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Showing results for tags 'Carer'.
Found 164 results
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News Article“Smart socks” that track sweat levels, heart rate and motion are being given to dementia patients to alert carers if they are becoming distressed. The unintrusive technology was developed by Dr Zeke Steer, of Bristol Universit. Dr Steer wanted to find a way to spot the early warning signs of distress, so carers or relatives could intervene with calming techniques to de-escalate the situation. The hi-tech hosiery - which look and feel like normal socks - use e-textiles to transmit data in real time to an app, which alerts carers when stress levels are rising. The socks are now being trialled among mid to late stage dementia patients. Researchers think they will also help people with autism and other conditions that affect communication. Fran Ashby, manager from Garden House Care Home, in Bristol, said: “We were really impressed at the potential of assisted technology to predict impending agitation and help alert staff to intervene before it can escalate into distressed behaviours. “Using modern assistive technology examples, like smart socks, can help enable people living with dementia to retain their dignity and have better quality outcomes for their day to day life.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 9 May 2022
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Content ArticleIn patient experience research, participants frequently report the impact that mesothelioma has on their mental health yet there have been very few studies specifically focused on mental health and mesothelioma. In patient experience research, participants frequently report the impact that mesothelioma has on their mental health yet there have been very few studies specifically focused on mental health and mesothelioma. This new study from the Mesothelioma UK research centre aims to create an understanding of the impact of mesothelioma on the mental health of patients, their families and close friends, and what people do to improve their mental health and well-being.
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News ArticleThe carer who admitted the manslaughter of Adelaide woman Ann Marie Smith, who had cerebral palsy, has been jailed for at least five years and three months for her criminal neglect. Sentencing Rosa Maria Maione in the Supreme Court, Justice Anne Bampton said the 70-year-old was grossly negligent, with her care for Smith falling well short of the standard expected. “You did not mobilise her from the chair in which she was found. You did not toilet her properly and you did not clean her properly,” she told Maione on Friday. “You did not feed her a nutritional diet or monitor her intake. You knew you were not capable of properly supporting her and you did not seek assistance in providing for Ms Smith’s needs." “Despite the deterioration in Ms Smith’s health, you did not seek assistance from your supervisor or medical professionals until it was too late.” Justice Bampton said Maione had absolutely no insight into Smith’s physical condition leading up to her death. “Your incompetence, lack of training, lack of assertiveness and lack of supervision produced an environment where you failed to provide appropriate care,” she said. “Every person living with a disability, every person who requires support, every parent, carer and support worker of persons living with a disability, I have no doubt shudders with fear when they hear of the utter lack of care and human dignity afforded to Ms Smith in those last months of her life.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 18 March 2022
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Content Article
It’s time to rename the ‘visitor’: reflections from a relative
Anonymous posted an article in By patients and public
In my first blog, ‘Visiting restrictions and the impact on patients and their families’, I highlighted how the pandemic has shone a stark spotlight on so many inequities and inconsistencies in access to health and social care. I wanted to draw attention to how visiting restrictions can result in worse outcomes for patients and their families. In my second blog I want to focus on the terms ‘visiting’ and ‘visitor’ and discuss what defines a visitor and why, in my opinion, it requires redefining and renaming. -
Content ArticleThis study in the British Journal of General Practice looked at the association between continuity of GP care and potentially inappropriate prescribing in patients with dementia, as well as the incidence of adverse health outcomes. The study authors found that for patients with dementia, consulting with the same doctor consistently, resulted in: 35% less risk of delirium 58% less risk of incontinence 10% less risk in emergency admission to hospital less inappropriate prescribing. The results demonstrate that increasing continuity of care for patients with dementia could improve their treatment and outcomes.
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News ArticleMore than 167,000 children are believed to have lost parents or caregivers to Covid during the pandemic – roughly one in every 450 young people in the US under age 18. The count updates the October estimate that 140,000 minors had lost caregiving adults to the virus, and is four times more than a springtime tally that found nearly 40,000 children had experienced such loss. In a report titled Hidden Pain, researchers from the COVID Collaborative and Social Policy Analytics published the new total, which they derived by combining coronavirus death numbers with household-level data from the 2019 American Community Survey. The death toll further underscores the daunting task facing schools as they seek to help students recover not just academically, but also emotionally, from a pandemic that has already stretched 22 months and claimed more than 800,000 American lives. It’s an issue of such elevated concern that Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, on 7 December, used a rare public address to warn Americans of the pandemic’s “devastating” effects on youth mental health. An accompanying 53-page report calls out the particular difficulties experienced by young people who have lost parents or caregivers to the virus. Bereaved children have higher rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder than those who have not lost parents, according to a 2018 study that followed grieving children for multiple years. They are more than twice as likely to show impairments in functioning at school and at home, even seven years later, meaning these children need both immediate and long-term counseling and support to deal with such a traumatic loss. “For these children, their whole sky has fallen, and supporting them through this trauma must be a top priority.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 December 2021
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Content ArticleUniversity Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust has published a guide to help parents and carers know what to do when young children fall ill. It gives advice on when and where to seek treatment for children suffering from common illnesses or injuries. The guidance, written by doctors, focuses on coughs, minor head injuries, vomiting and fever. The trust said it hoped to help families avoid long waits in A&E departments. Advice in the guide aims to help people decide whether to seek help from their GP, call 111, visit A&E or treat children at home.
