Reading in the papers today the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stated “too many” care homes did not properly follow the procedures during the COVID19 pandemic.  In response care home providers have said the comments by the Prime Minister are “neither accurate nor welcome”.

The Prime Minister did say care should be funded properly and support needs to be organised.  The National Care Forum (NCF) said he should turn up the dial on reform, and down on the blame”.  Vic Rayner speaking on behalf of the 120 members of the NCF said guidance came in “stops and starts – with organisations grappling with over 100 pieces of additional guidance much of which was not accompanied by an understanding of the operational implications of operating care services.” Mike Padgham operating care homes in North Yorkshire said Health England in February said is was very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home would become infected and that homes didn’t need to do anything differently.  It was many weeks later after most homes had already lockdown that the advice changed.”

Mark Booker (Owner, Independent Living) stated “in my opinion at the start of this care was the poor relation of the NHS.  This is probably because the public has great affection for the NHS whereas care is a silent and an under valued service.  In our experience Lancashire County have been helpful asking us daily how the service was coping , and providing some PPE.  However, government guidance has often come in the form of long emails rather than verbal communication.  I believe when COVID19 deaths in care homes rocketed the Government panicked and realised they had neglected this sector, but clearly they could not undo the damage.

In our experience the home care sector has not been hit like care homes probably because it is harder to spread infection but I do worry what support we would have received if things had been different.”

COVID19 has affected people and businesses in many different ways.  Home care is no different, customers we took to supermarkets, garden centres, hospital appointments suspended their service whilst they self isolated.  On the other hand because some people have not been getting visits from relatives they have increased their care.  Whatever people choose we are here to support our customers and their families.  Throughout the crisis the safety of our customers and our care staff is paramount.  We have used personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand sanitisers throughout the pandemic, this includes: face masks, aprons and gloves.

Now we are moving to the so called “new normal” we are finding self isolating customers are now returning.  We are also seeing a demand for home care as people start to make decisions about care for elderly relatives.  We the high number of COVID19 care home cases and an inability to visit relatives many more people are considering care at home as an alternative.

Independent Living Owner (Mark Booker) commented “care homes have had a bad press around COVID19 and this is not their fault.  However, it is left people wondering how to support their elderly relatives in the future.  We believe that care in your own home is a great option for most people – any survey conducted consistently  shows that the overwhelming desire of older people is to remain in their own home as long as possible – it is where they feel comfortable, surrounded by their memories and possessions,”

The media is currently full of COVID 19 stories!  I don’t know if you are like me but after a few months of reading the press about COVID19 I’ve given up!  First to annoy me is the miracle cures: Vitamin D, Anti-depressants, rabies drugs……………….yesterday it was even mouthwash!   The next bug bear is the “experts”, one Professor saying a lockdown achieves little and the numbers were falling before it, whilst another Professor saying it is vital to save the NHS and “flatten the curve”.  Then we get experts saying 40% of people have had COVID19, others saying its just 5%.  They don’t even know if you are immune from COVID19 in future if you have had it!

Given the above we would just like to reassure you that it is business as normal here at Independent Living.  The office is open in normal working hours to deal with issues.   We are continuing to care for our customers in their own homes.  We are providing our carers with hand sanitizers and our carers are issued with personal protective equipment (PPE).  If any of our carers do exhibit possible symptoms of COVID 19 they will self isolate for the period of time required by the Government.

If we can help please call us in normal office hours on 01257 696 050.

Doctors have welcomed a treatment which may slow down the condition if it is caught in its early stages.  Biogens drug “aducanumab” has seen success in clinical trials.  The manufacturer is in talks to seek the opinion of the US regulator.  A trial has been given to 3,000 patients at higher doses than previously given and it does appear to slow down the disease.

Anton Portsteinsson from the University of Rochester stated “there is a tremendous unmet need and the Alzheimers disease community has been waiting for this moment”. The news comes after 5 years which drug companies have watched promising treatments fail in their final stages, leading to some firms to pull entirely from the field.”

Independent Living Owner (Mark Booker) commented “we hear an awful lot about miracle cures and promising clinical trials but up to know many drugs have not lived up to their hype.  However, with an ageing population more people are experiencing memory loss issues and if we are to provide quality care in the future more investment is needed in this area”.

Massage and music therapy are more effective than sedatives at calming people with dementia according to a study by authors from the University of Toronto who believe it is time to move away from drugs. If patients become aggressive or agitated it is more humane and more patient centred to use non-medical treatments.  A hand massage for just 5-10 minutes can calm a person down.  Also music can be used, for example giving a person a headset with their favourite type, this could be as diverse as jazz or classic rock!  In Britain the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that carers first try to deal with upset patients with non-drug therapy such as massage, exercise or aromatherapy.

