% reduction in red meat consumption would reduce greenhouse gases by around six million tonnes a year. The Research shows that beef has a carbon footprint up to nine times higher than the same weight of chicken and around 200 times higher than vegetarian protein such as beans.

"The planet's population is still growing so if you are going to feed 11 billion, perhaps 12 billion people by the end of the century, with a growing middle class, we have got to change behaviour." said Sir David.

The UK's cattle and sheep produce 21 million tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, largely methane.

Meat consumption has fallen by 3% over the last 20 years, but our appetite for beef has remained level.

A 20% reduction in red meat consumption as a result of people adopting healthier diets would reduce greenhouse gases by around six million tonnes a year, according to the report.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

Eating and drinking independently after a stroke tastes the best!

I would like you to imagine, for a moment, how you would feel if you were suddenly struck down with a stroke - seemingly coming from nowhere in the space of a moment, and with potentially life changing consequences – not just for you who is immediately affected, but also for your loved ones.

After all, shaky hands, limited movement in your neck and/or potential paralysis down one side of your body, would make it nearly impossible for you to eat and drink independently. And having to have someone assist you with your meals, or face spilling food on a table or yourself, can be embarrassing and have a negative effect on your self-esteem and even lead to you refusing to eat.

Dealing with the aftermath of a stroke can be physically and emotionally stressful. Depending on the severity of the stroke, you may lose some of your mental and physical abilities. Some of your abilities may return over time, while others may not. You need to relearn and practice every day movement sequences - which include eating and drinking, to help promote dignity, independence and the enjoyment of food once again.

You may have a loved one or care for ladies and gents who are stroke survivors, and by empathizing with their conditions and symptoms, you can gain a better understanding of how best you can help them:

Here we talk about some of the ways a stroke can affect normal eating, and offer you our tips and solutions to help overcome them:

Swallowing difficulties-

A stroke survivor may experience choking coughing, or gagging while eating, or find that liquid comes out of their nose when they try to swallow. It may get better over time, but a few tips can help:

If using cutlery is a challenge –

A stroke can weaken the muscles in arms or hands making it hard to use traditional forks, knives, and spoons. Try:

Eating with one hand –

A stroke can lead to paralysis (temporary or permanent) down one side of the body, making eating independently more challenging, try the following ideas:

Eating slowly –

When recovering from a stroke and relearning every day skills including eating and drinking independently it can take longer to eat meals, which can cause them to get cold and therefore be unappetising for the person who then gives up on eating and becomes at greater risk of malnutrition.

Our Keep Warm Plate and Keep Warm Bowl enable the slowest eaters to enjoy their meals, hot, to the very last bite

Non-slip grip pads on the side pf the plate and bowl not only ensure a safe hold, but also conceal the openings for the thermal function which are both safe and easy to fill with hot or cold water or crushed ice ( to also use for desserts and ice cream to keep them cool)

A non-slip ring under the base ensures a firm stance whilst eating.

Our colourful and functional range of Ornamin tableware, with its supportive features, compensate for just these types of disability, and can help to facilitate independent and carefree eating and drinking. They hold products securely in place on the table, prevent them from slipping out of hands and, like an invisible second hand, allow people with just one hand to eat on their own with ease.

 

For more details head over to our website request your copy of the Dignified Dining Solutions Guide or give us a call on 01773 713713

Lewis Hamilton sends F1 car to home of terminally ill boy

Moments after he recaptured the lead of the championship from Valtteri Bottas following his fine victory at the Circuit de Catalunya, an emotional Hamilton dedicated his triumph to Harry Shaw – a five-year-old who has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Hamilton had been alerted to Harry’s tragic plight ahead of Sunday’s race after Mercedes showed him a video of support sent in by the youngster from his hospital bed.

Harry has since been transferred to his Surrey home for his final days.

And, in a touching gesture by the sport’s world champions, they sent a Mercedes F1 car to Harry’s house.

Harry was also presented with Hamilton’s winning trophy from Sunday’s Barcelona race.

Hamilton, his voice croaking, said: “Today, I was just super-inspired by this kid that sent me a message.

“He was my spirit angel.”....

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

 

 

 

Sisters encourage others to support foster carers

When you meet sisters Jan and Paula, it’s hard not to notice the close bond between them, which has been made even stronger through fostering and supporting each other.

While both sisters now foster children and teenagers full-time, they have also fostered part-time as support carers on weekends and in school holidays.

Now the sisters want to encourage more people to apply to become support carers to allow children in care to experience something new and to help full-time foster carers to have a break.

To hear more from Jan and Paula, watch their story here by clicking the link below...

 

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'I've lost 24 friends to suicide'

Natasha has battled with anorexia and self-harm from the age of 12 and spent 10 years in mental health units across the country.

