OnHealthy
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Care

Getting thinner is not a normal part of ageing

By | Care, Social | No Comments

This week is Nutrition and Hydration Week, raising awareness and celebrating food and drink as a way of maintaining health and wellbeing. However, a lot of people seem to think that weight loss is a natural part of ageing; it isn’t. According to Age UK’s Dianne Jeffrey “there is a perception that getting thinner is ‘normal’ in later life and that being overweight is more of a concern.” Loosing weight can be a symptom of undernourishment that is often missed in elderly people because they, or their carers believe it is normal. But this can not only lead to illness it can also delay or prevent recovery and rehabilitation. So what are…

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Dignity In Action

By | Care, News, Social | No Comments

Images of patients in corridors on trolleys, terrible news stories of care homes residents abused and neglected, overworked medical staff, lack of care assistants meaning home visits are down to just 15 minutes… These are the headlines that grab our attention, making us feel angry and upset and quite rightly so. Who’s fault is it? Who’s job is it to fix all this…. On 1st February – Dignity in Action Day – I’d like everybody to take a minute to stop and think about their own role in making sure everybody – every age, every background, every situation – is treated with dignity and respect. 83,816 people are registered as Dignity…

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Positive Minds – Socialising through technology

By | Care, News, Psychology, Social, Technology | No Comments

We have something a little bit different for our first blog of the New Year. We are really pleased to share news of a successful lottery funding application for a super mental health organisation in Bradford. Rally Round will be included as part of the fantastic activity delivered under the new scheme, which focuses on improving ‘connectivity’ for older people in the District. The Chair of Positive Minds, Marilyn Foster, has worked tirelessly for many years raising awareness about depression and other mental health concerns for older people. She heads up a consortium of like-minded groups and charities that together form Positive Minds. The project was based on research showing…

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Carers’ A&E visits can be preventable… But how?

By | Care, Hospital | No Comments

“One in 10 unpaid carers who called 999 or took their loved one to A&E did so because they did not know where else to go, a report by Carers UK suggests. Their snapshot online survey also found that one in five used A&E because they could not get hold of a GP or district nurse. The charity said a lack of local care and support services was contributing to a rise in A&E visits.” (On the BBC website front page today – 30.09.16) (View article on the BBC website) Whilst I openly admit that I am a huge advocate of support for carers and always will be, I would…

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Loneliness

By | Care, Psychology, Social | No Comments

Reaction to reading Sue Bourne’s article in The Guardian exploring loneliness. In this fascinating article Sue Bourne writing in The Guardian explores loneliness. I found her finishing statement particularly powerful and resonant ‘People of all ages missed someone to do nothing with. To chat idly. To sit next to. Part of me feels we have to train ourselves to enjoy solitude more. And perhaps also work harder at being kind to others and creating new support networks to replace the traditional ones, now lost.’ I’ve often found myself reading articles that explicitly place loneliness as the preserve of the elderly. The people who have had, and lost, friends and family…

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