The study found that people in their 90s who did not perform well in mobility tests were also at greater risk of becoming senile. In contrast, those who exercised regularly in their middle years cut the risk of developing dementia dramatically, and subsequently the need for dementia care in later life.

The investigation concluded: “Higher midlife fitness levels seem to be associated with lower hazards of developing all-cause dementia later in life. The magnitude and direction of the association were similar with or without previous stroke, suggesting that higher fitness levels earlier in life may lower risk for dementia later in life, independent of cerebrovascular disease.”

Dementia, or senility, is a general term for memory loss; however, it affects an individual’s social as well as mental abilities. Many sufferers are known to carry out acts such as ‘going walkabout’ in addition to forgetting things.

Forgetfulness happens to everyone from time to time, but dementia has underlying codes or symptoms. The general definition is a continuous deterioration in cognitive function. This is the inability to process thought, and it affects thousands of people each year.

It seems, however, that continuing to exercise throughout life can reduce the risk of cognitive problems occurring in later life.

This is considered a major step forward, as it can also potentially save the NHS millions of pounds on treatment for the effects of cancer. Such treatment includes chemotherapy and other technological developments.

Moreover, it allows plans to be put in place by contingent healthcare professionals concerned with cancer care. In other words, giving preventive drugs harks back to the original ideal of the NHS – prevention rather than cure.

Just two drugs are being considered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which is drawing up guidance plans for their use. The two drugs are tamoxifen and raloxifene.

Tamoxifen would be used for pre-menopausal women and some women who have gone through the menopause already. Raloxifene, however, would be given only to post-menopausal women.

In trials, tamoxifen apparently showed a reduction in the risk of developing breast cancer by a staggering 30%. The preventive effect is thought to last 20 years.

Chris Askew, head of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity, said that the news really would help women with a family history of breast cancer. He added that there is a need for “an array of options to help them control their risk.”

Breast cancer is a devastating disease affecting millions of women worldwide. This new attitude should help save lives, as well as save money for an organisation under extreme pressure financially.

While a nursing agency will be an obvious choice for hospitals struggling to cope, the demand for staff does not always keep up with supply. This is particularly true during the winter period.

Scotland is apparently struggling more than other areas of the country, with the Scottish Parliament’s Shadow Health Secretary saying that the NHS was near to breaking point. Jackie Baillie said: “This winter has seen the NHS in Scotland stretched to the limits. It isn’t just flu or norovirus to blame.”

She added: “Hospitals are desperately attempting to keep everything going despite having 2,500 fewer nurses caring for us when we are ill. If you have fewer nurses, then patients don’t get the care they need.”

Norovirus is a particularly nasty virus that affects people in different ways; however, in general, symptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that no fewer than 17 NHS hospitals in England have what has been described as dangerously low numbers of nurses. The warning was issued by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) when it carried out inspections last November.

The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has suggested that there is no reason for hospitals to have shortages of nursing staff; however, 7,000 nurses have lost their NHS jobs since 2010.

Source: Daily Record & Telegraph

Disruption for patients attending any of the Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C) hospitals was kept to a minimum by nurses and other staff, with many managing to alter shifts. Colleagues also helped any staff members who had to make home visits and were struggling.

Michael Scott, chief executive of NCH&C, said: “I would like to pay tribute to all our staff, as it is because of their determination and spirit that patients have continued to be able to access the care they need. I am immensely proud of our colleagues: they truly are snow angels!”

He added: “Many of our patients have limited mobility and some are quite vulnerable, so it is absolutely imperative that they can continue to access our services during this cold snap.”

Norfolk is a large county with a relatively sparse population. Many people live in hard to access communities, making life difficult at the best of times.

The range of services provided by NCH&C is diverse, including children’s health services, community nursing, rehabilitation services, palliative care and various physical and psychological therapies. Much of work is community-based rather than hospital-based, making it difficult in harsh weather for nurses and other medical staff to fulfil their obligations.

The Trust appears to be very well organised, enabling it to take problems such as the weather in its stride. The success is also down to the great work ethic of the non-medical clerical staff.

Source: EDP24

The crisis surrounds the HSE’s new pay policy, which sees a 20% cut in pay for newly recruited nurses. The nursing union attacked the move, urging nurses not to apply. The union described the move as “cheap labour.”

Along with many countries in the European Union, Ireland is suffering from the effects of austerity imposed by the Irish government. As such, it is causing consternation among many sections of Irish society.

A cut in pay for newly qualified graduate nurses is just one of a number of similar measures being carried out; however, nursing unions are urging members to oppose any cuts in pay.

Ireland, like many countries inside and outside the EU, has an insurance-based health care system. Many of the nurses employed will therefore be agency nurses. Many nurses and allied professionals, such as midwives, want the Irish Health Service to be properly funded so that it does not have to suffer the way it is suffering at the moment.

A spokesperson for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation believes this is an attack on the education of nurses. Liam Doran said that the fact the HSE’s graduate scheme is also being extended by a further year means that this has more to do with creating cut-price jobs and not less to do with training.

Source: RTE News Ireland

Although many of the nurses now employed in NHS hospitals are agency nurses rather than full time, the general population still feels that nurses do a valuable job. Many have been vilified in recent weeks, but most people think that the problems are due to a minority.