She was initially not referred to CAMHS, an oversight she says made her condition worsen.

When she was finally referred, suffering from anorexia and beginning to self-harm, she was too ill for community care and was admitted to a specialist inpatient unit.

She was to spend most of the next decade in units dotted around the country, many of them privately-run, with her fees paid for by the NHS.

Natasha said: "My commissioner, who was a lovely woman, referred to me as the million dollar baby because they (private providers) made millions out of the NHS for my care."

Her low point came in 2012 when she was admitted to a hospital in Maidenhead, run by private care provider, where she was supposed to be under one-to-one supervision to prevent self-harm.

Click on the link below to hear Natasha describe her experience in her own words:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/ive-lost-24-friends-to-suicide/vi-AABn7ye?ocid=sw

 

Every year tens of thousands of under-18s in England are referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, known as CAMHS.

The most unwell are sent to "tier four" in-patient mental health units, many of which are privately-run but paid for by the NHS to provide specialist treatment.

Children are often placed in units many miles from home and family because of a shortage of appropriate services in their local area.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

 

 

 

Line of Duty star's dementia choir 'not just dancing and singing' but 'provoking memories'

Actress Vicky McClure from Line of Duty fame shows the huge impact music can have on people living with dementia in a moving BBC documentary, where she puts together a choir made up of people with dementia aged from 31 to 87.

he two-part documentary ‘Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure’ focusses on the science and why music and singing are so stimulating for the brain.

Vicky McClure’s grandmother was diagnosed with vascular dementia at the age of 75. Ms McClure along with her mum cared for her grandmother and saw first-hand how singing and music calmed her. Now, she has joined forces with some of the country’s leading experts to measure the emotional and physical responses of Vicky's choir, as they prepare to put on a major performance.

Ms McClure told the BBC: “I watched Nana being taken by dementia and I watched her personality slowly fade away and it's one of the hardest things to watch a family member go through.

“I also saw how music helped change her mood, calming her down and for a while bringing us back the old Nana.”

According to The Open University, evidence suggests that music therapy can relieve the symptoms of anxiety and depression for people living with dementia and may lead to some improvement in their awareness. This research suggests music therapy can be used to communicate with someone who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.

Many people associate particular songs with major events; leaving school, meeting a partner, falling in love, getting married or forming a civil partnership.

Listening to music can cause both emotional and physical reactions - it can speed up heart rate and breathing - or slow them down and help people relax.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- www.leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

Thousands with dementia missing out on council tax discount - Please Help Spread.. THE WORD!!

A huge number of people with 'mental impairments' such as learning disabilities, dementia and Parkinson’s are missing out on discounts on their council tax bills, due to a lack of awareness.

An investigation by MoneySavingExpert.com revealed that many people with a ‘severe mental impairment’ have been eligible for a council tax discount for years. In England, Scotland and Wales, if you live on your own and have a severe mental impairment you don't have to pay council tax and you can claim back any that you have paid while you were living alone. If you live with an adult with severe mental impairment you are entitled to a 25 per cent council tax discount.

Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: "Many of the most vulnerable within our society, those who are living with a ‘severe mental impairment’, have been eligible for a council tax discount for years, but sadly, across Britain they have rarely been about told it – meaning they’ve missed out on money that could’ve transformed their quality of life.

Most councils haven’t helped spread the word, and disgracefully have often hindered people claiming by giving out misinformation.

Wales is leading the way in righting this wrong and the Welsh Government has joined forces with the money consumer website and Welsh local authorities and produced a single, simple and easy-to-use form, which people with severe mental impairments can use to claim what they are entitled to. The form is now widely available in all local authorities and advice centres across Wales.

The same needs to happen for England Scotland and Northern Ireland! So please Spread the Word!!!!

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- www.leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

Comedian chats to unsuspecting strangers to shine light on loneliness

Comic Andy Parsons spends a day striking up conversations with strangers to support the Campaign to End Loneliness charity and get everyone talking.

People everywhere are being urged to unglue themselves from their mobile phones and simply talk to each other face to face to combat a growing loneliness problem.

Andy Parsons who appears on ‘Live at the Apollo’ has fronted secretly filmed footage for the charity, which captures his efforts to chat with strangers on a sofa in a shopping centre.

The film shows people’s surprised reactions when Mr Parsons coaxes them of their smartphones to have a chat.

Andy Parsons said: “I was apprehensive about just sitting down in the middle of a shopping centre and initiating conversations with total strangers. “I wasn’t sure whether many people would talk to me at all, let alone whether we would get any footage we could turn into a film.

“As it was, everybody, without exception, was pleasant and the four hours I spent there passed incredibly quickly."

