Stanfield Nursing

The Doctor’s dementia review: ‘You live with dementia, you don’t suffer it’

2015-07-06T03:37:00.000-07:00

It takes one hell of a woman to burst out laughing at the thought of her own torturous hallucinations of ringing phones, babies crying and typewriter keys tapping. Dr Jennifer Bute is that woman. In The Doctor’s Dementia (Radio 4), Jennifer tells the no-nonsense story of what it is like to live with her condition. She was in her late 50s and working as a busy GP when she noticed she was becoming forgetful, a symptom she blamed on getting older.

But Jennifer was diagnosed with dementia – and realised her condition was deteriorating when she left her internet shopping delivery on the hob and instinctively turned on the four “twirly things”. The plastic packaging melted while she watched. “It was only when the bananas exploded that I was brought to my senses,” she says.

Although it’s unimaginably hard for Jennifer to go from lecturing “off the hoof” to batting off an attack by an imaginary swarm of bees, her refusal to become a victim is a breath of fresh air. You instinctively trust her when she says dementia is a challenge, not the end of the world or a death sentence. Yes, she’s a doctor, but she’s also speaking up for herself and many others in the same situation.

“I discovered when people found out I had dementia they avoided me,” she explains. “They don’t know what to say.” So she produced leaflets for her children and friends to help them cope. And when she realised she couldn’t find her way home, she bought a satnav.

It’s a practical approach to dementia, and a reminder that life goes on for the person involved. Little strategies go a long way. She finds Facebook useful as it involves short sentences and a picture of the person she’s interacting with, making it easier to remember who they are. Singing also helps. “It’s like a workout,” she says.

Scientists look into why most Alzheimer’s patients are women

2015-07-03T06:19:00.001-07:00

Nearly two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women, and now some scientists are questioning the long-held assumption that it’s just because they tend to live longer than men.

What else may put woman at extra risk? Could it be genetics? Biological differences in how women age? Maybe even lifestyle factors?

Finding out might affect treatments or preventive care.

One worrisome hint is that research shows a notorious Alzheimer’s-related gene has a bigger impact on women than men.

“There are enough biological questions pointing to increased risk in women that we need to delve into that and find out why,” said Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer's Association.

Last month, the association brought 15 leading scientists together to ask what’s known about women’s risk. Later this summer, Carrillo said it plans to begin funding research to address some of the gaps.

“There is a lot that is not understood and not known. It’s time we did something about it,” she added.

A recent Alzheimer's Association report estimates that at age 65, women have about a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer’s during the rest of their lives, compared with a 1 in 11 chance for men.

The tricky part is determining how much of the disparity is due to women’s longevity or other factors.

“It is true that age is the greatest risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease,” said University of Southern California professor Roberta Diaz Brinton, who presented data on gender differences at a meeting of the National Institutes of Health this year.

But, she said, “on average, women live four or five years longer than men, and we know that Alzheimer’s is a disease that starts 20 years before the diagnosis.” That’s how early cellular damage can quietly begin.

Brinton researches if menopause can be a tipping point that leaves certain women vulnerable.

Cambridge charity Alzheimer’s Research UK launches first major awareness campaign

2015-06-22T01:59:00.000-07:00

A Cambridge-based national charity launches its first major awareness campaign today to highlight the challenge of Alzheimer's disease and the urgent need for greater investment in dementia research.

For the first time in its 21-year history, Alzheimer's Research UK has delivered a national advertising campaign to appear on major TV channels and at cinemas across the UK throughout June.

‘Dementia is something that affects a great many families’

2015-06-15T02:44:00.000-07:00

Support is growing for our campaign to make Wells a Dementia Friendly City.

The police, care professionals and the Bishop of Bath and Wells have all come on board.

“I’m pleased to be the patron of the City of Wells Dementia project and commend the people and businesses locally for embracing this worthy cause,” said Bishop Peter Hancock.

“Dementia is something that affects a great many families and it is something my wife Jane and I have experienced in our own family life.

“The more we can all understand then the better we will all be able to support those who suffer from dementia and their families.”

'There is still a shocking level of ignorance regarding dementia'

2015-06-08T03:55:00.000-07:00

Our expert panel discussed the issues people with dementia face when accessing health and social care services

What are the issues that people with dementia face?

