15 minute read
HEALTHZONE
Tackling the curse of loneliness HERE TO HELP . . .
AFRIENDSHIP service is helping to tackle the scourge of loneliness among people with learning difficulties.
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Luv2meetU, run by national charity Hft, supports people to make friends and share interests at a time when research shows loneliness was by no means limited to lockdown for people with learning difficulties.
More than one in three people with a learning disability – surveyed after lockdown – said they felt lonely nearly always, or all of the time, while the same number said they hardly ever, or never, go out to socialise.
The report, Lockdown on Loneliness,
was produced by Hft, which supports adults with learning disabilities nationwide. It highlights unmet support needs as a key driver of loneliness, which denies many people opportunities to socialise.
Almost a quarter of people surveyed said they did not have enough support to go out into their community.
Victoria Hemmingway, from Hft said: “One of the consequences of the last 18 months, is that the unique set of circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a common experience of loneliness.
“But for many people with a learning disability, loneliness hasn’t been restricted to the pandemic; it is a chronic and long-term experience. ”
In the report Lou, from North Wales, shares her personal experiences of loneliness, having moved to a new home in a different area. She said her turning point was joining Luv2meetU.
“I felt all on my own, ” Lou said, “I was in a new place and didn’t know anybody. It felt very strange and scary. Now I am a different person. Joining Luv2meetU helped me with my selfconfidence and has really brought me out of my shell. ”
Hft is now calling for the Government to use social care reform as an opportunity to tackle the drivers of loneliness identified in the report.
n Hft: Tel.
0117 906 1700 ARE YOU having suicidal thoughts or worried about someone you know who is?
n Under 18 –
Freephone:Alder Hey Crisis Care on 0808 196 3550. Or text: the word GREEN to 85258.
n 18 and over –
Freephone: Mersey Care NHS on 0800 145 6570. Text: the word HEAL to 85258.
n If someone is in
immediate danger call 999 or take them toA&E.
JUST REACH OUT
AMAJOR suicide prevention drive is under way in Liverpool after the city saw an alarming rise in the number of people taking their own life.
The campaign is urging people to reach out and start a conversation – whether they are worried about someone, or in crisis themselves.
REACHOUT Liverpool is a partnership between Liverpool City Council’s Public Health team, Mersey Care andAlder Hey Children’s Hospital.
The campaign aims to remind people across the city that anyone can have suicidal thoughts, and that talking about suicide could save or change a life.
It aims to raise awareness that suicide is preventable and to remove the stigma surrounding the subject – something which prevents people in crisis from reaching out, and those around them from even mentioning the word.
Liverpool saw a big increase in death by suicide in 2020 – which could have been associated with the impact of Covid-19, and the resulting anxiety from lockdowns, social isolation and job and financial insecurity.
The REACHOUT campaign is made up of three parts: n See the problem – raising awareness of what to look out for, including the signs, behaviours and emotions a person in crisis might be displaying. n Say the words and start a conversation –REACHOUT has partnered with the Zero SuicideAlliance, which offers a 20-minute training video providing people with the skills and confidence to reach out to someone in crisis. n Signpost to support – providing information on local services that offer 24/7 crisis support.
The campaign also reaches out to people in crisis, encouraging them to speak to friends, family or professionals and letting them know that change is possible, and that they CAN feel better.
In 2020, England saw a 6% increase in suicide, compared to the previous year. In Liverpool these figures are even more troubling, with a 25% increase in the same period.
Liverpool men are still more likely to die by suicide than women, with four out of every five deaths affecting them. However, during 2020, there was also a small but significant increase for women. n www. zerosuicidealliance.com/training n www.reachoutsuicideprevention.co.uk
Keep talking
LINDSAY, a 34-year-old council worker from Liverpool – who has herself been in crisis – is backing the campaign.
She has attempted to take her own life on several occasions and is passionate about the need to talk about feelings of suicide – and ensuring people get the help they need.
Lindsay was just 14 when she started suffering from depression and anxiety and began self-harming. She struggled until her early 20s, when she sought help and received counselling.
Five years later, her struggles returned and she hit rock bottom. Eventually admitted to a psychiatric hospital, she was diagnosed with a depressive disorder.
She said: “This is such an important campaign and very personal to me, as I understand how vital it is to get this issue out in the open. I feel that many people are still scared to talk about it, but we have to feel ok about talking about it.
“Some people think that raising the subject of suicide with someone will put the idea in their head – but it’s the opposite, it gives them permission to talk. ”
MEDICAL NOTES
Mersey life-savers win top award
ATEAM of Merseyside volunteers saving people from having life-threatening strokes has won a major national award.
