The series is described thus:

“Businessman Sir Gerry Robinson tries to improve three struggling care homes. Can Gerry change a culture of stagnant lounges, poor quality of life and a lack of specialist staff?”

That description alone sums up the deficiencies of the entire present regime.

The major flaw in the system is that most dementia sufferers end up in care homes in the first place (although actually nursing homes too in many cases), where in most instances, the logistics of providing a decent standard of care are fatally compromised by the sheer cost of doing so.

In other words, the overheads in such institutions are already so onerous that it can become a critical extra expense to significantly improve on the care delivered, the increasing cost of complying with ill-conceived and ever burgeoning Health and Safety regulations in particular (to which Sir Gerry refers) being a major element of those overheads.

Let us dwell for a moment on what the present standard of care actually is.

I quote from Sir Gerry’s commentary on the first program in the series:

“The average time a dementia resident is actually engaged in any form of contact with anyone is two minutes in every six hours”.

So for a total direct engagement time with their carers and other staff of just 56 minutes in every week, the average dementia sufferer in the average care home is being charged up to £750. As only a few pounds out of that figure is spent on the carers’ wages per se, then the rest is overhead, which as that is already now becoming unmanageable for many care homes (and is the reason why many are already now failing of course), means that any extra cost in improving the standard of care (such as the dementia mapping that Sir Gerry talks about) will simply send yet more of them over the edge into bankruptcy.

And that in a nutshell is why the average standard of care in UK care homes is so poor – the overheads are simply too prohibitive to enable all but a relative handful of them to provide decent care.

There is ultimately only one practicable solution to this problem and that is to abandon the whole concept of trying to care for dementia sufferers in care homes at all, and simply look after them in their own homes instead.

There they can receive more like sixty HOURS of direct contact with their carers per week as opposed to 60 minutes, and in that setting there is obviously no limit on the time their carers have available to give them all the help and support they need.

I would be interested to see other contributors’ views on the same issue.

A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted. A blood clot restricting the flow of blood to the brain is the most common cause of strokes, but some are caused by bleeding in or around the brain from a burst blood vessel.

– In both cases the brain is starved of oxygen, damaging or killing cells
– Sufferers are often left with difficulty talking, walking and performing other basic tasks.

What are the symptoms of a stroke?

Not everyone will have the same symptoms and the symptoms may vary. The most common symptoms to look out for are:

– a sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body
– sudden loss or blurring of vision, in one or both eyes
– sudden difficulty speaking or understanding spoken language

In addition the following symptoms may also be apparent:

– sudden confusion
– sudden or severe headache with no apparent cause
– dizziness, unsteadiness or a sudden fall, especially with any of the other symptoms.

What are the clear signs that someone has suffered a stroke?

There’s three key things to look for.

– Facial weakness – Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
– Arm weakness – Can the person raise both arms?
– Speech problems – Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?

What should I do if I think someone has had a stroke?

A stroke is a medical emergency. If you suspect a stroke call 999 immediately.

By calling 999, you can help someone reach hospital quickly and receive the early treatment they need. Prompt action can prevent further damage to the brain and help someone make a full recovery.
Delay can result in death or major long-term disabilities like paralysis, severe memory loss and communication problems.

What is a Transient Ischaemic Attack or TIA?

A TIA (sometimes called mini stroke) is similar to a full stroke but the symptoms may only last a few minutes and will have completely gone within 24 hours. Don’t ignore this because it could lead to a major stroke. See your GP as soon as possible and ask to be referred to a specialist stroke service. This should happen within seven days.

You can obtain further information from your local NHS direct or by calling the Stroke Association Helpline on 0845 3033100

For some this may only be small things such as appointments but in other cases it can be worse, such as forgetting the faces of loved ones or precious memories. This can be extremely distressing for those who are close to the sufferer.

There are a few things that can be done to help remember the appointment or perhaps even jog the memory into remembering some of those past events or faces.

Having a white board with the date and the events that are due to happen that day such as doctor’s appointments or friends visiting will be very useful.

Also, regularly looking through photos, letter or perhaps scrap books from the past may help bring back some of the memories that have been lost. Visiting as often as possible and asking questions about past homes, friends and pets may also help.

Also, music is a very powerful memory jogger and there are certain songs that will always take us back to a time when the same song meant something to us. It has also been discovered that music can be a help to dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers.

There are various opticians who will visit you in your own home. They will exam your eyes the same as they would if you were to visit them and can arrange for your new glasses to be delivered back to you at home.

Everyone has the fundamental right to sight, if you are over 65 you are entitled to free eye examinations in your own home. It is estimated that up to 1,000,000 people in the UK qualify for this service which they currently do not receive and in particular there are free eye tests for senior citizens.

As our aging population increases, the need for this service is likely to grow substantially as 85% of blind and partially sighted people are over 65.

One of these companies is “Vision Call” you can research their website on www.vision-call.co.uk

The condition can affect people of any age, although it is far more common in elderly people due to the weakening of the pelvic muscles, ligaments and other tissues. The condition also affects far more women than men with up to 20 percent of the older female population suffering from incontinence.

There are many types of urinary incontinence and these include stress incontinence which affects one in five women over 40 years old, over sensitive bladder and illness and disease.

There are many things that can be done to help prevent incontinence. There are various exercises, medicines and other treatments available that can all help to control the symptoms.

There are also many products available to help sufferers of incontinence such as absorbent pads, bed sheets and under garments for both men and women.

If you think that you may be suffering from incontinence it is highly recommended that you visit your GP as soon as possible for assistance.