Muscle loss can be a common factor amongst the elderly. The ageing process can make the body frailer making exercising more difficult. This means that individuals can lose muscle tone which can make it more difficult to complete daily living tasks, which will cause them to lose their independence. In order for individuals to maintain their independence for as long as possible the best solution would be to exercise on a regular basis, and ensure that an adequate level of protein is consumed as part of a balanced diet.

How Exercise Can Help

Exercise can be extremely beneficial in preventing or reducing muscle loss. With regular exercise muscles are being worked and toned. This reduces the chances of muscle wastage, and this in turn can leave an individual feeling fitter and stronger. This is extremely beneficial particularly in the elderly because it allows them to maintain their independence for much longer, in comparison to those who don’t exercise regularly.

How Can Protein Help Prevent Muscle Loss

An individual’s diet can have a significant impact on muscle tone amongst the elderly. Protein is of particular importance because its main purpose is to aid growth and repair of the body. There are many foods that contain high levels of protein, including: fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and whole grains. These foods can be very beneficial in preventing muscle loss, as proteins are essential for maintaining and repairing body cells which is essential in the elderly, who can struggle with muscle loss as a result of periods of inactivity. This in turn can lead to individuals losing their independence.

For women in particular it is vitally important that an adequate amount of protein is consumed. This is because most sources of protein contain high levels of iron, which is a key nutrient. Another reason why protein is particularly important for women is because they are more susceptible to developing osteoporosis, and this can cause all sorts of mobility problems which can lead to muscle loss.

Muscle Loss And Home Care

For those who are struggling to complete daily living activities within their homes as a result of muscle loss, Home Care may provide a helpful solution. Individuals can work with care workers to complete exercises that will help to improve muscle tone and stability. This in turn can help them to become stronger, and this will help them to be able to complete daily living tasks with greater ease, and will help individuals to maintain a level of independence for longer.
Home Care workers can also help to increase an individual’s confidence and self-esteem through using gentle exercises to build muscle tone. This is beneficial because it can help an individual to feel more confident in completing activities.

Working with a care worker to complete exercises on a regular basis can be extremely beneficial for the elderly. It provides them with additional help and support, which in turn allows them to build their confidence and self-esteem. This can be particularly important for those where muscle loss may be an issue, because it gives them the confidence to get out into the community where they can partake in a regular exercise regime.

In conclusion it is of vital importance that all individuals maintain a level of fitness through actively taking part in exercise on a regular basis in order to improve muscle tone. This is important, particularly amongst the elderly because it is easy to lose mobility and this can have a significant impact on individual’s independence. Protein is a key factor in an individual’s diet in terms of maintaining muscle tone because it aids growth and repair, and as part of a balanced diet can help to provide an individual with the energy that they need in order to complete the exercise that is vital for maintaining muscle tone and preventing muscle loss.

What is eHealth?

eHealth is the electronic management of an individual’s health information, which has been designed to improve upon some of the existing paper based systems. eHealth has been designed to increase efficiency within healthcare, and in turn this will help to decrease costs.

How eHealth Works

eHealth works by providing individual’s access to their medical records in an easy and convenient manner. This is done by allowing access to individual’s online. This can be extremely beneficial because it allows individuals the opportunity to see exactly what being kept within their medical records, and eHealth is available in a number of forms.
Electronic Health Records is a computerised method of storing an individual’s medical records, so that they can be passed between different medical professionals with ease. This is particularly beneficial because it could reduce the time in which it takes for professionals to diagnose a serious condition. It is a system that is also capable of being shared across different care settings. For example if an elderly individual who was living in a care home were to become ill their medical records can be passed between the nursing home in which they live and any medical professionals that deal with their case.
Telmedicine is where telecommunication and other computerised methods are used in order to provide an individual with health care at a distance. This can be extremely beneficial, particularly to those who live in rural areas. This is because it allows people who live to far away to receive health care without inconvenience.
Consumer Health Informatics is designed to help to bridge the gap between individuals and health resources. This allows individuals to remotely communicate with health professional. This again would be extremely beneficial for those who live in rural areas. This means that they will receive a much more effective and efficient service, without having to deal with any stress from having to travel long distances to receive care.

