Home Instead
York & Ryedale newsletter
elder THE
August 2017
Nine lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk, study says
By Fergus Walsh, BBC Medical correspondent One in three cases of dementia could be prevented if more people looked after their brain health throughout life, according to an international study in the Lancet. It lists nine key risk factors including lack of education, hearing loss, smoking and physical inactivity. The study is being presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London. By 2050, 131 million people could be living with dementia globally. There are estimated to be 47 million people with the condition at the moment. Nine factors that contribute to the risk of dementia ▲M id-life hearing loss - responsible for 9% of the risk ▲ Failing to complete secondary education - 8% ▲ Smoking - 5% ▲ F ailing to seek early treatment for depression - 4% ▲ Physical inactivity - 3% ▲ Social isolation - 2% ▲ High blood pressure - 2% ▲ Obesity - 1% ▲ Type 2 diabetes - 1% These risk factors - which are described as potentially modifiable - add up to 35%. The other 65% of dementia risk is thought to be potentially non-modifiable. Source: Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care
See www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40655566 for further information.
CAREGiver of the Year 2017 Julie Gascoyne is our nomination for the national Home Instead CAREGiver of the Year Award 2017. Julie embodies the Home Instead definition of a CAREGiver. She gets on quietly delivering the highest level of support to the people she cares for with a smile and an assurance that makes them feel happy and confident when she’s around. In their words, they love her to bits and she feels the same about them, and to us that makes her a star. She represents all that Home Instead is good at and she is a credit to us. Well done Julie.
Fundraising Preference Service (FPS) The Fundraising Preference Service (FPS) is a new website–based service which has just launched to help people manage and stop unwanted contact they receive from charities. It is similar to the mail and telephone preference services and by entering your details on the FPS website, you can choose to stop email, telephone calls, addressed post and text messages directed to you from a selected charity or charities.
Personalised playlists can improve people’s wellbeing Research showed people with dementia who listened to music tailored to their tastes and memories, had less anxiety. Playlist for Life is a charity who want every person with dementia, whether living at home or in a care home, to have a playlist of personally meaningful music from key moments in their life, available on an iPod, tablet or phone. The charity believes personalized music playlists can also reduce pain. Music is neurologically special because it stimulates so many parts of the brain at once. Even if dementia has damaged one part of the brain it can still reach those other parts almost as if it gets ‘in through the back door’ to access memories and abilities that had been thought lost. The use of personal music lists can help people do the things they may find difficult, like eating or bathing. For more information on Playlist for Life go to: www.playlistforlife.org.uk
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The service cannot stop fundraising that is not targeting you specifically such as unnamed post, street fundraising or callers to your door but if a charity fails to follow the rules set then they can be fined up to £25,000. Go to www.fundraisingpreference.org.uk for more information and have a look at the frequently asked questions on the web site or telephone 0300 3033517.
York River Art Market York River Art Market is a beautiful summertime, riverside arts event. Artists from all over Yorkshire and beyond exhibit and sell their unique artworks. The event takes place every Saturday 9.45am – 6.00pm up to and including the 2nd September. The market is situated between Marygate car park and Lendal Bridge along Dame Judy Dench Walk beside the River Ouse. It’s a wonderful atmosphere with a creative buzz – a must for your Saturday afternoon if you are in York!
Did you know?
KEEP COOL
Fill half a plastic bottle with water, freeze on its side then top up with water for an icy drink that lasts for ages
Poppleton Scarecrow Trail Scarecrow Trails are becoming ever popular with at least six in the York area and Poppleton will be having its very own on 16th and 17th September 2017. Café Refresh will be open at the start of the trails at the Poppleton Centre where you can collect your trail map. There will be lots happening in around the village with a prize for the most magnificent and most fantastic scarecrows and lots of fun for all the family. For more details go to www. poppletoncentre.org.uk
Photograph used for illustration purposes only.