George McNamara, head of policy and public affairs, Alzheimer’s Society: Every day we hear about the struggle people with dementia have getting a timely diagnosis. While progress has been made in this area, many people with dementia are also at their wits end with the lack of timely and quality dementia care in their area.

Gill Phillips, creator of Whose Shoes? – Making It Real, a co-production tool helping people work together to improve lives: Finding the right support at the right time for people with dementia and carers. Things joining up. Avoiding hospital admissions – and if hospital is necessary, for staff (particularly non-specialist staff) to be able to understand and care for people as individual human beings.

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War declared on dementia in major drive to find a cure

2015-06-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

A major campaign is being launched today demanding more investment in research into dementia.

Some 850,000 people in the UK live with the illness, including around 70,000 in Yorkshire.

But the condition is expected to take a far greater toll in years to come as the population ages, putting an increasing burden both on carers and the NHS.

In a survey today, the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK found nearly half of over-55s believed dementia was the biggest medical challenge facing the UK.

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Dementia research gets 13 times less funding than cancer, figures show

2015-05-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

Despite the huge burden of dementia far less money is spent research a cure for the devastating condition than researching cancer treatments.

Dementia research gets 13 times less funding than cancer even though the cost to society is far greater, Oxford University has found.

Treating and caring for cancer patients currently costs Britain around £5 billion a year, but the bill for dementia is £11 billion.

Yet despite the huge burden of dementia just 8p is spent on researching new treatments for each £10 spent looking after people with the condition. In contrast, cancer research receives £1.08, more than 13 times more.

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Daring skydive in aid of Dementia UK

2015-05-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

A plucky parent is planning to leap 10,000ft out of a plane to raise money for a charity close to her heart.

Mum-of-two Sally Elms, of Kirton Holme, will take to the skies over Peterborough in June to support Dementia UK.

“As a Dementia friend I am trying to raise awareness of this cruel, progressive disease by doing a tandem skydive on June 20,” said Sally, 49.

“Dementia UK is a charity close to my heart after  having my mum diagnosed  several years ago with  vascular dementia and also losing an uncle to Alzheimer’s just over a year ago.”

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What can you do to prevent dementia?

2015-05-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

It’s a condition that could strike any one of us, and there is still no cure. But evidence suggests that changing your lifestyle can help to reduce your risk

The longer we live, the more likely we are to develop dementia. Of all the myriad conditions that accompany old age, it is the one that tends to terrify us most. One in six people over 80 have the condition, with impaired cognitive function (usually memory loss) and at least one other significant problem with language, spatial awareness or function. Treatments exist, but they often have little or no effect and, despite reports last week that US researchers have found a possible cause, there is still no cure.

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Alzheimer's: New hope for research after years of gloom and dead ends

2015-05-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

Findings from the US bring us closer to understanding what causes this disease, but ‘Alzheimer’s mice’ are not a perfect parallel for what happens in human brains.

The hope that Alzheimer’s will one day be curable has in recent years faded to a flicker as successive clinical trials ended in failure. But the prospect of a treatment this week grew a little brighter as scientists uncovered a new and unexpected explanation for the development of the disease.

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Governments commit to advancements in dementia research and care

2015-05-11T04:54:00.000-07:00

At the WHO-hosted Ministerial Conference on Global Action Against Dementia the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland today announced that over US$ 100 million will be invested in a pioneering new global Dementia Discovery Fund. Major pharmaceutical companies have committed in principle to investing in promising research efforts for dementia through the project, along with the non governmental organization Alzheimer’s Research UK and the United Kingdom Government. The announcement was welcomed as the type of innovative mechanism that could bring about a breakthrough in treatment.

At this WHO Conference, supported by the Department of Health of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 80 countries joined experts from the research, clinical and advocacy communities to discuss how, collectively, they could move forward action on dementia at the global level.

Research identifies new steps in dementia progression

2015-04-27T01:34:00.002-07:00

Research funded by Alzheimer's Society has identified new mechanisms behind the development of a form of frontotemporal dementia.

The research was undertaken by scientists at the University of York and was co-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. It was published in The Journal of Cell Biology on 30 March 2015.

Frontotemporal dementia is one of the most common forms of early onset dementia and it typically starts in individuals in their fifties. It affects the ability to use and understand language in addition to a change in personality and a loss of inhibition in some social behaviours. This is caused by the loss of neurons in areas of the brain called the frontal and temporal lobes.