Could eHealth be beneficial to you?

eHealth can be extremely beneficial for individuals because it can be a more efficient manner of dealing with healthcare services. The time taken for health processes to be completed can be greatly reduced. An example of this would be the time that health professional needs to spend on data handling tasks is lessened, and this benefits individual’s because it means that doctors will have more time to spend dealing with the individual and finding ways of resolving problems.
Another benefit that eHealth would be cost. Using computerised methods for healthcare can greatly reduce the costs. This is largely because it can reduce the needs for travel, as consultations can be done online. It can also reduces the need for referring individual’s to specialists
Another benefit that eHealth can have for an individual is it can have a slightly less formal approach in terms of consultations in comparison to going into hospital or a doctors surgery and having a consultation face-to-face. This may be beneficial for some people because they may find visiting doctors in person too stressful. It also creates a similar atmosphere to house calls which can make the situation a bit more comfortable.

Disadvantages to eHealth

However there are a few disadvantages to eHealth. The main disadvantage of the eHealth system would be trust. This is because it will become increasingly difficult for both doctors and individuals to know if they can trust each other. For example individual’s may simply fake symptoms in order to get prescriptions, as it may be difficult to make accurate diagnoses. Alternatively individual’s may find it difficult to trust their doctors diagnoses because they may feel that it is impossible to diagnose an illness or ailment over the internet.
Another disadvantage of eHealth is individuals may be worried about their records being stolen. Even though the possibility of records being stolen is extremely low, there is still a minor possibility and this can be extremely worrying for some individuals.
Over time eHealth will be become common practice because health systems are under strain from the increasing number of elderly people and the increases in people with long term conditions. There will not be enough time for doctors to meet all the patients face-to-face because the doctor will need to more efficient in working on diagnosis.

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth (the naming coming from health using the telephone system) is a method of supporting an individual in their own home, and it can be used to complement existing care packages used by individuals. This service is provided through the use of remote monitoring of an individual’s vital signs within their own home, through the use of electronic sensors or other equipment that can be used to monitor an individual’s vital signs. By monitoring an individual’s vital signs remotely it can aid diagnosis, assessment and management of an individual’s condition, without them having to leave their home.
Telehealth can be used to measure and monitor and measure a number of different areas and these include: blood pressure, blood glucose levels, oxygen levels and weight. These systems can be beneficial because they can reduce the number of visits that an individual needs to make to their doctor or to the hospital.

Telehealth Services

Telehealth can provide individuals with a number of different services including: specialist referral services, patient consultations, and remote patient monitoring. Specialist referral services involve both a doctor and a specialist, who work together to come up with an accurate diagnosis for the individual. Patient consultations use video and audio in order to come up with a diagnosis and an effective treatment plan. Remote patient monitoring is where devices are used remotely to collect data that is sent to a monitoring station and is interpreted by a health professional. This helps professionals to come up with an effective treatment plan and to spot any changes in condition quickly.

Benefits of Telehealth

Telehealth can provide a number of benefits, for example the system may help to increase an individual’s level of independence and control. This in turn will help to boost confidence and self-esteem whilst making them feel more secure at home. Benefits of Telehealth also include: improved access to medical specialists, effective diagnosis and treatment, decreased stress, travel, and costs.
Remote patient monitoring is most likely to provide benefits to an individual living within their own homes, and this is largely because it allows an individual to maintain some levels of independence for as long as possible. The system would also be very beneficial to those who live in remote areas, as it would greatly reduce travel costs, and make getting a diagnosis and treatment much more straightforward.
Quality of life can also be greatly improved through the use of Telehealth, as hospitalisation can be avoided. This can be beneficial for all involved with the case, and this can save travel costs, and treatment. This in turn will improve monitoring and follow up on any equipment required.
Telehealth can be used effectively for patients with long term conditions because the other choice would be longer stays in hospital. With the technology available the person can be in a ‘virtual ward’ at home being monitored 24 hours a day.

