Carer Awards Announced
Carers will be recognised by the West Midlands Care Association (WMCA), as part of a new award being launched by a Halesowen-based association.
They will present five trophies as part of the new Central England Care Awards at the Care Show at the Birmingham NEC, on Thursday 6th November.
Trophies include carer of the year, manager of the year and best small care home.
WMCA’s chief executive officer said: ‘There are hundreds of remarkable carers and care providers in central England whose lives and passions revolve around the care of the individuals they look after.’
‘We have been looking for a way to recognise this professionalism, dedication and skill, so were delighted when the Care Show gave us the opportunity to present the awards.’
Women Asked About Ways to Improve Incontinence Care
The research done by the University of Glamorgan will ask women what information they need to help them deal with incontinence. The Study could also lead to the development of specific information tailored towards women’s needs.
This comes after research carried out by Dr Christine Shaw found that few women from incontinence seeked help for the condition.
She said: ‘Only about 15% of women with symptoms of frequency or urgency seek help largely because they are embarrassed and they believe that there is very little treatment available.’
‘There is also a lack of knowledge about the symptoms and a lot of women believe that it is just part of the ageing process or consequence of having had a baby or two.’
The study will involve about 20 women who are experiencing incontinence, in particular those who have not sought help from their GP. It will ask them about what they believe will be the best form of help for them.
Dr Shaw said: ‘One model is the expert patient programme which is a group-based intervention that helps people self-manage a condition.’
‘Another approach may be information on the internet, but because incontinence is an age-related condition, there may be issues about access.’
‘We’re trying to find out what women would prefer and what type of information they want, be it about self-management, treatment or help from health professionals.’
Incontinence Charities Response to NHS Review
Incontact, a leading incontinence charity, have responded to Lord Darzi’s 12-month review of the NHS.
The review promises:
* Easy-to-access services that meet your individual needs, connected together so they make sense
* Seeing a doctor where and when you need it and keeping your local GP
* Helping you lead a full and healthy life
* More control of your health condition and support to plan, understand and manage your health
Some of Incontact’s concerns are:
The review states, “local people, health services and health professionals will be able to decide what works best in each area.” It is vital that people with bladder and /or bowel dysfunction speak out to make their voice heard. Speaking out is difficult for those with badly managed incontinence. The health inequality that many people with continence problems face must be addressed.
Incontact is however concerned that there is no mention of them having specialist knowledge. Currently many people with continence problems are denied access to a specialist continence advisor. This has led to many peoples’ leakage simply being contained and not treated or managed appropriately. New health technology is of limited value if the people who would benefit most are not made aware of the advances that have been made.
“The Draft NHS Constitution”, “NHS Next Stage Review” and related documents including “Our vision for primary and community care:- What it means for patients and the public” can be found at www.dh.gov.uk and Incontact’s response here.
A Guide to Pelvic Floor Exercises!
When experiencing incontinence your pelvic muscles become weaker, but as with all muscles they can be strengthened again. Pelvic floor exercises are a great way of achieving this.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Carry out pelvic floor exercises for 5 minutes 3 times a day. This will help to strengthen your bladder, therefore giving you more control.
- Be careful not to exercise other muscles at the same time, as this can put more pressure on the bladder.
- The exercises: Lie on the floor, pull in the pelvic floor muscles and hold for a count of three, repeat this 10-15 times.
- Do you pelvic floor exercises three times a day.
- Most people begin to notice a difference after 3-6 weeks, so be patient, the results will be worth it.
For information on Allanda’s products and services please click here.
Carers in Ireland ask when The National Carers Strategy is Going to Take Action
The Carers Association said today that any cuts in the carers allowance in the forthcoming Budget would be a false economy.
The National Carers Strategy, in which Carers were supposed to be getting extra financial help, is now 10 months overdue.
Ireland’s family carers are the biggest contributors to Ireland’s social economy, saving the state over €2.5 billion each year by contributing three million hours of work per week, according to the Carers Association chief executive Enda Egan.
He warned that if carers are not adequately supported in the upcoming Budget they will be forced to give-up their caring work.
‘There is no question but the most cost-effective option for the State is to support the work of family carers in the home as opposed to the state providing full-time institutional care.’
‘Therefore, it makes financial sense for Government to implement our key recommendations in budget 2009. This will allow Government adhere to its own policy of caring for people in the home for as long as possible.’
Tony Robinson Sticks up for Local Bedfordshire Carers
Actor Tony Robinson visited Maulden last week to help celebrate the role of carers in the Bedfordshire community.
The Blackadder star is the voice fof Bedfordshire County Council’s new carers helpline, and was the guest speaker at a special event organised by the council with the charity Carers in Bedfordshire.
