For those of you who are new to the site, welcome to Dementia web for Gloucestershire. Dementia news is updated regularly to keep you informed of events, research and any new projects that may be helpful to you.

Help to improve the quality of health care.
The National Institute for Health Research is looking for people across the UK who have first-hand experience of health conditions and/or health and social care services.  They are particularly keen to hear from carers.

Join the NIHR’s team of public contributors and you could review research briefing papers or proposals for Department of Health research funding.  This work is done at home and at your own pace. Your views would add a ‘real world’ perspective to academic research and ensure that the patient and carer viewpoints are properly included in research that is funded with public money.

Reviewers get guidance and support and are paid a fee for all review work to acknowledge the valuable contribution of ‘experts by experience’.
For more information about these opportunities visit the websites of the research funding centres:

http://www.netscc.ac.uk/getting_involved/
http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/PPI/Pages/default.aspx

Or call us: Alison Ford on 023 8059 7435 or Jean Cooper-Moran on 0208 843 8042.

Free Alzheimer’s research talks in Bath

22/06/2011 6:30pm – 9pm

Do you want to know more about Dementia? Scientists and clinicians from the University of Bath and the Research Institute for the Care of Older People will share their latest findings and answer your questions. All the talks are designed for members of the public.

The talks take place at the Hilton Bath City Hotel, Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BJ. For more information….
To book a place ring Jo McTiernanon 0117 3402385 or email: dementia-research@bristol.ac.uk

Free Training Courses on the Mental Capacity Act

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) in partnership with care provider associations is offering FREE training on The Mental Capacity Act to staff working for organisations which are registered with CQC.  This includes care homes, nursing homes and domiciliary / home care. There are sessions particular to staff working with adults who have learning disabilities and those who work in adult social care but not in a care setting.

Training sessions are all aimed at senior staff and managers. There is a limit of three staff from any one provider on each course. Read more – MCA training 2011. 

For details about the course contact: David Thompson on 020 7831 7090 or email David.Thompson@scie.org.uk
 
COGKNOW
This is an interesting piece of technology and it is worth taking a look at the site to read the history of how it came about, its benefit to the carer and person being cared for. However with such a clever device, it should be realised there is a cost involved.

The COGKNOW DayNavigator is a holistic solution that assists persons with dementia within their own homes and outside. It gives increased independence and quality of life, while giving carers much needed relief not having to monitor the person with dementia so much.

The service can easily be customised to address the individual needs of each person and their carers, for memory support, helping with daily activities, maintaining social contacts and increased safety.

For further information please go to For Persons with Dementia, alternatively please go to Contact Us page. 

Events
Ann Blockley Midsummer Exhibition in the Cotswolds

10am at The Tithe Barn, Bourton House Gardens, Bourton on the Hill, Near Moreton in Marsh, GL56 9AE
Local artist Ann Blockley will be exhibiting her… More

1pm at Cirencester Parish Church, The Market Place, Cirencester, GL7 2NX
Taking to Gloucestershire for a second-year running,… More

Research

Channel 4 News recently discussed the growing numbers of people with Down’s Syndrome and their risk of developing dementia and the lack of provision for care.

People with Down’s syndrome are living longer than ever before. Since the 1980s their life expectancy has doubled and many now live into their 60s.
But for the estimated 60,000 people with Down’s syndrome in the UK this development is coupled with the startling knowledge that people with Down’s are significantly more at risk of developing dementia than in the rest of us. Not only that but they also develop it at a much younger age – 30 to 40 years earlier than the general population.

With an aging Down’s population, Diana Kerr, a leading expert in the dual diagnosis at University of Edinburgh, worries that local authorities are not ready to meet the increasing demands of this population – partly because of a false perception that people with Down’s don’t live long enough.

Often changes in personality are the first sign of dementia, and a diagnosis is crucial for accessing the right services. It also means the family or carers can begin to change their responses and environment to make life more manageable for the person with Down’s.  Read more…