Mark Booker owner of Independent Living commented “the use of alternative techniques does seem a great way forward, it is perhaps more time consuming and labour intensive but surely it gives older people a better quality of life.”  In the home care sectors where people have one-to-one care we do try to find activities which interest people with dementia, this may be cooking, gardening, puzzles etc

A simple blood test can detect the onset of dementia according to scientists in America.  The test could speed up diagnosis, and then it is hoped interventions can help at an earlier stage.  At present there is no effective treatment for an illness which will affect 600,000 Britons by 2025.  The test has 90% accuracy in spotting any toxins in the brain which are an early indication of the disease.  The current thinking is that because clinical drugs trials have failed to work it maybe the solution is to try and intervene at a much earlier stage before obvious symptoms emerge.  Currently brain scans are used (known as Pet scans) but these are time consuming and expensive.

Owner of Independent Living commented “caring for people with dementia is an area where we are seeing an explosion of need.  As more people start to live into their late 80s and early 90s it is inevitable that memory issues amongst our customers are growing.  Providing care and support for people with mild/medium dementia in their own home is growing.  People with severe dementia often need to be in a specialist care facility.”

If you spend time with friends when you are 60 your are less likely to develop dementia.  Scientists believe that the onset of dementia can be delayed through friendship and social activity.  An alternative view is that people who have started with dementia start to become less sociable.  It is argued that people who socialise more are using their cognitive skills such as language and memory so this helps to build up resilience.  It is estimated that 7% of people aged over 65 have dementia .

However, even more generally loneliness and isolation is a real issue for older people in the UK.  What is also being found is that what is good for the heart is good for the brain – i.e. good diet, exercise, no smoking.  Age UK urges us in today’s busy world we should also take a moment to be a friendly face, stop for a chat, and make a difference to the lives of those around us.

Independent Living Owner (Mark Booker) states “we care for people in their own homes and can find in the modern world older people are often isolated.  They may have lost their partner, stopped driving, seen close friends pass away and relatives may not live locally.  This means older people can spend time alone.  Whilst we offer care in Chorley and Leyland it is becoming increasingly clear to us that many of our customers want social interaction from us and this is a growing service.”

Experts have described dementia as the biggest health crisis of our time as 1 in 8 people now die from the disease.  For women the rate was significantly higher causing 16.7 deaths per 1,000.  In people aged over 80 it is 23.6 per 1,000.  Celebrity Barbara Windsor who suffers from the disease backing the Alzheimers Society request for £2.4 million of funding.  It is believed one person every 3 minutes gets diagnosed and many of these people will face the future without adequate support.

Independent Living Owner (Mark Booker) commented “we now have an ageing population and it is inevitable that diseases and issues relating to older people will rapidly increase.  On the positive side we are now recognising the situation but at the present time we are not finding solutions to support these people and their families, and we are certainly not investing enough in areas such as social care to help them.  A major stumbling block is no one can decide the best way to pay for these.  However, older people will need care in increasing numbers, whether this is in their own home, extra care housing, a care home or a medical facility”.

Record numbers of pensioners are being admitted to hospital suffering malnutrition, and this is being blamed on the growing social care crisis.  Charities believe older people are being left to starve both in their own home, and also in care homes.  NHS data suggests that malnutrition identified on hospital admissions has tripled for adults in the last decade or so.

A Green Paper on Social Care was promised over 2 years ago but has been repeatedly delayed and was dropped in 2017 as the Government feared “dementia tax” would feature in their General Election.  Lesley Carter from the charity “Age UK” said many older people are isolated and being left to waste away.  With care services under pressure many older people receive a meal quickly but no one has the time to stay with the person and ensure that they actually eat it.    Even in a care home the same situation can exist with people being admitted to hospital underweight.  More people going to their local Council requesting help are finding they are turned away, and that the system is too complex.

Independent Owner Mark Booker commented “we are all emotionally attached to more funding for the NHS and politically it is a headline grabber. However in reality with rapidly rising numbers of elderly people the greater need is probably social care.  The two are linked because if we invested in good social care then it is likely less older people would need to be admitted to hospital, and if they are admitted they would stay a shorter time.  However, if we want to help older people we must accept that social care is just as important as the NHS.”

A family history of dementia may not be as bleak as previously thought, and those with a high genetic risk may reduce their risk by a third with a healthy lifestyle. A study of 196,000 people showed that the risk of dementia of dementia fell even by those genetically prone if they adopt a healthy lifestyle.  The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 1.8% of people classed as being of high risk developed dementia if they smoked, drank and ate unhealthily compared with just 1.1% who looked after themselves.

In the UK more than 850,00 people have a dementia diagnosis and this is expected to rise to over 1 million by 2025.  One in 14 people aged over 65 years has dementia rising to one in six over the age of 80.

Independent Living Owner (Mark Booker) stated “we care for many people with dementia, and a large number of people with the illness can be cared for at home with support.  With regard lifestyles we are seeing much more in the press about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.  When I was growing up in the 70s/80s it was normal for people to smoke on a bus, the other day I saw an article saying less than 15% of the adult population now smokes – this shows we are now doing more to improve our health.”