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Showing results for tags 'Dementia'.
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Content ArticlePeople with living dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their family carers face challenges in managing medicines. This review, published in Age and Ageing, identifies interventions to improve medicine self-management for people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment and their family carers, and the core components of medicine self-management that they address.
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Content ArticleNext Steps is a tool created by the Dementia Change Action Network to help patients find the right support, at the right time, while waiting for their memory assessment appointment. Some patients are facing longer waits as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it can be an uncertain time. Next Steps provides information about what to expect from the memory assessment process and about organisations who can help.
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At Patient Safety Learning we believe that sharing insights and learning is vital to improving outcomes and reducing harm. That's why we created the hub; providing a space for people to come together and share their experiences, resources and good practice examples. Dementia is an umbrella term for a number of diseases that affect the brain, with Alzheimer’s disease its most common cause. We have picked nine resources and reflections about keeping people with dementia safe in health and care settings, and when considering medication choices. -
Content ArticleFor people who have been diagnosed with dementia, accessing post-diagnosis support can be challenging, particularly when the systems meant to provide support are confusing, limited or in some areas, non-existent. The World Alzheimer Report 2022 looks at the issues surrounding post-diagnosis support, a term that refers to the variety of official and informal services and information aimed at promoting the wellbeing of people with dementia and their carers. This report explores the aspects of living with dementia following diagnosis, through 119 essays written by researchers, healthcare professionals, informal carers and people living with dementia from around the world. These expert essays are accompanied by the results of a survey carried out in May 2022, with responses from 1,669 informal carers in 68 countries, 893 professional carers in 69 countries and 365 people with dementia from 41 countries.
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Content ArticleThere is evidence that certain subgroups of the population have a higher risk of developing dementia than others. Aside from the most important risk factor—age,—other risk factors include ethnicity, sex, learning disability and socio-economic status. This report by the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) details the impact of scientific research on health inequalities for people affected by dementia. In order to make sure dementia diagnosis and treatments are effective for everyone, we need to understand how and why different groups are affected differently, so that we can target interventions where they are most needed and maximise their benefit. The report was produced by leading dementia scientists from the UK DRI who are taking action to reduce health inequalities through their own research. This includes: Researching “blood biomarkers” to pave the way for a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. Ensuring both male and female mice are used equally in animal research so that findings can be applied to the whole population. This is policy across the UK DRI. Broadening understanding of the implications of ethnicity on risk of Alzheimer’s disease through genetic studies. Working to make clinical trials more accessible to all. Pioneering accessible, scalable, and affordable new therapies. Investigating rarer forms of dementia to plug the knowledge gap and support people living with these diseases. Addressing the environmental and lifestyle factors that impact brain health to better understand the link between socio-economic status and dementia risk.
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Content ArticleNaaheed Mukadam and colleagues investigated the incidence of diagnosed dementia and whether age at diagnosis and survival afterward differs among the UK's three largest ethnic groups. They used primary care electronic health records, linked Hospital Episode Statistics and mortality data for adults aged ≥65 years. They compared recorded dementia incidence 1997–2018, age at diagnosis, survival time and age at death after diagnosis in White, South Asian, and Black people. The study found that dementia incidence was higher in Black people. South Asian and Black people with dementia had a younger age of death than White participants and Black participants. The authors concluded that South Asian and Black peoples’ younger age of diagnosis and death means targeted prevention and care strategies for these groups should be prioritised and tailored to facilitate take-up.
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This year, the World Health Organisation’s annual World Patient Safety Day on 17 September 2022 will focus on medication safety, promoting safe medication practices to prevent medication errors and reducing medication-related harm. Patient Safety Learning has pulled together some useful resources from the hub about different aspects of medication safety. Here we list seven tools and articles related to patient engagement and medication safety, including an interview with a patient advocate campaigning for transparency in medicines regulation, a blog outlining family concerns around prescribing and consent, and a number of projects that aim to enhance patient involvement in using medications safely. -
Content ArticleResearch suggests that there is a wide gap in knowledge about how medical conditions affect men and women differently, and about the conditions that only affect women. As a result, women are receiving poorer medical advice and diagnosis, often leading to worse outcomes. This handbook published by digital healthcare provider Livi looks at some of the evidence surrounding sex-based health inequalities and how they are affecting women in the UK.
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Content ArticleCOVID-19 is associated with increased risks of neurological and psychiatric sequelae in the weeks and months thereafter. How long these risks remain, whether they affect children and adults similarly, and whether SARS-CoV-2 variants differ in their risk profiles remains unclear. This study from Taquet et al. looked at the risks of 14 different disorders in 1.25 million patients two years on from Covid, mostly in the US. It then compared them with a closely-matched group of 1.25 million people who had a different respiratory infection. In the group who had Covid, after two years, there were more new cases of dementia, stroke and brain fog in adults aged over 65; brain fog in adults aged 18-64; and epilepsy and psychotic disorders in children, although the overall risks were small. Some disorders became less common two years after Covid, including anxiety and depression in children and adults and psychotic disorders in adults. The increased risk of depression and anxiety in adults lasts less than two months before returning to normal levels, the research found.
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Content ArticleThe CVDPREVENT audit contributes to a strategic objective outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan to prevent 150,000 strokes, heart attacks and cases of dementia over the next ten years. The audit works with system partners to drive cardiovascular disease (CVD) quality improvement. Mary Wills is a patient representative for the CVDPREVENT audit, and in this blog she describes her family's experience of CVD and why she was keen to get involve in CVDPREVENT. She talks about the value of hearing from other patients and carers in the first Patient Panel meeting and being invited to contribute to CVDPREVENT Steering Group meetings.
