This month saw the release of new health and care guidelines, as well as significant advances in dementia research. These were the most notable live-in care news stories from June.
Welcome to the first edition of The Good Care Group’s ‘Care sector news review’.
Each month, we will bring you a collection of articles that represent the latest thought on care services, medical research and awareness initiatives.
This month saw the release of new health and care guidelines, as well as significant advances in dementia research. These were the most notable live-in care news stories from June:
Care services
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released a new quality standard designed to enable people to maintain independence in their own homes for as long as possible. The report urges an end to a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and encourages more involvement with patients and their families.
- New NHS guidelines state comfort and compassion ‘are vital parts of end of life care’, and urged medics never to assume ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders were in place. While the announcement centred on children’s services, the news indicates the direction of prevailing winds in the care sector.
Medical research
- Dementia cannot be caught via blood transfusions, a Swedish study has confirmed. The research disproves the link suggested by researchers at University College London in 2015, using a sample of 2.1 million people covering a 40-year period.
- A link between CT scanning and the alleviation of symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease has been put forward after a woman receiving hospice care regained the ability to speak and walk, while continuing to live well beyond the estimates of health professionals.
- Medication developed to treat diabetes may also be of use for Alzheimer’s patients, a study in mice has found. It’s now thought these illnesses share a common cause, and so medication for one may assist with the other (although current tests considered neither treatments nor cures).
Awareness initiatives
- The first week of July (4 – 10) is national Health Information Week. The campaign aims to make health-related information more readily available to the public. The NHS, local authorities, and the voluntary sector will all be involved, while special classes will be run to help people find health information online.
At The Good Care Group, we pride ourselves on being open, transparent and communicative in everything we do. This monthly review is just part of that pledge, and we will continue striving to bring you original live-in care research, financial planning and condition-related documents.
Join us next month and review the most pressing stories that have affected the care sector throughout July.