Disadvantages of Telehealth

Even though there are many benefits that Telehealth can have on an individual, there can be a few difficulties in setting up the system and its initial running. For example in an individual’s home it may be difficult to set up and find space for the equipment. Training for using the equipment may also pose some issues in the initial stages, as well as being able to operate the equipment. This may be a result of poor mobility.
Overall Telehealth can be a very positive addition to an individual’s care package within their own home, as it provides them with support from health professionals. This can have a significant impact on an individual’s daily living, and this is because of the additional support on hand the individual’s confidence, self-esteem may increase and their ability to complete tasks on their own may also improve.
A complaint about Telehealth has been about the initial capital cost but it most likely that Telehealth will be delivered as a packaged service involving a monthly charge which will make it more effective for health services to buy.

The time after a stroke can be very distressing for both individual’s and their loved ones. A stroke can lead to difficult decisions about what happens next, as daily living tasks such as washing, dressing and meal preparation can become a struggle. This makes living independently difficult and extra support may be required.
Rehabilitation services
A lot of support may be required after a stroke, as there may be a decline in mobility or problems with communication may develop. As a result, additional support may be required, and this can be provided through various rehabilitation services, some of which are mentioned below.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy may be required to help after a stroke. Physiotherapists can be extremely beneficial for individual’s, as they can help them to regain some mobility. This can be done through exercises designed to help to regain strength.

Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and language therapists may also be of help to individual’s after suffering from a stroke. This is particularly the case if they have suffered from speech or swallowing problems.
The therapists can help an individual by providing them with exercises such as head and neck lifting, and helping you to change your posture to help to maximise ease when swallowing.
Speech can also be aided by helping to find methods of easing communication. For example matching words to pictures and exercises to help improve the strength of mouth muscles.
They can also help with issues controlling your breathing by giving you exercises and help you to concentrate on what you are saying, by encouraging deep breathing between sentences.

Other services

There are many services available to aid stroke recovery and these include: occupational therapists, community or district nurses, psychologists, counsellors, and dieticians. All of these services can be beneficial in aiding stroke recovery as many problems can arise.
For example a dietician may be required to assist with feeding problems, including loss of appetite or trouble swallowing. They help by finding out what the problem is and help them to find ways of overcoming it such as alternative foods. A meal plan may be devised to healthy and balanced diet is being maintained.

How can Home Care help?

Home Care may become beneficial after suffering from a stroke, they may have lost some independence. If the stroke wasn’t severe, they may still be mobile, but lacking in confidence meaning that they no longer feel comfortable doing tasks alone.
Home Care may be beneficial as a care worker can support them with many areas that they may struggle with including: personal care, meal preparation, domestic duties, and medication management. This helps to ensure individual’s feels relaxed and safe at home.
Home Care aids stroke recovery by supporting an individual to regain strength, confidence and some independence. This can be done through supporting an individual to do exercises provided by other services, and ensuring that they are eating properly to ensure that they are getting all of the nutrients they require.

Home Care is becoming increasingly popular amongst the elderly. It provides many benefits that individual’s may not get if they move into a Care Home and these include: maintaining independence, promoting dignity, increasing confidence and maintaining self-esteem. Home Care services help individuals to continue to remain independent within their homes and remain part of the community for as long as they possibly can.

What services can be provided?