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Terry Pratchett Alzheimer's appeal raises £28,000 overnight

2015-04-20T02:55:00.000-07:00

The internet has responded to news of the author’s death with Facebook posts, petitions, tributes from fans and colleagues, including Neil Gaiman and George RR Martin, and generous donations to his family’s chosen Alzheimer’s charity.

Fans left reeling by the death of Terry Pratchett have raised £28,000 for an Alzheimer’s charity, less than 24 hours after the beloved fantasy author succumbed to an infection complicated by the disease – and have also launched a hopeful petition to his lugubrious personification, Death, to “bring back Pratchett”.

Pratchett died at home on Thursday, aged 66, “with his cat sleeping on his bed, surrounded by his family”, said his publishers, Transworld. His publicist, Lynsey Dalladay, set up an appeal shortly afterwards, and by lunchtime on Friday more than 1,600 people had donated £28,053 to the charity The Research Institute for the Care of Older People (Rice).

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Dementia carers to be offered 'respite' and "psychological support"

2015-04-07T01:43:00.001-07:00

David Cameron pledges that all people looking after dementia patients will be offered the opportunity take time off, education, training as well as professional psychological help.

More than half-a-million carers of people with dementia will be offered “respite” and “emotional and psychological support” under Government plans to ensure they can “have a life alongside” looking after their loved ones.

David Cameron has pledged that all people looking after dementia patients will be offered the opportunity take time off, education, training as well as professional psychological help.

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Alzheimer's £30m research collaboration begins

2015-03-30T04:34:00.002-07:00

A new network of £30m research centres is being launched to spearhead the search for an Alzheimer's cure.

Alzheimer's Research UK has announced a Drug Discovery Alliance, which will see research centres pooling their expertise to fight the disease.

These drug discovery institutes will be at Cambridge and Oxford Universities and University College London.

Dementia affects more than 830,000 people in the UK and costs the economy £23bn a year, the charity says.

The Drug Discovery Institutes will see about 90 new research scientists, recruited over the next five years, employed in state-of-the-art facilities to fast-track the development of new treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

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Dementia hits women hardest

2015-03-23T04:54:00.000-07:00

Women are bearing the brunt of the dementia epidemic that is spreading through Britain. A study by Alzheimer’s Research UK reveals that the condition has not only become the leading cause of death among British women but that women are far more likely to end up as carers of sufferers than men – suffering physical and emotional stress and job losses in the process.

“Women are carrying the responsibility of care for their loved ones, only later to be living with the condition,” states the report, entitled Women and Dementia: A Marginalised Majority. “Women are dying from dementia but not before it has taken a considerable toll on minds and bodies. In the UK, dementia hits women the hardest.”

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Alzheimer’s breakthrough: scientists home in on molecule which halts development of disease

2015-03-16T05:47:00.001-07:00

Cambridge scientists raise prospect of new generation of treatments after finding technique to limit development of biggest cause of dementia.

Scientists have found a method which could potentially stop the growth of Alzheimer’s disease in its tracks, raising the prospect of a wave of new treatments for the condition.

A team at Cambridge University, working with partners in Sweden and Estonia, has identified a molecule which can block the progress of Alzheimer’s at a crucial stage in its development.

Primary school pupils make 'Dementia Friends'

2015-03-10T02:51:00.000-07:00

A Sale primary school has pledged to become the first in Trafford to make all of its pupils ‘Dementia Friends’.

Woodheys Primary School has joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Society and Public Health England in calling on schools across Greater Manchester to create a dementia friendly generation.

A Dementia Friend is someone who has gained a basic understanding about what is like to have dementia and the ways they can support someone living with the condition.

Deputy headteacher Ian Johnson said: “As a school social inclusion and being a part of the community is very important to us.

“We want all pupils to learn that all members of society should be respected, understood and supported to live well.”

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What they don’t tell you about dementia

2015-03-02T03:13:00.000-08:00

My mum doesn’t know who I am. Sadly, I don’t mean that in an angsty way – she literally has no idea who I am. Sometimes I’m her sister. Sometimes I’m her dead mother. Once I was Shirley Bassey, which made for an interesting evening. My mum was diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies three years ago, when she was 64 and I was 30. She’d just retired, and we were looking forward to spending more time together.