Safer walking technology When a person with dementia gets lost, it causes anxiety and fear for both the missing person and their family. Around a thousand people with dementia went missing in 2014–15, according to the UK Missing Persons Bureau. So to many, GPS trackers are an obvious solution. The decision to use GPS technology should be based on the best interests of the person’s safety, taking issues of privacy into account, and ideally having gained their consent. A GPS can be reassuring and empowering for a person with dementia. It can offer a sense of security and independence, thus reducing stress and anxiety for the person, as well as their carers. Going out for walks has been shown to offer both physical and psychological benefits for people with dementia as well as enabling them to stay independent and continue to live well in their local community. The use of technology is not a substitute for good care and the right level of support but potentially offers peace of mind. They may also increase independence, allowing an individual more freedom and reduce the need for more restrictive measures, such as locking doors. Please go to www.atdementia.org.uk for more information on GPS devices, and have a look at www.alzheimers.org.uk for advice.
Scruffy birds in late Summer There's no song – the garden and countryside can be eerily quiet – and few birds can be seen. What's more, when birds do appear they can look quite strange and a bit scruffy. The simple explanation is that the birds are moulting, shedding and regrowing new feathers to see them through the winter. It takes energy to grow new feathers and when flight feathers are lost, more energy may be needed to fly so many birds become inconspicuous for a time as they are more vulnerable to predators. It is really important to keep feeding them through the late summer to help build them up for the coming colder seasons. Black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, soaked sultanas, raisins and currants, mild grated cheese, mealworms, waxworms, mixes for insectivorous birds, good seed mixtures without loose peanuts and summer seed mixture are all good foods to provide. Soft apples and pears cut in half, bananas and grapes are also good. Avoid using loose peanuts, fat and bread as these can be harmful if adult birds feed them to their nestlings. To find out more go to www.rspb.org.uk.
Monks Cross shopping Step straight out of the car and into your favourite high street stores, all in one handy location and open until 8pm every week day with the added bonus of plenty of free parking for up to four hours. Monks Cross is easily accessible with plenty of facilities so it’s an ideal place for a shopping trip out even when the weather’s not too good. For more information on opening times and the range of shops available go to monkscrossshopping.com.
Healthwatch York – new dementia guide
The food you love but healthier!
Healthwatch York has launched a new guide to dementia support in York. The guide provides information and advice to help people: • Find out more about dementia • Find organisations that can provide advice, help, support and social activities • Hear about how York is becoming more dementia friendly. The idea for the guide came from work with Minds and Voices, a forum for people with dementia. Through regular meetings with Healthwatch York over a year, conversations frequently turned to information. Often people spoke of the information they wish they had known when they started on this journey, but which they’d had to pick up in dribs and drabs along the way so this guide is the result. Copies of the guide are available online to download at www.healthwatchyork.co.uk. You can also collect a paper copy from the Healthwatch York office at 15 Priory Street in York. For more information ring 01904 621133 or email healthwatch@yorkcvs.org.uk
A major new campaign has been launched by Diabetes UK which aims to get people thinking healthily and creatively in the kitchen. The campaign, called The Food You Love, shines the spotlight on five people who have not let living with diabetes become a barrier to their love of cooking or to enjoying delicious meals. Over the course of the campaign, they will share their healthy versions of some of the nation’s favourite recipes like fish and chips and apple strudel. Alongside these recipes and video tutorials, people who sign up will also receive healthy eating tips, meal planners and more, to help you enjoy the food you love, only healthier. To find out more have a look at www.diabetes.org.uk and see some of the free recipe videos and join the campaign.
Home care with a difference ▶ Award winning care ▶ Companionship services ▶ Home help services ▶ Personal care services ▶ Highly trained CAREGivers If someone in your family needs a little help please call us on 01904 690884 Home Instead Senior Care 10 Clifton Moor Business Village James Nicolson Link, Clifton Moor York YO30 4XG Telephone: 01904 690884 Email: info@hiscyork.co.uk Web: www.homeinstead.co.uk/york
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