TheAtrial FibrillationAmbassadors in the Community project was named Provider Collaboration of the Year in the Health Service Journal annual awards.
Using portable ECG devices to identify people who may have atrial fibrillation (AF) – an irregular heartbeat which can lead to a life-threatening stroke –volunteers were recruited to help spot friends, colleagues and relatives at particular risk.
AFAmbassador Wendy Westoby said: “It never ceases to amaze me how people generally aren’t aware of how to check their own pulse rate and rhythm. ”
It is estimated that in the North West Coast region there are over 20,000 people who haveAF.
The initiative expects to identify over 1,000 new cases of atrial fibrillation during the initial two-year campaign. That could prevent up to 34 strokes and save more than £750,000 in associated health care costs. Statins top pill chart
ATORVASTATIN, a medication that lower cholesterol, is by far the most prescribed medicine in England, says a new report.
Almost 50 million prescriptions for the drug are issued annually by GPs, according to online pharmacy and NHS healthcare provider Chemist4U.
Omesprazole (heartburn and indigestion) is the second most popular treatment with 34.2m prescriptions, followed by Levothyroxine sodium (underactive thyroid glands) – 33.5m; Amlodipine (high blood pressure) –32m; and Remipril (high blood pressure) – 30m
The report also says more than 96% of prescriptions are now delivered by the electronic prescribing service (EPS), up more than 16% from 80.62% before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The grim cost of pandemic drinking
DRINKING during lockdown has caused the UK’s liver disease epidemic to go from bad to worse.
Alarming new figures reveal that 6,985 people died from alcohol-related liver disease in the UK in 2020, an increase of almost 20% from 2019 and over 80% from 2010.
The country’s leading liver cancer charity says the Government must act now to tackle the crisis.
“This new data confirms our fears that the increase in alcohol consumption and the disruption to alcohol support services during the pandemic has sadly led to thousands more deaths from alcohol-related liver disease, ” said Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Policy at the British Liver Trust.
“This must serve as a wake-up call to the Government that the UK urgently needs a joined-up plan to address the liver disease crisis as the UK recovers from Covid. They also need to tackle the affordability and acceptability of alcohol in our society.
“Drinking alcohol to excess is the leading cause of liver disease in the UK.Acommon myth is that you have to be an ‘alcoholic’ to damage your liver. The truth is that more than one in five people in the UK currently drink alcohol in way that could harm their liver. ”
Following lockdown In March 2020, supermarkets saw their sales of alcohol surge and alcohol support services were significantly reduced.
Although there are many causes of liver disease, in the UK excess alcohol consumption is the most common cause, accounting for around 60% of all cases.
There are often no symptoms of alcoholrelated liver disease in the early stages, and when symptoms do appear they can be vague, such as feeling tired and a loss of appetite.
Unfortunately, this means that in many cases alcohol-related liver disease is only diagnosed at a later stage when significant damage has already been done and treatment options are limited.
Bone up on this, medics are told
Hi-tech brain check
PATIENTS with dementia are benefitting from a new hi-tech assessment process.
Medics say the Integrated Cognitive Assessment (ICA) created by Canadian technology company Cognitivity Neurosciences, offers many advantages over traditional pen-and-paper examinations.
Derek Tobin,Associate Director at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re really excited by what it can do for our dementia assessment services. ” WHILE billions of pounds have been spent in the search for effective drugs, could it be that a little brain training is the best weapon in the fight against dementia?
Exciting research carried out four years ago showed a small amount of cognitive training significantly reduced the risk and incidence of dementia among older adults.
Now more than £32m is being provided to researchers in the US to carry on that work and test the effectiveness of BrainHQ computerised brain exercises in reducing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.
Thousands of people aged 65 and over will take part in the PreventingAlzheimer’s with Cognitive Training Study at the University South Florida.
Dr Henry Mahncke, head of Posit Science, makers of BrainHQ, said: “This study addresses the central question that most people have – does training your brain reduce your chances of dementia?
“Billions have been spent in the thus far unsuccessful search for drugs to prevent MCI and dementia, and so it’s great to see a serious commitment to evaluating the plasticity-based training that has delivered so many promising results in recent studies. ”
n Try BrainHQ for free at
www.brainhq.com
ACTION to improve bone health is needed more urgently than ever.
