Latest News from Everycare
People with dementia are being given the opportunity to lead and manage research into the disease, with the help of £700,000 from the National Lottery.
The ground-breaking new project Dementia Enquirers will give people with dementia the chance to undertake their own research into the condition, rather than just being participants. The project will work with DEEP, a UK-wide network of more than a hundred community groups and Innovations in Dementia. They will be able to identify research priorities and plan and carry out their own research.
It envisages using university researchers as advisors or with specified roles within the projects. People involved in DEEP will be supported and trained to capture and share their findings in a creative way such as through film, music, poetry and photography.
Rachael Litherland, director of Innovations in Dementia, said: “We are so proud to have been awarded this National Lottery grant, and excited to be undertaking such ground-breaking work. We are confident that the project can influence the prevailing approaches in research – while bringing new respect for the skills, expertise and resilience of those who are living with dementia.”
Joe Ferns, UK funding director at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “We’re delighted to be funding this project, which puts people with experience of living with dementia at the heart of research into the condition. Thanks to National Lottery players, this important issue is being tackled in a way which helps people to feel more in control of their lives.”
For more information visit the Homecare website
The symptoms of dementia can include:
Memory problems – People with dementia might have problems retaining new information. They might get lost in previously familiar places and may struggle with names. Relatives might notice the person seems increasingly forgetful, misplacing things regularly. However, we all forget a name or face once in a while and this is nothing to worry about. If it happens on a frequent basis, it’s advisable to visit the GP who can check why this may be happening.
Cognitive ability, i.e. processing information – People with dementia may have difficulty with time and place, for example, getting up in the middle of the night to go to work, even though they’re retired. Also their concentration could be affected. There may be a difficulty when shopping with choosing the items and then paying for them. For some people with dementia the ability to reason and make decisions may also be affected. Some people with dementia get a sense of restlessness and prefer to keep moving than sit still; others may be reluctant to take part in activities they used to enjoy.
Communication – People with dementia may repeat themselves often or have difficulty finding the right words. Reading and writing might become challenging. They might experience changes in personality and behaviour, mood swings, anxiety and depression. People with dementia can lose interest in seeing others socially. Following and engaging in conversation can be difficult and tiring, and so a formerly outgoing person might become quieter and more introverted. Their self-confidence might be affected.
Dementia can be seen as a combination of one, or all of the above symptoms. If you or someone you know is experiencing one or more of these symptoms, which have been occurring for a while and are progressively getting worse, then please arrange a visit to the GP. There are many other reasons someone might be experiencing confusion or memory problems, so it is best to get them checked out and treated if necessary.
To find out more please visit the Dementia UK website.
Daffodils grown by a Welsh sheep farmer could be used to help more than 225,000 patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Kevin Stephens’ flowers produce unusually high amounts of galantamine, which can slow down the progress of the devastating disease.
Scientists believe the daffodils, grown in the Black Mountains in Wales, have more of it due to the stress they are placed under having to endure harsh winters at 1,200ft.
The unfavourable conditions cause them to flower much later than regular species, which produce very little quantities of the chemical.
Mr Stephens, 51, has spent six years developing a method of growing and harvesting the daffodils to extract galantamine for use in Alzheimer’s drugs.
Everycare UK, the Cardiff based domiciliary and nursing care group celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2013 with exciting growth plans in both the UK and abroad.
Following a strategic review of the business, the company is now taking forward its plan to expand its network of franchisees not only in targeted geographical areas across the UK, but also worldwide where it launched in 2013 an international master franchise opportunity at the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress in Dubai.
The company now has over 20 regional franchised offices across the UK offering a range of personal home care and live-in care services as well as providing healthcare staffing services to a range of organisations including the NHS, HMS Prisons, Ministry of Defence, residential care homes, industry and private nursing organisations.
Managing Director, Mary Cottrell, commented “Our expertise in the UK in providing domiciliary and nursing care is widely respected around the world which has seen our business expand both at home and abroad.
In the UK the franchise network goes from strength to strength with over 20 franchises across England, Scotland and Wales with the most recent Everycare franchises opening in Hillingdon supporting Uxbridge, Ruislip, Pinner, Hayes and the surrounding areas and Mid Sussex supporting Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and the supporting areas.
Everycare is looking to extend its franchise network across the UK, doubling the number of regional offices by the end of 2015 whilst at the same time developing new services that compliment its core domiciliary and nursing activities. “Our recent strategic review has highlighted huge opportunities for Everycare which we are now developing. Our strength has always been the provision of quality services which can be relied upon across the network, it is this strong service foundation that attracts both clients to our services and potential franchisees both here and worldwide” comments Mary Cottrell.
The 20th anniversary was celebrated by a special event in Cardiff at Chapel 1897. As well as being the 20th anniversary of Everycare UK, the occasion also coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Everycare UK business owners (Rob and Mary Cottrell) commencing their residential nursing homes business in Cardiff.