Speaking from personal experience of placing his mother in residential care Mr Robinson had this to say:
‘Carers are the unsung heroes and heroines of contemporary society, but the contribution they make is far too often ignored. Let’s work together and demand the changes we need in order to make their lives better.’
’Whether you are a carer, think you might be, or know someone who is, now is the time to celebrate caring and get information that will help you and those around you.’
Cabinet member for community services, Coun Peter Hollick added: ‘There is now extra support for carers through the Government’s national strategy which offers better health and social care, employment, education and information.’
Solifenacin Shows Rapid Improvement in Overactive Bladder Problems
Results of a study to measure the effectiveness of the drug Solifenacin in the treatment of overactive bladder problems were presented last week.
The Study was led by Professor Linda Cardozo from the Department of Urogyneacology at King’s College in London. Over a hundred urology centres from 14 countries took part in the study.
In total 863 patients took part in a 16 week double blind randomised study, where neither the researchers nor patients were aware of which were taking the placebo or the drug.
Results showed a reduction of 70 percent in severe urgency and urgency with incontinence compared to 50 percent for those taking placebo.
There were also significant improvements in all levels of urgency, maximum urgency intensity and urgency bother.
This was the first study to use urgency as an endpoint using the Patient Perception of Intensity Scale (PPIUS); this scale ranges from zero to four with grades 3 and 4 representing urgency and urgency incontinence.
Professor Cardozo concluded:
“Our study found that Solifenacin was consistently effective at reducing urgency and other symptoms associated with an overactive bladder and that simple scoring scales, such as the PPIUS, are a reliable way of measuring treatment outcome.”
Solifenacin (rINN), marketed as Solifenacin succinate under the trade name Vesicare, is a urinary antispasmodic of the anticholinergic class. It is used in the treatment of overactive bladder with or without urge incontinence.
Allanda Incontinence Skincare
Allanda knows how important personal hygiene and skin health is to our customers. So that’s why we retail a range of skincare specifically designed for those experiencing incontinence.
Our range includes:
- Body Wash Cloths
- *Abena Washing Foam
- Wash Glove
- Abena Washing Lotion
- Abena Wet Wipes
- Gloves
For more details please click here.
*Abena skincare products are designed by a protective healthcare business with particular emphasis on total incontinence management.
David Cameron Gives His Support to Carers
Tory leader David Cameron says Carers are ‘unsung heroes’.
Responding to the ongoing We Care campaign, Mr Cameron paid tribute to ‘the fantastic job’ done by those in the unrewarded role.
Their tireless efforts saved the British economy £50bn a year, making them ‘some of the most valuable people’.
There are an estimated 6m carers in the UK, many of whom get no financial help.
Growth in the number of elderly and disabled people with care and support needs is expected to put huge pressure on services and the benefits system.
Speaking to the Echo at the Conservative Party conference, David Cameron said carers are: ‘unsung heroes.’
‘If carers gave up caring in the British economy it would cost us £50bn a year, so they are some of the most valuable people. They do a fantastic job and at pretty great risk to their own personal health.’
The Tory leader, whose young son cerebral palsy requiring round-the-clock care, said: ‘I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as a carer, I’m lucky I can get extra help.’
‘Ask many carers what they need most of all and many, many of them will say I just need a break from time to time, and I think we need to prioritise that.’
Earlier in the year, plans were unveiled by the Government to double the amount of respite care for people who look after relatives as part of a 10-year plan to improve the lives of carers.
But charities were disappointed that improvements to carers’ benefits in the UK have not yet been finalised.
Study Shows Incontinence Prevents Women from Taking Part in Sports
According to an Italian study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, incontinence keeps many women from taking part in sports.
In a survey of 679 Italian young and middle-aged women, researchers found that 1 in 7 were bothered by urinary stress incontinence.
Dr. Stefano Salvatore from the University of Insubria found that being overweight or having children boosted the likelihood of having urinary stress incontinence.
One in 10 women said the problem led them to give up their favorite sport, while one in 5 women said they limited the way they engaged in the sport in a bid to reduce leaking.
Sports with repetitive bouncing, such as tennis and squash, were associated with the highest incidence of incontinence episodes.
Researchers of this study say it shows that urinary incontinence, even when mild, can have a harmful impact on the quality of women’s lives by limiting their participation in sporting activities. Despite this, few women seek help.
Salvatore adds: Women ‘should be given information and offered diagnostic and conservative therapeutic options,’ including pelvic floor exercises, which have proven to be very effective in alleviating urinary incontinence.
Allanda can provide you with all the right incontinence products to help you live a healthy and happy lifestyle, for information please click here.