Despite some early awkward moments, the video shows laughs can be had by talking to strangers.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- www.leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Louis Tomlinson helps 83-year-old who lost wife to dementia complete bucket list

In Louis Tomlinson’s new video, the song has taken a back seat with the video instead focusing on 83-year-old Richard, who lost his wife to Alzheimer’s in the same month as the One Direction star lost his mum to leukemia.

In the heart-warming video, the pop singer helps Richard to achieve a list of things he had wanted to do since his wife Pat passed away in 2016.

The video for the song 'The Two of Us' shows Louis surprising Richard, saying he wants to help him tick a few things off of his bucket list.....

First of its kind autism centre aims to dramatically cut diagnosis waiting time

The UK's first independent purpose-built autism centre has opened, with the aim of dramatically reducing the waiting time for a diagnosis.

Currently, the average waiting time to be assessed for autism is at least two years, and the children who are eventually diagnosed wait on average for four years.

The £18m centre, set in the grounds of Keele University, will enable families to get a diagnosis within just six weeks.

An early autism diagnosis can be vital in helping families understand their child's behaviour.

Victoria Priest, a mum-of-six, said she spent nearly 10 years trying to get a diagnosis for her daughter.

She added: "Layla was our third child and at nine months old we took her to the doctor.

"She rocked severely and I knew something wasn't right but we were told to ignore it by health professionals and told that she'd grow out of it.

"As she got older, she became disruptive. We'd tried everything to get some sort of diagnosis, but nobody seemed to care and nobody would listen to us."

Ms Priest added: "This new centre will provide hope for thousands of families like us that are fighting to get a diagnosis for their children."

The development of the complex has been funded by a group of philanthropists, with £10m coming from the businessman John Caudwell.

The Caudwell International Centre will bring together assessment, diagnosis, family support and research into autism.

As well as reducing diagnosis time, its other main focuses are to enable families to receive assessment from a number of professionals in one place, and to provide world class support for those affected by the condition.

Facilities include state-of-the art assessment suites, a sensory garden to help children interact with nature, and therapy suites for ongoing workshops for families.

Mr Caudwell said "Right from the beginning I thought what we're going to do is, we're going to iconically help the lives of children with autism. We're going to set a new standard and hopefully prove that we can intervene in the condition, and make the challenges less for those parents who have got children with autism."

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- https://leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

"Sea Hero Quest" - The Mobile phone game that can detect people most at risk of Alzheimer's

Scientists have identified people who are more at risk of developing Alzheimer's, based on how they play the mobile phone game 'Sea Hero Quest'.

Lead researcher Professor Michael Hornberger, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “We can detect people who are at genetic risk of Alzheimer’s based on how they play the game."

He said: “Our current findings show that we can reliably detect such subtle navigation changes” in healthy people who are not showing “any problem symptoms or complaints.

“Our findings will inform future diagnostic recommendations and disease treatments to address this devastating disease.”

As players make their way through mazes of islands and icebergs, the team are able to translate every half a second of gameplay into scientific data. Every two minutes spent playing the game is equal to five hours of lab-based research.

Therefore, three million players globally equate to more than 1,700 years’ worth of lab-based research.

“We found that people with a high genetic risk, the APOE4 carriers, performed worse on spatial navigation tasks. They took less efficient routes to checkpoint goals. One in every four persons who have one copy of the APOE4 gene are around three times more likely to be affected by Alzheimer’s and develop the disease at a younger age.

“This is really important because these are people with no memory problems. We often hear heartbreaking stories about people with dementia who get lost and can’t find their way home and we know spatial navigation difficulties like these are some of the earliest warning signs for the condition."

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- www.leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/ 

 

Millions of people are fearful about care and regret not speaking out

New research by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reveals millions of people across England have had concerns about care and regret not speaking out.

Almost 7 million people, who are patients or family carers, have expressed concerns about care given in the last five years but have never complained. The majority (58 per cent) regret staying silent. The most common reason for not raising concerns was the belief that nothing would change as a result (37 per cent).

Some feared being seen as a 'trouble maker'

Some 33 per cent did not speak out because they did not want to be seen as a ‘troublemaker’. Some 33 per cent did not know who to raise their complaint with and 28 per cent worried about not being taken seriously. A fifth (20 per cent) did not know how to raise a complaint.

In response to the research, Care minister Caroline Dinenage said: “I encourage anyone who has concerns over their care, or the care of loved ones, to share their experiences with the Care Quality Commission - so they can continue their vital work of protecting patients and improving the excellent care we see across the health service.”

'Declare You Care'

The CQC is now calling for people to speak up about their experiences of care, following its poll (conducted from November to December last year). The care regulator has launched its ‘Declare Your Care’ campaign to encourage people to share their experiences of care with the care regulator.