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Content ArticleThis white paper sets out the UK Government's 10-year vision for adult social care, and provides information on funded proposals that they will implement over the next three years. It highlights the factors that will cause an increase in demand for social care over the next decade and identifies stakeholders who the proposed changes to social care will affect. A key proposal in this white paper is the cap on how much individuals in England will contribute to their care costs from October 2023, which aims to make care costs predictable and limited.
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Content ArticleIn this interview with Dr. Robert Mentz, Editor-in-Chief and Dr. Anu Lala, Deputy Editor at the Journal of Cardiac Failure, Kristin and Will Flanary (AKA Lady and Dr. Glaucomflecken) share their experience as co-patient and patient. Will suffered a cardiac arrest in May 2020 and the experience of discovering her husband, having to perform CPR and waiting in isolation for news left his wife Kristin with significant trauma. The interview explores the experience of those involved in medical trauma who are not the patient themselves, the 'co-patient', and the ways in which healthcare professionals can support them to process their experience.
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Content ArticleIn his account in the Journal of Cardiac Failure, Kristin Flanary describes her experience of discovering her husband having a cardiac arrest, giving him CPR and the subsequent wait for information on his condition. She then describes the trauma she experienced in the weeks and months following the incident. She highlights that healthcare providers can play an important role in helping relatives or non-patients who have been part of a medical emergency process their experiences.
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Content Article
Carer knows best… A blog by Miriam Martin
Miriam Martin posted an article in Community care
Many people are taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older and who need support. For Carers Rights Day, Miriam Martin, Chief Executive of Caring Together, looks at the role carers play at hospital discharge, why poor quality discharge can put the patient at risk and discusses what more can be done to support carers when patients return home from hospital. -
Content ArticleThis report published by Carers UK looks at carers’ recent experiences of hospital discharge under the discharge to assess model. It reveals the devastating toll on carers where it is clear that they have been left with unacceptable levels of caring responsibilities which are unsafe in some situations. This has placed intolerable stress upon carers and has had negative outcomes for people needing care and support. A very clear thread from carers’ experiences shows that carers have not been involved, consulted or given the right information in order to care safely and well. If carers are considered to be partners in care, then, like health and care professionals, they need access to relevant information to help them support a person needing care safely.
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Content ArticleEach year, Carers UK carries out a survey of carers to understand the state of caring in the UK, and this is the largest State of Caring survey carried out by Carers UK to date. Over 8,500 carers and former carers shared their experiences.
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Content Article
Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. It affects young or old, and in the UK around 145,000 people are living with the condition. With population growth and ageing, this figure is estimated to increase by 20%, within the next ten years. Currently there is no cure for Parkinson’s, but medication plays a vital role in managing symptoms and preventing deterioration. In this blog, Laura Cockram, Head of Policy and Campaigning at Parkinson's UK, talks about: How people with Parkinson’s can prepare their medication to go into hospital. Resources that can support you. -
EventPanelists will provide a robust overview of the challenges that accompany medical care and propose actionable recommendations for patients, family members, and carers to balance life demands for patients with complex medical needs. Register
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Content ArticleThis is the report of an inquiry conducted by the Health and Social Care Select Committee in 2020/21 which considers how the social care system is supporting those living with dementia. In the report the Committee make the case that the UK government’s plans for the health and care levy provides insufficient funding for social care over the next three years.
