Live in care at Home – Elderly home care blog

More people than previously thought could be at higher risk of having a stroke caused by their antipsychotic drugs, say UK scientists.
Previous research suggested only some types of the drug increased the risk, particularly for people with dementia.
However a study published in the British Medical Journal says all forms of antipsychotics boost the [...]

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Gene therapy has the potential to restore hearing in mice, offering hope for humans too, US scientists suggest.
An Oregon team discovered gene transfer produced functioning hair cells that are essential for the inner ear to interpret sounds, Nature reports.
In people with normal hearing, cochlear hair cells convert sound into electrical signals, which are [...]

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Apparently “normal” cells may carry cancer to new sites long before a tumour develops, lying dormant until key genes are activated, experts say.
US researchers say their findings, published in Science, could explain why some breast cancers lead to new tumours long after the disease is treated.
Secondary, or metastatic, cancers are responsible for the [...]

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The government must give more money to help Britain’s six million unpaid carers, MPs have said.
The Commons work and pensions committee said people who looked after friends and relatives saved the taxpayer £87bn.
It recommended income replacement for those unable to work and compensation for extra costs of “intensive” caring.
Carers say the current [...]

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Running on a regular basis can slow the effects of ageing, a study by US researchers shows.
Elderly joggers were half as likely to die prematurely from conditions like cancer than non-runners.
They also enjoyed a healthier life with fewer disabilities, the Stanford University Medical Center team found.
Experts said the findings in Archives of [...]

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A scheme warning people with a lung condition about weather which could have an effect on them has cut hospital admissions for the problem by a fifth.
The Met Office alerts tell people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when cold weather is due.
More than 8,000 patients from 189 GP practices across the UK [...]

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A man has said his lung was needlessly removed by doctors after he was wrongly diagnosed with cancer.
Laurence Ball, who lives in Shetland, had surgery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to remove a tumour on his lung.
But Mr Ball, 58, was later told there had never been cancer in the organ. He is now [...]

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The GP contract introduced in 2004 has helped reduce gaps in care between wealthy and poor areas, a study says.
Researchers looked at the performance of over 7,000 GP practices over the first three years of the deal.
They found standards of care in less wealthy areas – which had tended to be worse – [...]

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Nearly half of cancer patients in England are being forced to cut back on food or heating in order to pay for their prescriptions, a poll suggests.
And almost two-thirds (59%) miss out on simple leisure activities, like family days out, to cope with their medication costs, says Macmillan Cancer Support.
Its online survey of [...]

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A poll by Macmillan Cancer Support suggests nearly half of cancer patients in England are being forced to cut back on basic necessities in order to pay for their prescriptions.
Breast cancer survivor Amanda Whetstone says she regularly skips breakfast and lunch to save money to pay for her prescriptions.
Amanda, 45, from Chessington in [...]

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