That’s the message from Professor Cyrus Cooper, head of the International Osteoporosis Foundation, who said: “The pandemic’s continuing toll on bone health is of global concern. Osteoporosis-related fractures are a major cause of pain, disability, and loss of independence in older adults. ”
Osteoporosis is a common bone disorder that leads to weak and fragile bones which fracture easily.An osteoporotic fracture typically occurs as a result of a minor fall from standing height, or even from bending to pick up a grocery bag.
Prof Cooper added: “Such life-changing injuries can be prevented with life-long attention to bone health, and early diagnosis and appropriate treatment for those at risk.
“Osteoporosis remains vastly under-diagnosed and under-treated. Even after an osteoporotic fracture, approximately 80% of patients are not assessed or treated for the underlying cause.
“This is inexcusable and in stark contrast to cardiovascular disease prevention, where patients are routinely treated for high blood pressure or cholesterol to avoid potential strokes or heart attacks. ”
Worldwide, osteoporosis-related fractures affect up to one in three women and one in five men aged 50 and over.
About nine million fractures occur annually, with an enormous impact on patients and their families as well as on healthcare systems.
Spine and hip fractures have the most severe consequences and result in enormous long-term medical costs.
Because of the disability and loss of function following a hip fracture, one in three hip fracture patients are totally dependent or in a nursing home in the year following the fracture.
Smart way to fight dementia
BOWEL CANCER: Succes rate up, but fears on sepsis
HEALTHCARE workers have won praise after improving outcomes for patients undergoing high risk bowel cancer surgery despite the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of people dying within 30 days of emergency bowel surgery fell from 11.8% in 2014 to 8.7% in 2020.
All round improvements in patient care pre-op risk assessments are said to be behind the figures for the procedure, known as an emergency laparotomy.
The National Emergency LaparotomyAudit also shows a reduction in the average number of days patients spent in hospital, going from 19.2 in 2014 to 15.1 in 2020.
However, only a fifth of patients who had signs of sepsis on admission received antibiotics within the recommended 60 minutes – a figure that has remained largely stagnant since the data was first recorded in 2015.
Dr Fiona Donald, President of the Royal College ofAnaesthetists said: “The fact that such improvements happened during the pandemic further highlights the dedication of staff to maintaining care for non-Covid patients. ”
But she added: “The audit has also shown a consistently low rate of patients with suspected sepsis receiving antibiotics within one hour, alongside poor rates of geriatrician input for elderly and frail patients.
“We must remember that even the slightest delay or disruption to emergency laparotomy patients receiving treatment could have devastating consequences. ” NEW DEVISE: Dr Naylor with Indi Singh from the InnovationAgency
Sleeping habits a snore point?
IF YOU suffer from snoring, and have a partner who suffers alongside you, here’s something that might just help you both!
Aformer GP from Cheshire has developed a device he believes can significantly reduce snoring.
And Dr Pete Naylor has a patent pending on his so-called Snorgo device that fits into an individual’s mouth for a series of short exercises.
He claims 100% satisfaction among snorers using the Snorgo in trials, with 75% reporting an improvement.
Not only that, but he says nobody wanted to return the device after the trial.
Dr Naylor’s work has won support from the InnovationAgency – theAcademic Health Science Network for the North West Coast – who have helped with such things as a funding bid and introductions to NHS clinicians.
Around a quarter of all UK adults snore and it can have a damaging impact on mental health, physical wellbeing and family life.
It is also associated with sleep apnoea, a potentially serious condition in which people stop breathing while asleep, and which can lead to raised blood pressure and a greater risk of stroke.
Snorgo is a small T-shaped plastic device that the patient puts between their lips and teeth, pulling outwards on it while resisting with their lips in a series of three 15-second exercises each day.
Dr Naylor, a GP for 19 years in Wirral, said: “Currently we aren’t aware of any other product that does anything other than relieve snoring.
“We aren’t saying you won’t need to use Snorgo again in the future after you’ve finished your exercises, as like most things you’ll need to top up on the exercises.
“But we’re very confident in the product. We initially ran a small trial with half a dozen people and took them on a journey with questionnaires at the start and finish that gave us some very positive results.
“We also ran it through a larger group organised independently through the patient panel at the InnovationAgency and we had similar results –100% satisfaction and over 75% of people reporting improvement.
“As this was backed by the snorers’ partners, too, it’s very, very encouraging. ”
Dr Saagar Patel, an acute medicine and respiratory consultant at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, aims to trial Snorgo with his patients.
Dr Patel said: “It’s a simple device but it has great potential in tackling a problem that can cause a lot of distress to patients. ” n More than 300 devices have so far been sold
(£34.99) via the website www.snorgo.com
MEDICAL NOTES Nasty cold? You still don’t need antibiotics
