health
Should we all be standing on one leg?
I was listening to one of the series of BBC podcasts from Dr Michael Moseley about one thing you can do to change your life. This one was advocating practising standing on one leg to improve balance. That’s easy, I thought. I’ve done plenty of pilates in the past – I can stand on one […]
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Reducing the risks of Type 2 diabetes
What’s the latest thinking on diabetes risk and treatment? Having just been through a Type 2 diabetes scare, I can confirm that there are a myriad of theories and approaches around how to avoid, reverse or manage the disease. Here is a roundup of some of the latest thinking. And if you think it’s contradictory […]
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Financial, legal and lifestyle news for older citizens April 2021
Our regular round-up of news and views affecting seniors and their families. This issue includes High street banking Job losses Landline phones Scam alerts Risky investments Life after dementia diagnosis Alcohol and the lockdown Vitamins, exercise and Covid-19 Vaccine side-effects Care award winners Managing chronic pain Getting banking back into the high street Here’s a […]
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How the pandemic is changing the way we manage diabetes
Diabetes is one of the conditions believed to raise the risk level of serious illness for anyone who contracts Covid-19. One in four people who died in hospital in England between March and May 2020 following a diagnosis of the coronavirus also had diabetes. While this sounds alarming, the risk of dying is still very […]
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Practical ways to encourage older people to drink more fluids
Ever been in one of those conversations where you’re trying to encourage your older relative to drink more water? But they don’t want to because they’re not thirsty, or they’ll be getting up in the night even more often than they already do? Or they won’t be told by their children what to do? Getting […]
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Where to go for government, health and care advice in the coronavirus crisis
This page is devoted to links for official and expert information for everyone with questions about specific health conditions and what we can and can’t do in the crisis. We will be updating the page regularly as more advice becomes available. Government advice and resources The UK government offers advice and requirements primarily for England, […]
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How can we help our parents avoid the worst effects of air pollution?
We’ve known for a long time that pollution has a detrimental effect on health over the long term. And now it’s been identified as a risk factor for dementia. Research looking at hospital admissions in major cities has shown that high levels of pollution can bring on serious illness at speed, triggering heart attacks, strokes […]
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Can being more optimistic help us live longer?
There have been certain elements in public life recently who have exhorted the nation to be more optimistic. Possibly easier said than done, especially if you’re trying to juggle the demands of work, family and care giving. Yet recent research has suggested that people with higher levels of optimism can increase their life span. The […]
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Why exercise now and in later years?
At any stage in our lives, we are encouraged to exercise. It’s good for the heart, the lungs, our bones – just about every part of us. And it’s argued that exercise can improve our mood and general sense of well-being. What does tend to change is the advice on how much exercise, when, and […]
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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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