A study lead by a team from University College London has lead to a groundbreaking new scan in the field of dementia. The straightforward, 5 minute neck scan could detect the likelihood of dementia developing in the brain years out from symptoms exhibiting. Those in the medical community believe the scan could be a pivotal component of the screening approach for middle-age persons at risk of developing the disease. The Science Behind The Study Researchers explained that healthy, elastic blood vessels near the heart are integral to healthy brain and body functioning. These healthy, elastic blood vessels function to soften …

The dementia disease is a complex and challenging process for anyone who has to face it, including family. Depression is becoming a serious problem for carers of those with dementia, as the burden of care, isolation and fatigue are straining many who are seeking to do good. The reach the process of ageing and disease has on people is not limited. From children of affected persons to carer staff in residential homes, many individuals in our communities are shoulders tremendous burdens of care. It is incredibly important that as a sector, a people, a health community that we train our …

Music has long held a special place in our ears and hearts. Regardless of age, gender, health and memory, music has been found to stay with us. As humans it is hard to fight the pull of a particularly swaying beat and stay completely still. No way! Most of us start bopping our feet along to the rhythm, humming along merrily, perhaps even subconsciously. If we’ve known and loved the song for some time, we might start softly singing the words, remembering all the times we had listening to that merry ditty. The phenomenal effects of music and what it …

Exciting initiatives across the country are pursuing new ways of doing aged care. A facility on the NSW south coast is running a childcare out of its dementia unit and from all reports the process is going very well. Experts are saying that innovative approaches like this program are likely to change the future landscape of aged care for the better. While many challenges lay ahead, seeing the benefits of intergenerational care shines a light for future possibilities in care. Playtime That Uplifts Due to government regulations, the co-ordinator of the program operates as a family day care provider. Three …

Aged care technology advances within multiple health care sectors have been a key focus for governments the world over. While hospitals and ambulatory care have seen high adoptions of new technologies and benefits, aged care facilities have largely been behind this trend. In an encouraging new US study, experts have spent time understanding the particular benefits that technology could lend the aged care sector. Helpfully, the study delves further into the question of tech and aged care, uncovering unique difficulties facing the aged care sector for technology to be adopted well. The study offers that in an honest and thorough …

A social intervention program run out of the University of Queensland is providing significant benefits for aged care facilities and the residents within them. The Good Neighbour program, from its inception to implementation, has aimed to improve the quality of life and care felt by residents in residential aged care facilities. The resounding success of the program is being echoed by many working in the sector, who feel that the students involved are breathing new life into a sector that has been under considerable strain. In a time when the Royal Commission into the aged care sector has raised considerable …

When it comes to referral to palliative care from hospital, a recent study has found that there are vastly differing times according to age, condition and location. A large-scale study run by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in the UK has found that it is more likely for an older person to be referred to hospice care later than a younger person. The discrepancies in referral times, in relation to age and number of days lived in palliative care, has brought into focus significant concerns surrounding the referral process. What does the report tell us? The NIHR report …

Any condition that involves memory loss and changes in personality can be complicated, for someone going through it, and family members. Both dementia and delirium involve symptoms of memory loss, behaviour that is out of the norm and communication difficulties yet there are significant difference between them. What do experts say about delirium? Dr Orser has been researching and conducting studies concerning delirium for many years. Based out of the University of Toronto, she is the co-director of research in the department of anesthesia at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and has been dedicating her life to figure out the nuances …

Everybody has bad days. When it all seems to be going wrong and everything’s out of sync and frustration levels start to simmer very close to the surface. Most of us can empathise with feeling a little hot under the collar and that’s no different for the residents we look after. Many of us have experienced looking after a resident that has been feeling angry. These situations, while hopefully not common, do occur and they can be really challenging. Here are some ways that professionals, involved in health care, have approached managing agitated persons for the best outcomes. Look for …

Burnout is a relatively new term. 50 years ago, psychologist, Dr. Christina Maslach was studying how people responded to emotions being brought to the surface. She found that among all the triggers, unhappiness at work seemed to bring out the most crying, yelling and rage. Now a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr Maslach has become a pioneer in burnout research and can help us understand what it may look like for us and what can be done about it. What is burnout? Deakin University psychologist Dr Michael Leiter explains burnout as a “reflection of fundamental …