eldercare
My mum’s self-isolating and I’m worried about her state of mind
Dear Lesley I can’t stop worrying about my mum during this lockdown. She’s 85 so she needs to stay at home, and people locally have been great at getting her bits of shopping and her meds and leaving them at her door. The trouble is, she’s not used to being on her own all day, […]
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Age as a risk in the coronavirus pandemic
The subject of risk is as confusing as anything else around the coronavirus. With new knowledge being gleaned every day, the advice given to the public can change as fast. The risk we’re talking about here is not the likelihood of catching the disease, but the probability of being severely affected by it. All older […]
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What to do if you think your parent is self-neglecting
Signs of some degree of self-neglect is common amongst older people. Sometimes there’s a simple explanation that can be addressed through practical help. Perhaps a friend or relative that’s not visited for a while notices that your relative has lost weight. That could be a health issue, which needs checking out sooner rather than later. […]
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Caregiver news January 2020
With the UK General Election out of the way, new and old policies around the NHS and care are now moving forward again. In this issue’s news: Hospital doctors lack confidence in video appointments NHS officials found to be charging for advice on NHS Continuing Healthcare funding Free hospital parking on the horizon for some […]
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Thinking about eldercare
Our regular roundup of useful news and views for those supporting older friends and family. In this issue: Pensions credit and those missing out GPs and home visits Retirement homes as a legacy Likelihood of a caring future Cost of social care around the country Equity release challenges Changing ways that consumers pay Talking about […]
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Mum’s behaviour has always hurt. Now dementia is making it worse
Dear Lesley, I’m looking after my 90-year old mum who has some dementia. My problem is her nasty attitude. I’m single and have to work full-time, but I visit mum twice a week and call her a couple of times nearly every day. I try taking her out to new places and for dinner, but she […]
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News for caring families September 2019
In this week’s roundup of news and views that affect families with ageing relatives, we look at: Finding good care homes takes time Paying for care Working and caring responsibilities Checking up on pharmacies Changes to services at Boots NHS and AI-driven conversations Slowing Parkinson’s disease Napping and heart health Passing on pensions The saga […]
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Hands up, who has problems sleeping?
Ah yes, lots of you. And I’m in there too. For me, getting off to sleep is easy. It’s staying asleep that’s the difficult bit. And then getting back to sleep. Broken sleep started with small children, continued through eldercare, and it’s still with me. Yet, as many of you may have found, health professionals […]
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Advice on keeping cool in a heatwave
It’s July 2021, and the Met Office has just issued its first new-style alerts for extreme weather – in this case, heat. While we generally experience some very hot weather in parts of the UK most summers, these new hot weather alerts suggest that we should be extra vigilant, especially for our more vulnerable relatives […]
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An insider’s guide to asking the right questions when choosing a care home
There’s plenty of advice about choosing a care home available on the internet. But does it go far enough? As a registered nurse John has spent years working in care homes for the elderly and knows what’s important to ask. Now he’s used his experience to write a guide to the questions that will really […]
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