The CQC advises four steps to report poor care:

1. Speak to staff to resolve it informally

2. If issues persist, ask your care provider to see the complaints procedure. This will tell you what to do.

3. If you are not happy about how they respond to your complaint, you can contact:

a. Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (for private or adult social care services)

b. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (for NHS services)

4. Share your experience (on behalf of yourself or someone else) with CQC at cqc.org.uk/share-your-experience

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- www.leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

Weightlifting could reverse frailty in old age

Older people would benefit from weightlifting and increasing their protein intake to reverse frailty, new research suggests.

Increases in life expectancy have led to rising numbers of frail older people, with one in 10 people suffering with infirmity, rising to half of those over the age of 80.

Writing in the British Journal of General Practice, lead author John Travers, of the Department of Geriatric Medicine at St Vincent’s University Hospital, said: "Frailty screening is increasingly recommended in primary care and in some cases contractually required, but there is a lack of guidance on interventions, once frailty has been identified."

The study authors recommend that GPs should prescribe 20-25 minutes of weight training exercises four days a week to elderly patients. These should be made up of 15 workouts to strengthen the arms and legs - as well as improving balance and co-ordination.

They also advise elderly people to drink a protein powder supplement to help keep limbs and joints supple, with a dietary emphasis on daily milk, eggs, tuna or chicken.

While there is no exact definition of frailty, it is usually used as an umbrella term to describe a range of linked age-related factors such as lack of energy, unintentional weight loss, slow walking speed and reduced grip strength. Weightlifting is known to enhance your metabolism, it helps your posture and enhances your energy levels

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- www.leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

Dementia Revolution: Celebs and runners tackle dementia myths

A café that only employs people with Down syndrome has opened in Headingley, Leeds.

Café 21, which is operated by the charity Sunshine and Smiles, gives 14 young adults aged 18-24 the opportunity to work in the kitchen and front of house - all of whom are paid the National Living Wage (NLW).

It is hoped they will gain vital transferable skills to boost their future career prospects.

Ailith Harley-Roberts, Service Manager at the charity, said: “The young people here have thrived. Some of the staff want to be customer-facing, others love doing stock-taking or working in the back. There is so much involved, they are learning a lot about customer service."

“I have spoken to one parent who said their son has been setting his alarm each morning and can’t wait to come into work. That is what it is all about.”

Roisin Prior is a member of staff at Cafe 21. She delivers food to customers, takes orders and washes up.

"Working here makes me feel fantastic," she revealed "and it is such a nice team to work with."

The launch of the cafe comes after national statistics revealed that only 17 per cent of all adults with a learning disability are in paid employment.

The project has been funded with help from The Seedbed Trust and The Wesleyan Foundation, while Sunshine and Smiles is a charity that helps children and young people across Leeds by providing speech and language therapy, regular groups and activities, individual support and advocacy for families.

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- www.leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/

 

Haha...How We All Need This!!!

The key to ageing well: Having a sense of purpose

Positive thinking, supporting grandchildren or completing a satisfying project are linked to walking faster, sleeping better and experiencing less chronic pain in later life, new research has found.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), revealed that having a sense of purpose and feeling engaged in ‘worthwhile’ activities promotes health and happiness in later life.

Andrew Steptoe, lead author of the study, said: “As more and more men and women live longer, we need to understand better what factors lead to healthier and happier older age.

“This is a two-way process. Not only do good social relationships and better health contribute to our sense that we are living meaningful lives, but this sense of meaning sustains social and cultural activity, health and wellbeing into the future.”

Researchers analysed data from 7,000 adults, aged over 50, who had taken part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Participants were asked how worthwhile the things they did in their life were, on a scale of one to 10.

They found that those with ratings of 9 or 10 walked 18 per cent faster than those with scores of 0-3 and had a 13 per cent higher concentration of vitamin D. They were also twice as likely to report having good sleep.

Participants with low ratings were twice as likely to develop depressive symptoms, and 30 per cent more likely to develop chronic pain.

Dr Daisy Fancourt, lead co-author added: “We do not know what activities the participants in this study thought were worthwhile. For some it might be supporting their families, for others a particular accomplishment in their work or hobby, enjoying nature or perhaps following a favourite sports team. What is important is that the individual finds these activities worthwhile and feels they give a sense of meaning to life.”

 

Leymar Healthcare provide Homecare Services in Ashfield and 24 Hour Live in Care in the UK to vulnerable adults in their community. Please contact our office on 01623 360 193 or email us at info@leymarltd.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can use our Contact Form on our website:- www.leymarhealthcare.co.uk/contact us/