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News ArticlePeople are dying at home without the correct nursing support or pain relief because of staff shortages, according to the end-of-life charity Marie Curie. One in three nurses, responding to a survey by the charity and Nursing Standard, say a lack of staff is the main challenge providing quality care to dying people. More than half of the nurses said they feel the standard of care has deteriorated during the coronavirus pandemic. Some 548 nursing staff across acute and community settings in the UK completed the survey in September. They raise concerns about the increased number of people dying at home and insufficient numbers of community nurses to support these people and their families. One nurse who responded to the survey said: "If more [people] are dying at home then there is a huge pressure on local district nursing teams which struggle with staffing as it is." Julie Pearce, chief nurse and executive director of quality and caring services at Marie Curie, said: "The pandemic has accelerated change across many care settings. "More people are dying at home and staffing to support this shift isn't there. "The data shows a hidden crisis happening behind closed doors and people dying without access to pain relief or the dignity they deserve." Read full story Source: The Independent, 27 October 2021
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Content ArticleIf you're a carer and the person you care for fractures their hip, this guide from the Royal College of Physicians will ensure that you are equipped with the information you need to support their recovery.
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Content ArticleThe National Audit of Dementia (NAD) collected feedback between June and July 2020 to examine how the pandemic has affected hospital care for people with dementia. This report presents the findings from surveys completed by patients, their carers and hospital dementia leads.
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News Article
‘Nightmare’ fuel shortages hit care of vulnerable patients
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Community and mental health service providers have warned the ongoing fuel crisis and other traffic disruption is starting to impact the care of vulnerable patients. Warnings about a HGV drivers shortage have prompted the panic-buying of fuel, with many petrol stations running out or heavily congested. Julia Winkless, a senior social worker and approved mental health professional in Suffolk, told HSJ clinical visits had to be cancelled as people were unable to get to work. Ms Winkless said: “We work over a very rural area, none of these petrol stations where [staff] live have got any fuel and we don’t know when there is going to be deliveries. Today, there were four mental capacity assessments cancelled.” There is also disruption to patient transport. A senior source at a West Midlands patient transport provider which often conveys people to mental health services told HSJ: “It’s been a bit of a nightmare in all honesty. We turned down a request this morning for a patient going to London because of the fuel and because of the [climate protesters disrupting motorways]… ultimately those patients are either at home and distressed carrying a big risk in the community or [accident and emergency] departments which [are not] the right settings.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 28 September 2021 -
Content ArticleThis guide, from the Social Care Institute for Excellence, aims to support day care managers, social workers, commissioners and providers, to restart or continue activities following the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. It is focused on community-based day services, day centres (with and without personal care), including specialised day centre environments, and those with outdoor spaces.
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News Article
Covid: Unpaid carers 'struggled to get pain relief' for terminally ill
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Unpaid carers looking after terminally ill friends and relatives during the pandemic struggled to access pain relief, with some patients dying in unnecessary pain, a survey has found. The survey of 995 unpaid carers by Marie Curie also found people had difficulties getting personal care and respite nursing for loved ones. Figures show the number of people dying at home rose by 42% in the past year. Nearly two-thirds of carers surveyed by the charity said their loved one did not get all the pain relief they needed when they were dying. Susan Lowe, from Solihull, cared for her mother Sheila before she died with bowel cancer in April last year, aged 74. She said caring for her mum during lockdown was hard as "the system was just under so much pressure that we had to manage largely on our own". The public health worker says she struggled to get the right pain relief medication for her mother in her final weeks and spent hours travelling to different chemists. Susan, 50, told the BBC: "My biggest regret is that my mum died in pain - more pain than she needed to be. She really wanted to be comfortable at the end. She knew she was dying." "What she really wanted - and this is what she was assured would happen - was to be comfortable. She was told she would get the drugs that she needed for it to be as bearable as possible... I remember breaking down in tears a couple of times in the pharmacy when I was told the medication mum needed wasn't in stock." Read full story Source: BBC News, 8 April 2021 -
Content Article
Preventing COVID-19 infections in care homes
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Guidance
Government guidance on the changes to care home visits. -
Event
Couldn't care less: The permanent crisis of care
Sam posted an event in Community Calendar
untilWe all need care at some point in our lives. And as many as 8.8 million of us are already carers. Despite that, in just two years, the number of older people living with an unmet care need has risen by 19%. Why is our care system so neglected? Our care system was in crisis before the pandemic and remains in crisis now. It'll continue to be in crisis long after we're vaccinated against COVID-19. A system under stress, carers under pressure and those in need of care facing neglect. This is our new normal. Can nothing be done about this? Join our host, Claret Press publisher Katie Isbester PhD, and our three guests, as they grapple with the big issues that affect us all. They will talk with Professor of Sociology Dr Emma Dowling and the Director of UNICARE at UNI Global Union Mark Bergfeld, as well as acclaimed writer, with lived experience of care, Sarah Gray. Register -
Content ArticleIn this blog, published on the Alzheimer's Society website, Sue Hansard reflects on the lessons she learnt from living with and caring for her mum who had Alzheimer's disease and passed away two years ago. She shares her perspective to honour her mum, celebrate their relationship, and help others affected by dementia.