There are many different services that can be provided as part of a Home Care package including assistance with all aspects of personal care. This covers a wide range of areas an activities including: bathing, showering, assisting with personal hygiene, dressing and help with toileting.
Night sitting services can be provided as part of a Home Care package, these can be put into place to provide support for individuals, particularly if they have poor mobility and struggle to complete day to day tasks alone. These can be conducted either as awake or sleeping nights depending on an individual’s needs. Awake nights are where a care worker stays up all night to support the individual where needed, whereas a sleeping night is where a care worker stays in another room to provide support for the individual, if needed, but can only be disturbed twice.
Shopping services can also be provided, this service would be particularly useful as it prevents an individual from having to go shopping, particularly if they have poor mobility or if it is simply an activity that they struggle to complete on their own. Similarly a laundry service can be provided if it is an activity that an individual struggles with.
Help with domestic tasks can also be provided and this includes meal preparation, useful where a person is having difficulties and would still like a well balanced diet each day. Care workers can assist the client in meal planning for the week to ensure they are getting the meals they prefer rather than relying on pre-prepared meals. It is important that a person’s health is maintained and Home Care workers will ensure a client is eating and importantly taking on enough fluids each day. Meal preparation is helpful, also, where a client is becoming forgetful and could cause themselves harm by leaving the gas on or leaving a pan on the cooker.
Medication is another area that Home Care can provide help particularly with the prompting of medication and the keeping of medication records. This service ensures that an individual is taking all of the medication that they need and at the appropriate times. This is beneficial as it will prevent individuals from missing out on their medications, which in turn could prevent them from becoming ill.
Individuals can be escorted on outings as part of a Home Care Package. This allows individuals to maintain a level of freedom, and it allows them to continue to partake in the activities that they enjoy. A care worker could support an individual to go out for walks or take them to somewhere that they do activities. This is beneficial because it allows an individual to maintain independence and feel like part of the community.
In Conclusion
As you can see there are many services that can be provided under Home Care package and a good Care Agency will ensure that the service is tailored to the individuals requirements and is flexible over time as things change. Individuals will always be encouraged to do as much as they can for themselves as it is important to maintain mobility, but we all have to accept that at some point in our lives we will need help. Any Home Care service should maintain an individual’s level of independence, dignity and freedom. You are encouraged to explore what Home Care can offer you because you may well be surprised what you can achieve in your own home.

The Big Decision Home Care Or Care Home

Having arrived at the point in your life where you feel you are not coping well on your own at home but have a fear of letting strangers into your home for home care or are worried about permanently moving into a care home, consider the question properly before making a decision.

Deciding which steps to take when choosing care options for family members, spouses or even yourself can be tough, particularly when making the big decision. Consultation with family members can help but often they know nothing about the help that is available. Below are presented some of the points to consider when making the big decision.

Advantages of Home Care

Home care can be very beneficial for individuals as it allows them to remain at home, and maintain some independence. A flexible care plan can be provided which is tailored to an individual’s needs. This allows individual’s the opportunity to continue doing things that they enjoy. For example if an individual enjoys walking, then it is possible for it to be arranged within an individual’s plan, or care workers can be used for support to allow them to continue these activities.

Hospital admission can be prevented and readmission rates reduced, this is because individuals are getting the support that they need within their homes, and injuries that result from falls can be prevented within the home as home help prevents them doing activities that may cause harm.

Infection risk can also be reduced, because an individual isn’t in an environment where ill people are present, which means that the likelihood of becoming ill themselves is reduced.

Home care also provides support for family members, as the strain of caring for a relative is reduced.

The familiar surroundings of your own home are maintained and possibly protected for family members.

Advantages of Care Homes

It provides individuals with an opportunity for social interaction, as activities are often arranged for them to participate in if they wish. This is beneficial as it prevents loneliness.

Care Homes also provide 24 hour care for individuals, which means that they are more likely to get all the relevant support they need.

Individual’s moving into Care Homes can also reduce the strain on a family, as they will no longer have to provide care for their relatives, which means that they can be there simply for support.
Depending on the type of care that a person requires it may be more beneficial for an individual to receive care within a Care Home environment because it may reduce the costs for them slightly if they require a lot of support, Home Care is usually more tailored and cheaper.

