Latest News from Everycare
Hospital wards have been given the go ahead to accept animals and especially therapy dogs onto hospital wards and other healthcare settings, by senior nurses.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has published new guidance for hospitals to explore the use of animal therapy after it conducted a survey last year and found most nurses didn’t allow animals in their workplace.
This was even though many survey respondents were in favour of animal therapy, stating they thought it beneficial to patients.
Amanda Cheesley, RCN professional lead for long-term conditions and end-of-life care, said: “Anyone who’s worked in this area can see the amazing impact animals have on the health of adults and children alike.
“However, there are so many myths around the dangers of having animals in health care settings that most organisations are too concerned to try it out.”
To find out more visit the Homecare website
A helpline supporting lonely and isolated older people received one call every minute in March, making it the busiest month since its launch in November 2013.
Silver Line took a record 48,000 calls in March, a 24 per cent increase on the same month last year, with the cold weather and Easter weekend partly to blame.
The number of incoming calls has continued to rise in April, with 80 per cent of callers phoning for the first time.
Sophie Andrews, Silver Line’s chief executive, said: “We know that for our callers, bank holidays throughout the year seem interminably long and lonely – they often describe them as ‘a month of Sundays’; and when combined with holiday occasions traditionally focused on celebrating with loved ones, it can be even more challenging for them.
“We also frequently heard from those calling between Good Friday and Easter Monday that their family and friends had gone away for the long weekend, leaving them home alone.
“More generally however, these figures underline what we hear from older people phoning us every day: that loneliness isn’t just for Christmas – it is their reality all year round.”
The Silver Line helpline is the only free, national, confidential helpline open every day and night, offering information, friendship and advice to older people over the age of 55.
Since its launch, the helpline has received more than 1.6 million calls to date – currently averaging 10,000 per week. Two thirds of calls are received overnight and on the weekend.
According to the charity, the top three ‘loneliest places’ for older people based on calls to the helpline from across 45 regions are: Lancashire, Essex and the West Midlands.
Founder and president of the Silver Line, Dame Esther Rantzen said: “80% of our callers in March were reaching out to us for the first time, so I am delighted that more and more older people now know about The Silver Line, that we are free, confidential, and that they can ring us any time of day or night, even when all the other services shut down, for instance on Easter Sunday.
“I am, of course, very sad that so many thousands are so isolated and alone that they have nobody else to speak to except us, and no-one to share with them their memories of happier Easters.”
For more information visit: www.thesilverline.org.uk
The Silver Line number is: 0800 4 70 80 90
Four dementia scientists have shared this year’s 1m Euro brain prize for pivotal work that has changed our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.
Profs John Hardy, Bart De Strooper, Michel Goedert, based in the UK, and Prof Christian Haass, from Germany, unpicked key protein changes that lead to this most common type of dementia.
On getting the award, Prof Hardy said he hoped new treatments could be found.
He is donating some of his prize money to care for Alzheimer’s patients.
Much of the drug discovery research that’s done today builds on their pioneering work, looking for ways to stop the build-up of damaging proteins, such as amyloid and tau.
Alzheimer’s and other dementias affect 50 million people around the world, and none of the treatments currently available can stop the disease.
For more on this story visit the BBC website
Everycare Hastings recently attended a networking event at Azur Marina in Hastings, where it shared experiences of working within the home care sector with companies across the region.
It was wonderful to meet Sandra Martin (from the tv show Gogglebox) who works with a variety of charities. As you can imagine if you have ever seen Sandra on Gogglebox – a fun time was had by all in attendance!
Everycare Hastings enjoys networking with professionals and local community groups within the Hastings area, if you and your colleagues would like to find out more about our work within the care sector and the issues that are currently being faced by carers, our clients and their families and what solutions are available then please do contact us today.