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Risk of suicide after dementia diagnosis (3 October 2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Dementia
Patients with dementia may be at an increased suicide risk. Identifying groups at greatest risk of suicide would support targeted risk reduction efforts by clinical dementia services. In this study, Alothman et al. examine the association between a dementia diagnosis and suicide risk in the general population and to identify high-risk subgroups. They found that dementia was associated with increased risk of suicide in specific patient subgroups: those diagnosed before age 65 years (particularly in the 3-month postdiagnostic period), those in the first 3 months after diagnosis, and those with known psychiatric comorbidities. Given the current efforts to improve rates of dementia diagnosis, these findings emphasise the importance of concurrent implementation of suicide risk assessment for the identified high-risk groups. -
Content ArticleAccessing social care and social support services is key to support the well-being of people living with dementia (PLWD) and unpaid carers. COVID-19 has caused sudden closures or radical modifications of these services, and is resulting in prolonged self-isolation. The aim of this study from Giebel et al., published in Aging and Mental Health, was to explore the effects of COVID-19 related social care and support service changes and closures on the lives of PLWD and unpaid carers. Fifty semi-structured interviews were conducted with unpaid carers. The study found that PLWD and carers need to receive specific practical and psychological support during the pandemic to support their well-being, which is severely affected by public health restrictions.
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Content ArticleFor months, Trevor has been unable to visit his wife, Yvonne, who lives in a care home. In this blog, published by the Alzheimer's Society, Trevor calls for assurance from Government that they will consider the needs of people living with dementia, like Yvonne.
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Content ArticleLoneliness and social networks may influence onset of Alzheimer's disease, but little is known about this relationship in people with Alzheimer's disease. This study, published in Geriatric Psychology, aimed to explore the relationship between loneliness and social networks (social measures) and cognitive and psychopathology decline in people with Alzheimer's disease. The authors concluded that maintaining or developing a close friendship network could be beneficial for cognition in people with Alzheimer's disease.
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Content ArticleIn the UK, people affected by dementia have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. From the high death rate in care homes, to the significant cognitive decline for people who live in the community, to the rising mental health challenges for unpaid carers, the pandemic has had a severe impact, while exposing our fragmented social care system for all to see. Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia charity, and in this report they bring together evidence from a wide range of sources to shine a light on the impact of COVID-19 on people who have dementia and those who care for them.
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Content ArticleIn this blog, published on the Alzheimer's Society website, Sue Hansard reflects on the lessons she learnt from living with and caring for her mum who had Alzheimer's disease and passed away two years ago. She shares her perspective to honour her mum, celebrate their relationship, and help others affected by dementia.
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Emerging evidence indicates that there has been an increase in the prescription of antipsychotic medications for people living with dementia in care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this blog, Patient Safety Learning explores the patient safety concerns relating to the use of antipsychotic medications for people with dementia and suggests areas for further investigation and action.- Posted
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Content ArticleThis good practice guide was been developed in consultation with an advisory group of leading clinicians specialising in dementia. It aims to provide evidence-based support, advice and resources to a wide range of health and social care professionals caring for people with dementia who have behavioural and psychological symptoms. It has been designed to be a practical, informative tool, with an emphasis on alternatives to drug treatment.
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Content ArticleAntipsychotic drugs are used to treat agitation, aggression, and psychosis in dementia when alternative strategies have failed. Their use has been reduced because of concerns about safety and limited efficacy. Drawing on data that the NHS publishes on a monthly basis on patients registered with a dementia diagnosis in England, this article considers evidence of an increase in antipsychotic prescribing to people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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My hospital experiences during COVID-19 by Chris Maddocks
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
Chris Maddocks has dementia and on 28 July, after suddenly becoming unwell, she was admitted to her local hospital. She shares her experience of being in hospital and explains how small things can become much bigger for someone living with dementia. She hopes by sharing that this will help others who may be admitted in the future. -
Content ArticleDespite the increasing policy focus on integrated dementia care in the UK, this paper published in Health and Social Care in the Community, argues that little is known about the opportunities and challenges encountered by practitioners charged with implementing these policies on the ground.
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Content ArticleThis resource, from NHS Education for Scotland, has been designed for acute general hospital staff to help them develop their abilities in supporting people with dementia, their families and carers. It will help you develop the knowledge and skills set out at the ‘Dementia Skilled Practice Level’ of Promoting Excellence: a framework for all health and social services staff working with people with dementia, their families and carers.
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Content ArticleDementia is a cause of disability and dependency associated with high demands for health services and expected to have a significant impact on resources. Care policies worldwide increasingly rely on family caregivers to contribute to service delivery for older people, and the general direction of health care policy internationally is to provide care in the community, meaning most people will receive services there. Patient safety in primary care is therefore important for future care, but not yet investigated sufficiently when services are carried out in patients’ homes. In particular, we know little about how family carers experience patient safety of older people with dementia in the community.
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Content ArticleLewis Hornby had a problem: his grandmother, who suffers from dementia, wasn’t drinking enough water, causing her to get severely dehydrated. In this TEDx Talk, Lewis shares his sweet, and potentially life-saving, solution. Lewis is a recent graduate of the Innovation Design Engineering program at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. His Jelly Drops design has received multiple awards for design engineering and social impact.
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Content ArticleChristine Reddall talks about the diagnosis and subsequent care of her daughter who had young onset dementia.
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