However there are a few disadvantages to both Home Care and Care Homes, and these include: A large financial impact, having to deal with an unusual situation and quality of care can sometimes be an issue. The disadvantages of Care Homes in particular can be: a fear of Care Homes, a lack of freedom and choice, and having to deal with other residents as they may not get on with them.

Both care options have advantages and disadvantages, and this can make the big decision very difficult. Home Care is a particularly popular choice for individual’s care at present, and this is largely because of the flexibility and independence that it offers. This makes Home Care generally seem more appealing to individuals, as it allows individuals to feel more comfortable and relaxed with the care that they are receiving. However the decision of which type of care an individual should receive should be made on the basis of their situation, so that they can find an option that is best suited to what they require.

What is Reablement?

Reablement is for people who have disabilities, and those who are frail or recovering from a period of illness or injury. It is designed to help people to regain the ability to undertake activities that they would normally do such as cooking and cleaning. Reablement is beneficial as it helps individuals to regain their independence, and can help them to stay living in their own homes for longer.
These services are provided by local authorities, health services and care providers, however there isn’t currently a model for reablement, which means that services vary greatly between different areas. Reablement delivered by the local authority lasts approximately six weeks but can go on for longer if stopping the service would impede an individual’s progress. Generally the service is free for the first six weeks but after this period the service us usually passed on to private providers.
The main aims of reablement is to reduce the number of hours a carer is required to assist within the home. Another aim of reablement is to to ensure people can develop their independence further, so that they can remain in their own home.

Who reablement can benefit

Where reablement services are run by local authorities eligibility can vary depending on location. Generally the services are targeted at those where reablement is likely to benefit them, and aid them in regaining physical function and improve their independence. Those who are about to be discharged from hospital can be referred for reablement. Individual’s can also be referred to these services by their doctor. Individuals can, also, buy the services privately at any time.

The reablement process

Reablement has many benefits for both the individual and their families. This is because these services can help families to balance caring for their relative with other responsibilities such as work. This means that the pressure is taken off of family members, which in turn can lower the strain on family relationships.
When reablement first begins there is an assessment from a reablement worker. During this, what the individual is able to do will be assessed. Then anyone who is involved with the assessment can agree some goals for the individual to achieve. These may include: walking up the stairs, personal care, and cooking.

Reablement workers such as carers visit the individual on a regular basis. As reablement is an intensive service it is likely that carers would stay longer and visit more frequently than a conventional care worker. When an individual uses a reablement process care workers will try not to do things for an individual, but instead they will try to encourage the individual, so that they are better able to deal with daily living tasks for themselves. They may also show individuals new ways of doing things to make it easier, because of this, reablement care takes longer than conventional home care. Equipment, or modifications may be made to the individual’s home. These may be put into place in order to help an individual to regain their independence even further.
Occupational therapists may be used during the reablement process. Their usage can be beneficial because they use a variety of skills, and a knowledge of the many impacts of disability and injury on an individual to provide them with a plan, tailored to their needs, and their potential for independence.

Assessments are also a key focus during reablement, as the workers will want to monitor the progress an individual is making, and it also gives them the opportunity to plan any ongoing support.
Once reablement has finished, if there are concerns about the individual becoming isolated, lonely, or if the individual isn’t safe in their home then social activities can be built into the individual’s support plan along with support options such as Telecare (a service that provides monitors and alarms to keep people safe).
Reablement services should be routinely monitored and evaluated to ensure that the service runs effectively and efficiently. The focus is on doing things for yourself not having them done for you.
Local Home Care providers will always tailor any service to meet your individual requirements but make sure the staff are trained in reablement which is different from normal care provision.

Having a fall can have a devastating effect on a person’s health and independence, this is recognised in the Health profession and the NHS in the UK have developed a Falls Prevention Strategy which aims to give guidance on reducing the impact of falls for individuals, and those around them. It’s main aims are to improve current treatment, improve bone health, and to try and prevent new and recurrent falls. There are several policies in place to reduce falls and their impact, more information can be found on the NHS website.