I’d spent my 20s doing my own thing, having selfishly assumed that we’d have lots of time to get to know each other properly when I got bored of clubbing. I was wrong. Instead of visiting coffee shops, we ended up visiting the memory clinic. After months of appointments we were finally sent home with a diagnosis, an information leaflet and a six-month review booked in to see how we were getting on. I imagine it’s a bit like going home with a newborn baby, but with less support and no balloons. Having previously struggled to even take care of a houseplant, I was fairly apprehensive at the prospect of becoming a carer.

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'Still Alice' prescribed to patients to help beat dementia

2015-02-25T02:25:00.001-08:00

The novel which inspired Still Alice, the Hollywood film, is to be prescribed to patients and carers to help them deal with dementia.

The novel which inspired the award-winning Hollywood film Still Alice is to be prescribed to patients who have dementia, under a new scheme for libraries.

Still Alice, which described the descent of an academic into early onset Alzheimer’s, will be recommended to patients and carers to help them understand more about the disease.

The 2007 book, by Lisa Genova, rose to worldwide fame thanks in part to a film adaptation, which saw Julianne Moore win a SAG Award and Golden Globe for her portrayal of the turmoil of dementia.

Five golden rules to stave off dementia: Easy lifestyle changes can slash risk

2015-02-25T02:21:00.000-08:00

Experts say that while modern science has yet to uncover a way to cure the disease, there are five easy to follow top tips which will not only delay its onset but its severity.

A growing body of research has found that making just a few changes to how you live your life could have a dramatic long-term impact on dementia risk.

Alzheimer’s experts now agree that following the five steps – regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, keeping the mind active, watching your weight and getting regular health check-ups could transform the chances of developing the disease.

Dementia guide edited by Worcestershire psychiatrists named as national authority

2015-02-23T07:28:00.001-08:00

A GUIDE on caring for people with dementia edited by a pair of Worcestershire psychiatrists has been named as one of the country’s top resources on the condition.

ABC of Dementia, which was edited by consultant older adult psychiatrists at Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust Dr Felicity Richards and Dr Bernard Coope, was named as one of the 25 titles on the Reading Well Books on Prescription for Dementia scheme last week.

The guide, which also includes contributions from other members of the trust as well as the University of Worcester, provides guidance for health care workers caring for people with dementia along with advice for patients themselves as well as their friends and families.

Dr Coope said: “The aim of our ABC of Dementia book is to help them develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to support those with dementia and those close to them to live well.

“So much can be done to support families and to maintain the personhood of the individual in the face of limited therapeutic options.”

The book was named as one of those on the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme on Monday, January 26. The project makes books available on prescription from libraries and has won acclaim from GPs and government ministers.

Dr Coope said it was “a great honour” to be included on the list.

“The Books on Prescription scheme has played an important role in helping to meet the huge need for mental health support, he said.

There are approximately 8,000 people in Worcestershire living with dementia, with this number growing by about three per cent every year.

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Scientists on target for a dementia cure 'within a decade'

2015-02-16T04:33:00.003-08:00

SCIENTISTS are on target to develop a cure for dementia within the next 10 years, the Government’s dementia tsar has revealed.

Alistair Burns, NHS England’s national clinical director for the brain disease, says he is confident there will be a cure, or at least a drug that will significantly slow down its progression, by 2025.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Express, Professor Burns, 56, claimed advances in treatment will eventually catch up with those made in cancer care.

More people than ever before are being diagnosed with the illness, with an extra 10,000 every month being added to the dementia register.
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Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

2015-01-29T04:04:00.000-08:00

A study has linked commonly used medicines, including over-the-counter treatments for conditions such as insomnia and hay-fever, to dementia.

All of the types of medication in question are drugs that have an "anticholinergic" effect.

Experts say people should not panic or stop taking their medicines.

In the US study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, higher doses and prolonged use were linked to higher dementia risk in elderly people.

The researchers only looked at older people and found the increased risk appeared when people took drugs every day for three years or more.
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Can crosswords and exercise ward off dementia?

2015-01-22T05:34:00.000-08:00

Challenging the brain with crosswords, working out and eating healthily may help the middle-aged stave off dementia in later life, new research suggests.

The study claims making such lifestyle changes earlier in life could prevent over 80,000 cases of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia each year.

Evidence suggests the brain may begin deteriorating when people are in their late 40s, making it even more important to take action early.

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