Kathy Lawrence
Speaking up for our community in Dementia Friends
Written by Sandra Bullen When They Get Older visited the UK Government Cabinet Office in July 2013 to take part in a roundtable on Dementia Friends, a new initiative run by the Alzheimer’s Society and funded by the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health. The campaign is part of the Prime Minister’s challenge on […]
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Helping parents to avoid depression
With depression known to be a real risk in an ageing population, there are many ways that we can help our parents to keep active and independent to stave off the gloom. Our parents can become depressed for many reasons. Losing friends and loved ones is an obvious cause, but loneliness through lack of human […]
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Dad, dementia and connecting through art
Written by Rebecca Lenton This week’s storyteller is Ro Lavender. Ro tells us how watercolour painting brought her closer again to her father, Peter Scott, after advancing dementia had caused a collapse in communication between them. My dad was an architect and a very capable and independent individual. He was a practical man who always […]
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When helpers become the enemy
This week’s storyteller is Sally.After years of being his wife’s carer, Sally’s father began to believe that everyone coming into his home wanted to poison him or steal his treasures. In this first part of her story, Sally describes how her father slipped into delusional paranoia and how his family struggled to help. After more […]
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Recognising signs of dementia
Written by Kathy Lawrence Dementia is much in the news now. But can we differentiate between failing memory that besets the elderly and the busy, and true dementia? Looking at the lists of early symptoms of dementia that are being publicised, it would be easy to have a three-step reaction. OMG that’s me. Panic! If […]
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When saving stuff becomes hoarding
This week’s storyteller has chosen to be anonymous. A lifetime’s tendency to keep stuff just in case can reach epic proportions in old age. Is it a problem? When we visit H’s aunt these days, we’re not invited across the threshold to her flat. We were when she first moved in, although even then it […]
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Urinary incontinence: causes, treatments, symptoms
Urinary incontinence is often seen as an inevitable sign of ageing but that’s not necessarily the case. There could be other causes that can be addressed. And for those who do have to live with incontinence in the long term, there are ways to help manage the condition. Urinary incontinence is defined as the unintentional […]
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A focus on vitamin D – how the “sunshine” vitamin can improve health
Update July 2021: Evidence suggests that lack of vitamin D can lead to more hospitalisations due to Covid-19, but isn’t linked to greater mortality rates. Read more indepth analysis of studies on vitamin D and health here. Dr David Mantle, nutritional adviser at Pharma Nord, discusses the importance of vitamin D to health in an […]
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5 tips for preventing falls in the home
Statistics show that falls in the home that mean a trip to A&E are often the first step to losing independence and a move into care. Nursing professional Vince Baiera shares his experiences in helping older people to avoid having those falls. With more than six years’ experience as an ICU Nurse at some of […]
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Product review: adjustable multi-user spectacles
We’ve been trying out adjustables glasses. Named adjustable not because you can change the fit but instead you can change the actual lens to suit a wide range of prescriptions. That means they could be shared as a “spare pair”. Here’s what we thought. As we get older most of us become more dependent on […]
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