Health Awareness
Understanding Dementia 2019
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How technology is helping people with dementia
Smart technology has become mainstream over the last decade, automation has moved from tomorrow’s world to today’s reality, and dementia research is reaping the benefits. You might think it is just teenagers embracing new technology, but we know people of all ages have incorporated smart technology into their everyday lives. More than three in four...
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What do we know about dementia prevention?
Every three minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with dementia. With an ageing population, no effective treatments to slow dementia and an overstretched care system, we need to focus more than ever on finding ways to prevent it. Historically, research into dementia has been largely neglected, with the amount spent on dementia research dwarfed...
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New ways forward on the path to tackling dementia
Tackling dementia and Alzheimer’s requires a more in-depth understanding of the mechanisms behind the diseases. Drug developers are partnering with leading service providers to explore new routes. Why are there still no drugs to effectively tackle Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia? “Personally, I think it is mainly because we don’t understand enough about human biology...
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The UK’s attitudes towards dementia
Do you know what happens in the brain when someone has dementia? Would you want to be told about your risk of developing dementia in later life? Can you name the key risk factors for the condition? These are some of the questions we asked the nation in our Dementia Attitudes Monitor – an in-depth...
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A global effort against dementia is needed
Science, by its very nature, is a collaborative effort. Sharing results and experimental methods is at the core of the scientific approach. This exchange of information underpins the incredible progress science has made. But scientific collaboration goes far beyond this. When dementia research teams work together, the combination of different skills and perspectives means that...
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Caring for someone with dementia: the emotional rollercoaster
The stresses of caring for someone with dementia can affect the carer’s emotional wellbeing and ability to look after their own health. Caring for someone can have its highs and lows and, for many, it’s also both physically and mentally exhausting. For carers of people with dementia, the complex emotions involved can often leave you...
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New exciting dementia research
New directions for dementia research are opening up, and the necessary resources are already being made available. “Dementia research is getting exciting again, with many different possibilities opening up for new discoveries,” says Dr Maria Herva, a Group Leader in the Early Discovery arm of research services provider Charles River Laboratories (CRL). “There was a...
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Dementia-friendly care isn’t what it used to be
Contemporary research, a broader understanding of cognitive impairment and listening to the views of those living with dementia, means that care cultures are changing. Previous traditional approaches to ‘dementia-friendly’ care homes frequently focused on the use of bright colours within a simplistic, often child-like environment. The aim was to stimulate, orientate and occupy residents. Once...
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Understanding attitudes around dementia: How ADI used a survey to start a global movement
If your life has been touched by dementia and Alzheimer’s, you will know that we still have a lot of work to do to change attitudes and perceptions around it. Dementia is where cancer was 40 years ago Many people just accept this as an unchangeable fact and in some countries the prevailing thought is...
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Getting your confidence back in the great outdoors
Being outside is good for everyone’s wellbeing — and that particularly applies to people with dementia who are at risk of social isolation says Neil Mapes, CEO of Dementia Adventure. Q: How do outdoor activities help those living with dementia? A: There’s plenty of evidence to demonstrate the physical and emotional benefits of being outside....
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‘Starting a conversation is the first step in creating a dementia-friendly generation’
A future isolated from society is the stark truth for many living with dementia. It’s time to start a conversation about dementia, because it isn’t going away. By 2021, one million people will be living with dementia. There are currently 850,000 people living with dementia and two-thirds are living in their community. Many are left...
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Does your bank adapt to your needs?
People’s circumstances change, and when dementia is the cause, those people can become vulnerable. Businesses – especially banks, who deal with sensitive, personal, financial information – must be prepared to adapt. Successful adaptation needs a business-wide desire to help those with dementia. Internal dementia awareness sessions can build colleagues’ understanding of the disease and even...
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The power of technology to overcome dementia
Innovative technology has the potential to change the lives of people with dementia; not only by shaping care and support, but by revolutionising research and transforming the way we diagnose and treat the condition. Detecting the diseases that cause dementia early is critical. Research shows that Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, begins...
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Clinical trials – dementia research needs you
‘Where are the treatments? What are the latest drug trials? How can I get involved in this research?’ Three things I get asked most often when I speak to people about dementia. There has been no new dementia drug for over 15 years, and there is still no treatment to slow or stop diseases like...
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Treating symptoms of dementia by resetting brain genes’ responses
Research into a new, experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other central nervous system disorders is underway, with testing on mice showing positive results. The main risk factor for dementia is age, so research uses mice bred to have accelerated ageing. They develop cognitive impairment, plus many of the signs seen in human dementia....
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Solving the health crisis of our time – dementia
In the coming weeks, the government will make decisions about support for dementia research that will have a major impact on our ability to overcome the condition. This means the UK now faces a unique window of opportunity to ensure dementia research receives the funding it needs to transform lives. Right now, dementia is the...
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“I lived for the little sparks that reminded me she was still Mum”
Someone develops dementia every three minutes. Shocking statistics, but they’re a reality. Inspector Morse’s Kevin Whately tells us how loved ones with dementia need patience and kindness. I am by no means academically qualified in this field. However, I am qualified on what I watched my mum go through when she was diagnosed. In this...
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How to care for someone with dementia without losing sight of yourself
Caring for a loved one with dementia can be hugely rewarding – but also tough on top of the usual pressures of family life. In the UK, there are more than 6.5 million unpaid carers looking after a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill. Many care for friends and family for over...
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How music and singing can support people with dementia
Dementia affects not just an individual but the whole network of family and others involved in caring. There is currently no cure, and post-diagnostic support can be patchy. However, there are effective and inexpensive ways for those living and coping with the condition to focus on existing abilities that can bring them joy and relief amid the challenges...