If Health and Social Care communities work together it is likely that the number of falls and their negative consequences can be reduced by as much as 30%. A third of people over 65 suffer falls increasing to around 40% for over 85s. If services were put into place, the likelihood of preventing future falls would increase, which in turn will reduce disability from fractures.

Falls which cause fractures have a negative impact upon the lives of the elderly, as regular falls mean regular hospital visits. Fractures and falls can be easily prevented through risk assessments, and risk reduction programmes. Falls can cause serious injuries including: bone fractures (particularly the hip), blood clots, and infections. These can be a major problem for those over 65, as they are frailer. Fractures can have a serious impact on an individual’s independence, as they often reduce mobility significantly. However falls that don’t end up with serious injuries can cause social isolation as a result of lack of confidence, which in turn may cause mental health issues. If someone has a fall but isn’t hurt they should try to get up in order to reduce complications which can include hyperthermia, pressure related injury and infection.

There are a number reasons why older people are more likely to suffer falls, and these can include: poor eyesight and uneven surfaces underfoot. Increased bone fragility increases the likelihood of fractures as a result of falls.

Independence in old age is desired by most individual’s. However falling and the fear of falling makes this difficult for an individual, as they can lose their confidence in carrying out daily activities.

There are a number of ways that falls can be reduced:

1. Reducing Risks

Evidence suggests that the number of falls increases with the number of risk factors. Address them and finding ways to overcome them. This can be done by doing home risk assessments.

2. Increasing Physical Activity

Achieved through the use of weight bearing exercises such as Tai Chi and walking. This is because these exercises help to promote strong bones, and improve posture, balance, and strength, and increase confidence.

3. Medication Revision

Some medications may increase the chances of falling such as antidepressants and sleeping tablets. The benefit of taking some of these medications may be severely overshadowed by the consequences of falling, which means that medication may need to be discussed with the individual’s doctor.

4. Other Factors

Reducing alcohol consumption, regular eyesight checks, making sure that any foot or footwear problems are dealt with, and ensuring that trip hazards in the home are minimised.

It is also important that fractures are prevented and this can be done through preventing, identifying and treating osteoporosis by reducing risk factors, key factors are a healthy, well-balanced diet and regular exercise.

If people are at risk of falling then there is technology available called Telecare, these are systems that use monitors and alarms to check on people in their homes connected to monitoring centres. If someone falls then the monitoring centre will soon be aware is the person has failed to press their personal alarm.

Having support at home can help prevent falls by having someone else keep an eye on the situation, support at home can be supplied by a Home Care business that has staff trained in assisting people at home.

Confused Or Loss Of Memory Could It Be Dementia?

Individual people will experience Dementia (or Alzheimer’s which is a form of Dementia) or the symptoms differently; in most cases individual’s with suspected Dementia are likely to be suffering from: a decline in memory, reasoning, communication skills, a gradual loss of skills that are required to carry out daily living tasks and confusion. Getting a diagnosis for Dementia is essential because these symptoms could mask other illnesses or conditions including: depression, chest and urinary infections, severe constipation, vitamin and thyroid deficiencies or brain tumours.

Making a diagnosis of Dementia is difficult, especially in the earlier stages. The time in which it takes for Dementia to be diagnosed can greatly vary depending on the level of investigation required. The diagnosis process generally varies between 4-12 weeks (on waiting lists) and 6-12 months depending on whether or not monitoring is required before a diagnosis can be made.

If a person is feeling confused, agitated or forgetful then the first assessment stage is with their GP. The assessment with the GP will normally cover: analysis of background information, physical examination and tests, and mental tests.

Analysis of background information is where the GP will spend some time talking to an individual in order to establish some of the symptoms they or the person concerned are experiencing. The GP may also look at both the individual concerned and their family member’s medical histories.

