Care Home News
Residents welcome young volunteers participating in care home improvement project
30 Jul 2014
Residents enjoyed spending time with a group of teenagers who visited the Essex care home as part of their volunteering project to make improvements to the home. The volunteers were all aged from 15 to 17.....
Number of patients diagnosed with dementia increases by 62 per cent
30 Jul 2014
Provisional figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show 344,000 patients had a recorded diagnosis of dementia in 2013/14. This is a rise from 319,000 in 2012/13 and from 213,000.....
Anti-inflammatory drug could halt progression of Parkinson's disease
30 Jul 2014
A new drug has been found which could halt the progression of Parkinson’s disease in people by researchers in America. The drug, which could be injected under the skin, can enter the brain to protect nerve cells from dying due.....
New Bupa care home in Cardiff names its family room 'Cwtch'
29 Jul 2014
Bupa has opened a new care home in Cardiff, with the help of its new residents and school children from nearby Whitchurch Primary School and Whitchurch High School. Joyce Mitchell, 88, Eileen Jones, 86,.....
CQC will prosecute care home bosses if they fail to meet 'fundamental standards' of care
29 Jul 2014
The Care Quality Commission will prosecute owners and managers of care homes if they fail to adhere to the new ‘fundamental standards’ of care, according to new draft guidance. Currently, the CQC has to.....
Inquiry into extra living costs facing disabled people launches
29 Jul 2014
A year long independent inquiry has been launched to understand the scale of regular extra costs which are faced by disabled people and families of children with disabilities in England and Wales. The Scope Extra Costs Commission.....
Dementia Friendly Communities programme exceeds Prime Minister's expectations
28 Jul 2014
Over 60 towns and cities have pledged to become Dementia Friendly Communities, more than triple the expectation first set out in the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia. Exceeding expectations David.....
Older people can boost their health by doing short bursts of intense exercise
28 Jul 2014
Pensioners can dramatically improve their health by doing one minute of intense exercise just twice a week, according to a new study. Research carried out by Abertay University in Scotland found that in just.....
'Excessively bureaucratic' safeguards for people lacking mental capacity to be reviewed
24 Jul 2014
The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) provision will be reviewed and simplified to improve the protection of people who lack mental capacity, the Department of Health has announced. DOLS allow people, such as those with.....
Government called to back programme to make dying in hospital last resort
23 Jul 2014
The Government is being called on to back a new programme aimed at reducing the number of people dying in hospitals by utilising alternative care options in hospices, care homes or at home. According to Help the Hospices, the.....
Horticultural project for vulnerable adults raises money from its own produce
23 Jul 2014
After months of planting, growing and harvesting, a range of fruit and vegetables home grown by adults with learning disabilities has gone on sale in Bomersund, Northumberland. Money raised will be invested back into the project.....
Care minister says that older people are being 'exploited' by care homes' top-up fees
23 Jul 2014
A parliamentary debate on the subject of care home top up fees has raised questions about their necessity. In a speech, Care Minister Norman Lamb said he fears ‘exploitation’ of vulnerable older people over such fees......
Castleford RUFC hosts first ever disability sports day with Care UK
22 Jul 2014
Around 150 people attended a sports day which gave disabled people, their families and carers the opportunity to learn sports skills and take part in a range of activities organised by Care UK. Care UK provides both care in the.....
London care homes take residents on culinary remininscence journey
22 Jul 2014
Residents at three Sanctuary Group care homes in London enjoyed celebratory culinary-themed summer shows based on their own life stories and memories, as part of Sanctuary’s two-year creative arts programme, Shine! The performances,.....
'Special measures' inspections for care homes risk becoming a fruitless exercise
21 Jul 2014
Queries have been raised about the fairness of the new expert led hospital style inspection for all care homes and home care services announced last week by Health Secretary Jeremey Hunt. The Registered Nursing.....
Care home tackling loneliness in residents with animal therapy
18 Jul 2014
Residents from a care home in Northfleet have been celebrating the arrival of the home’s two newest residents, Penny and Kennedy the kittens. Named by Dene Holm residential home’s residents, it is hoped the animals will combat.....
Care home gardens have 'promising' therapeutic potential for dementia residents
18 Jul 2014
Accessing gardens and outdoor spaces can reduce levels of agitation in care home residents living with dementia. A research team has measured the benefits spending time in gardens has for people with dementia to help care homes.....
Woodwork and IT classes offered to older people at new retirement village
17 Jul 2014
Plans for a retirement village in Longbridge near Birmingham have been announced as part of the town’s £1bn regeneration scheme. The village will provide the local community with over 50 permanent jobs and up to 200 jobs during.....
New regime to tackle failing care announced by the Government
16 Jul 2014
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will create a new expert led inspection regime to tackle failing care homes and home care services, following the success of the CQC’s new style of inspection of 11 hospitals placed in special measures.....
Government's 'dismal failure' to get people with learning disabilities out of Treatment and Assessment Units
15 Jul 2014
Labour has called on the Government to commit to a two-year deadline to end the practice of placing people with learning disabilities in Treatment and Assessment Units, such as the former Winterbourne View, for long periods of time. During.....
Care home staff complete midnight mountain climb for charity
15 Jul 2014
Nearly £2,500 has been raised for the Alzheimer’s Society after three care home staff members climbed the UK’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, for the charity. The team made their task even harder by choosing to complete the 4,409.....
Cataract surgery slows decline in cognition for dementia patients
15 Jul 2014
People with Alzheimer’s disease who have surgery to remove cataracts benefit from an improved quality of life as well as better vision, a clinical trial has shown. Preliminary results have been published at the Alzheimer’s Association.....
Improved lifestyle choices could cut Alzheimer's by third
14 Jul 2014
A third of cases of Alzheimer’s disease could be prevented if people start taking steps to improve their lifestyles, a study published in the journal Lancet Neurology has claimed. Research was carried out.....
CQC's chief inspector of adult social care wins 'inspirational woman' award
14 Jul 2014
Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care for the Care Quality Commission, has been named as one of the top 50 inspirational women in healthcare. The awards run by the Health Service Journal.....
End of life care better in care homes than hospitals
10 Jul 2014
The quality of care given to people at the end of their lives is significantly better in care homes, hospices and at home than in hospitals, according to a new survey. The third National Survey of Bereaved.....
Care workers' low pay jeopardising quality of care with abuse complaints on the rise
10 Jul 2014
The quality of care in both care homes and domiciliary care is being put at risk by the low pay and working conditions of care workers, with abuse and neglect complaints on the rise, according to MPs. The.....
Torchwood star John Barrowman says being deaf made him feel 'invisible'
09 Jul 2014
TV star John Barrowman, best known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood, agreed to go ‘deaf’ for the day as part of a filmed experiment so he could understand more the difficulties that deaf people face. Gel.....
Think tank upbraids politicians for sidelining hearing loss
09 Jul 2014
A report launched today presents new data to show not only the predicted growth in the number of people with hearing loss, which is set to account for almost 20 per cent of the UK’s total population by 2031,.....
New blood test to predict onset of dementia could be 'devastating' for sufferers
09 Jul 2014
An academic has warned that a new blood test which identifies people who will go to develop Alzheimer’s disease could be ‘devastating’ to sufferers. Professor Mike Jackson of Birmingham City University said:.....
Profile: FitzRoy founder changed the way Britain cares for people with learning disabilities
07 Jul 2014
Fifty years ago, it was the norm for people with learning disabilities to be locked away in large institutions for the duration of their lives. Now they are very much part of the community, and it is largely thanks to two people.....