ST.MARYS

News and updates (Treatment, Medication Care Development)

Alzheimer’s Drugs case closes

Following an unprecedented response NICE changed its position to allow only people in the moderate stages of the disease access to drug treatments.
The Alzheimer’s Society is now challenging its decision in the high court.

Further information about the campaign can be obtained at
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk

This Autumn has seen the launch of two initiatives from the government Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis.

A) Extending the Dignity in Care Campaign to those who use the mental health services.

B) Plans for a national Services Strategy announcing the latter campaign the Minister said “The scale of our ambition must now meet the scale of the challenge as demographic realities means dementia will impact on an increasing number of families in our society. The current system is failing too many dementia sufferers and their carers. “I am determined that this disease is brought out of the shadows. We need to minimise the shame and fear associated with dementia so that people and their relatives feel able to seek support at the earliest possible stage in the knowledge they will get expert help and be treated with dignity and respect”.

“Dementia is a unique illness with devastating consequences we know that as people live longer an increasing number of families will have to cope with the harsh realities of dementia” As a part of this awareness Campaign CSCI have announced that they will be conducting an innovative project to assess how well homes are providing good quality care for older people with dementia.
These Thermatic inspections will aim to measure the direct experience of people with dementia by inspecting more than 100 care homes for older people in England”.

Another significant tool for developing staff competence in Dementia is the Skills for Care Knowledge set. Their aim is to provide specific standardised knowledge and understanding to help social care workers undertake their role. Skills for Care welcomed the dementia strategy that Ivan Lewis has announced.

Social Care Institute of Excellence

Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis has announced that the Dignity in Care Campaign will be extended to include those who use mental health services. Ivan Lewis said “As well as strengthening our focus on older people we are today announcing the extensions of our dignity campaign to people with mental health needs. People experiencing mental health difficulties are amongst the most vulnerable in society. We know people fear what they don’t understand. Fear can result in discrimination and we know that people with mental health problems are facing discrimination when trying to access public services like health care or get support from Social Services”.

As a result of this the Social Care Institute of Excellence has revised their Practise Guide 9 Dignity in Care.

The basis of the document is 10 dignity challenges to show what high quality care services that respect peoples’ dignity should

1) Have a zero tolerance of all forms of abuse.
2) Support people with the same respect you would want for yourself or a member of your family.
3) Treat each person as an individual by offering a personalised service.
4) Enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control.
5) Listen and support people to express their needs and wants.
6) Respect people’s right to privacy.
7) Ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution.
8) Engage with family members and carers as care partners.
9) Assist people to maintain confidence and a positive self esteem.
10) Act to alleviate people’s loneliness and isolation.

More information can be obtained on www.scie.org.uk

Mental Capacity Act 2005 – Summary

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides a statutory framework to empower and protect vulnerable people who are not able to make their own decisions. It makes it clear who can take decisions, in which situations and how they should go about this. It enables people to plan ahead for a time when they may lose capacity.

The whole Act is underpinned by a set of five key principles stated at section 1:

A presumption of capacity – every adult has the right to make his or her own decisions and must be assumed to have capacities to do so unless it is proved otherwise;
The right for individuals to be supported to make their own decisions – people must be given all appropriate help before anyone concludes that they cannot make their own decisions.
That individuals must retain the right to make what might be seen as eccentric or unwise decisions;
Best interests – anything done for or on behalf of people without capacity must be in their best interests;
Least restrictive intervention - anything done for or on behalf of people without capacity should be at least restrictive of their basic right and freedom.

Further information can be obtained on
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/publicationsandstatistics/bulletins/chiefexcutivebulletin/DH

Health & Nutrition

Exercise

Exercise what ever your age, helps prolong mobility and life expectancy. Keep active is the key, inactivity can lead to disabilities and diseases. As we get older and into

“Old Age” degenerative (wear and tear) diseases are generally down to inactivity rather than to disease itself.

Some of the Risk Factors affecting Older People

- Inactivity
- Depression/low in mobility/ low self worth/ loss of independence/
- reduced life style.
- Physical weakness, reduced – immobility
- Breathing problems
- Reduced mental ability – memory impairment.

Benefits of Keeping Active As We Get Older

- Maintain mobility
- Maintain Dignity
- Maintain Independence
- Maintain choices in life
- Maintain fulfilment in your life
- Reduce/prevent depression, improve self worth

Promotes/ aids a good nights sleep

- Improves appetite
- Improves cardiovascular function
- Helps keep weight under control
- Helps reduce tensions

Why should everyone spend 30 mins – 1 hour exercising every week.

- It helps improve stamina – whether it be daily household chores or walking outdoors, being able to do a little bit more each week.

Finding exercises becoming easier and recovery quicker

- Helps improve cardiovascular efficiency disease such as heart attacks and strokes contribute for 70% of deaths. Exercising each week helps the heart become more efficient also improves circulation. As a consequence more oxygen in the blood by increasing respiration efficiency so our ability to cope with sugar in our diet improves, and illnesses such as Diabetes effect fewer people to exercise regularly.
- Help in improving mental performance, older people especially find memory affected.
- A healthy mind a fit body helps reduce the risk of a heart attack, weekly exercises helps prevent coronary disease and reduces effects of any existing damage.
- Helps muscles and joints labelled as rheumatism or arthritis, improve as a result of exercise.
- Helps slow down the decline of all body capacities.
- Exercise and disability, injury and disease, whether in a wheelchair or otherwise incapacitated, everyone should try to structure some physical activity into our daily lives, even if this is limited to just exercising the top half of our body arms and shoulders, it helps increase blood flow, which strengthens our hearts, improves circulation which enriches our well being.

For further information, please go to: www.chairbasedmovement.com