During the physical examination a GP will conduct a number of tests including blood and urine for any likely source of confusion.

Mental tests are a series of questions used by GP’s in order to test an individual’s thinking and memory.

If Dementia is suspected then the GP will refer the individual to a specialist. A second opinion is worthwhile and a specialist can conduct specialised investigations including brain scans and memory testing. Depending on initial diagnosis referral will be to different consultants including: neurologists, specialists in medicines for older people, general adult psychiatrists, and old age psychiatrists.

The individual may, also, be referred to the hospital outpatients for further assessment and scanning. A brain scan can be done in a number of forms including: CT or CAT scans, MRI scans, SPECT scans. CT and CAT scans use x-rays and a computer in order to build up a picture of the brain. MRI scans also create an image of the brain but these use radio signals produced by the body in response to a magnet within the scanner. SPECT scans look at the blood flow through the brain as opposed to looking at the brains structure.

CT and MRI scans may show brain shrinkage, if there is any, and SPECT and PET scans show up any areas of the brain that have a loss of function. The memory tests that were performed on the individual may also show problems in particular areas… However if there are no apparent changes on the scan, the individual may still be suffering from Dementia in its earlier stages as it can be difficult to distinguish from the effects of normal ageing.

If Dementia is diagnosed some professionals feel that the individual should not be told directly because they may not cope with the knowledge. The news is sometimes given to relatives instead for them to pass onto the individual.

Once diagnosed an individual will see their GP on a regular basis for ongoing assessment. This gives the individual a chance to discuss any problems they may be having. The individual my also be referred to a specialist to help to assess changes and for advice about the way an individual can deal with particular difficulties. The GP and a hospital specialist are usually jointly responsible for prescribing any treatment for Dementia.

The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a commonly used test for memory problems when Dementia is suspected. The MMSE is a series of questions and tests in which an individual can score points when answering correctly. This tests a wide range of mental abilities including memory and language. The maximum score for this test is 30 points. A score below 27 may be an indicator that a person may have an impairment of their mental abilities, and this could be a possible sign that an individual has Dementia. The MMSE can also be used after Dementia has been diagnosed to assess changes in an individual’s mental abilities.

On average it is estimated that those who have Dementia who are not receiving treatment for their condition will lose two to four MMSE points each year. The score that a person obtains from an MMSE test is taken into consideration to determine what medications could be particularly useful for the individuals. The MMSE score can be impacted, though, by an individual’s education level.

The overall message is to get professional help as soon as Dementia or Alzheimer’s is suspected.

We are not sure about how well out-of-hours public care services are being run or what priority is being given to the elderly.

Recently we visited a client for his evening call around 7pm but during the visit he began to feel unwell and collapsed into a dining chair. The Care Worker attending him could not get him to stand because his legs could not bear the weight. We requested another Care Worker to come to his assistance but still we were unable to get him up. For safety we do not carry people without the proper lifting equipment which the emergency services carry.

Unable to get the man out of the chair we called the emergency services to attend to him. He is someone who has been in and out of hospital because of his frail condition. The emergency services would not attend because they did not view his condition as life threatening and because there was no blood. They suggested that the out-of-hours doctor be called. On calling the out-of-hours doctor at around 10pm we were told that the doctor would come out in 2 to 6 hours, we stressed that the poor man was not sitting very comfortably in a hardback chair so they promised to come as soon as they could.

The doctor duly arrived around midnight but because he, also, has a policy of not lifting patients then after checking his medical condition that he was best admitted to hospital. The doctor contacted the emergency services and they eventually took the man to hospital around 3am. The man had in total been sitting uncomfortably in a chair for 8 hours, is this anyway to treat the elderly?

As a private organisation we hear of people not being happy that for profit organisations are involved in health care, but, we think this shows that there is a place for private organisations that can spend 8 hours with a man that no public service could do at the time.