The NHS topped the list in a poll by Ipsos-Mori that looked at what it meant to be British. A huge 72% said that the National Health Service symbolised everything that made them feel most proud about being British.

This will be great news for those working in the embattled service, which celebrates its 65th birthday this year; moreover, the high polling will give politicians of all persuasions greater insight into how the general population, irrespective of wealth and position, feel of the institution. Many fear the present government is trying to privatise the NHS through the back door.

The government, for its part, believes that the health service needs reforming; however, over the past two years there has been a titanic battle over the organisation’s future, with patients unsure what will happen to them. As such, many people now feel this new high poll rating will help scupper any plans to privatise or outsource services.

Last year, the Olympic opening ceremony was criticised by some because they felt that it was being used to make a political point. The NHS was at the heart of this ceremony.

What kinds of jobs are currently available in the UK? Depending on your area of expertise, a recent piece of research found that the most popular areas are cancer and diabetes. For instance, if you enjoy carrying out research rather than just nursing, Marie Curie Care carries out a lot of this; in fact, it spends about £3 million each year. Consequently, the charity will often require information officers.

Similarly, the British Heart Foundation generally carries out research into how health policy can affect people with heart problems. If you have experience in project management, this could be just up your street. The British Heart Foundation is an employer that actively seeks applicants with nursing qualifications.

Children’s cancer charities may also offer job hunters another avenue. As an example, the Childhood Eye Cancer Care Trust is involved in developing research into retinoblastoma, which is a cancer that affects 100 children aged under 15 each year.

Diabetes is a hidden disease that millions of people are not aware they have until it is too late. Diabetes UK is at the forefront of trying to get people to visit their GP for a check. Communication – or engagement as it is called in healthcare – is now a vital component, which Diabetes UK is keen to get involved in.

These are just a few of the potential career moves that you can make.

One of the major problems with dementia is the diagnosis. Dementia is a wide-ranging condition that often escalates before anyone realises. In short, it creeps up. Being able to diagnose the disorder early will help determine what dementia care is appropriate. Seemingly, new software developed can do this more accurately.

Interestingly, the software – MAXIMS Dementia System – was designed and launched specifically for NHS trusts. Shane Tickell, the CEO of IMS MAXIMS (the company behind the software) said: “The misdiagnosis and delayed or incorrect treatment of long term conditions such a dementia is placing a huge strain on our NHS, with dementia estimated to cost our society in excess of £19 billion per year.”

He added: “Our aim is to help trusts capture data as easily and effectively as possible to improve the identification and quality of care of dementia patients, and receive the correct payments for doing so.”

The software works by taking the clinician through the three vital steps of diagnosis. This test is called the CQUIN (Commissioning for Quality Innovation) test and its three stages are Find, Assess & Investigate, and Reviews.

Diagnosis currently requires a more manual appraisal of the patient’s condition, whereas the software takes a more dispassionate view and allows a proper diagnosis to be made.

Perhaps even more important than this is that the IMS MAXIMS software creates a record for each patient, enabling clinicians to develop a proper caring strategy tailored for the individual.

While on one hand this is rather unfortunate news, on the other hand the realisation that dementia care is something that needs to be considered globally is useful. As people live longer, especially in higher industrialised nations such as the UK, dementia is something that must be taken into account.

It is not just in Britain that the psychological disorder is being taken more seriously. The Taiwanese authorities have also realised that better healthcare will be needed to deal with the growing numbers of dementia sufferers in the island nation.

Taiwan health experts are concerned that the problem is also hitting many people aged under 65. According to the Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association (TADA), there are about 20,000 people under the age of 65 who have been diagnosed with the syndrome.

Moreover, 170,000 people aged over 65 are known to be suffering from dementia. Out of a population of 23.3 million, 190,000 sufferers is by anyone’s measure a serious problem that must be addressed.

Taiwan also appears to have similar problems to those encountered in the UK. According to TADA, most of the people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are not diagnosed early enough.

Secretary-general Tang Li-yu of TADA believes that early diagnosis and treatment can help to reduce the number of patients in the country. She added: “Early discovery of the syndrome helps postpone elderly people’s degeneration.”

The same should apply elsewhere in the world before the major global problem becomes uncontrollable.

Diabetes is a very serious disease that affects thousands of people, many of whom also require care at home. As such, there will also be a need for specialist nurses and home carers to administer their drugs. This will particularly be the case where Lucentis is concerned, as the drug must be administered directly into the eyes.

Lucentis is the brand name for the drug ranibizumab. It does not come cheap, at around £700 per month, and is only available for patients suffering from diabetic macular oedema (DMO). The product needs to be directly injected into the eye, as its intention is to prevent the build up of leaking fluid at the back of the patient’s eye.

It has taken NICE over 12 months to approve Lucentis, as it was considered to be too expensive; however, new evidence was submitted to the government quango that finally approved its release.

Professor Carole Longson of the NICE Evaluation Centre said: “NICE is pleased to recommend ranibizumab as a treatment option for some people with visual impairment caused by diabetic macular oedema in new draft guidance.”

Retinopathic diseases are just one type of disease that can develop as a direct result of diabetics being unable to manage their blood sugar properly. While the approval of Lucentis is good news, there are other disorders, including circulation problems and neuropathy, which are equally problematic.

Hopefully breakthroughs such as Lucentis will also be found for these.