New technology and benefits to people with Alzheimer's 
.
Alzheimer's Donation
Donate Online Now
.
When electronic tagging was suggested as a way of tracking people with dementia it sparked a nationwide debate on the ethics of assistive technology. Now the Alzheimer's Society is launching a new policy on electronic tagging and safer walking technology and people with dementia and their carers are being asked to speak out.
Many people with dementia feel compelled to walk about, a symptom often described as wandering. Up to 60 per cent of people with the condition may wander and 40 per cent of them have got lost at some time outside their homes. Walking can provide significant benefits for people with dementia, but also presents some risks. If a person with dementia wanders alone and unannounced it also causes distress for family carers and loved ones. Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, says, 'We know new technology is available and could offer benefits to people with dementia and their carers. There is a careful balance to strike between empowering people and restricting their movement and this technology can certainly never be used as an alternative for high quality dementia care. We would like to see people with dementia and their carers joining the discussion on safer walking technology and what role it can play in the fight against a condition affecting 700,000 people in the UK.'
Tracking devices use global positioning technology as a way of locating a person with dementia if they are lost. A carer, close friend or specialist team can then collect them and bring them back home. The Alzheimer's Society is releasing new guidance on safer walking technology including calls for more research into its use and ability to support people with dementia and their carers. The charity believes people should have access to devices if it is appropriate and they want them. Advanced decisions about this technology could be used before people reach the later stages of dementia, when they may have lost mental capacity. Jo from Oxford, cares for his wife who has Alzheimer's disease. He says, 'When my wife first wandered we were in London and I spent the night sitting in a police station waiting for her. If I could have had any way of finding her then it would have been hugely valuable. It is important to have devices which are practical and small enough to have on you all the time.' http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Low vitamin D levels linked to increased heart disease Many people with dementia feel compelled to walk about, a symptom often described as wandering. Up to 60 per cent of people with the condition may wander and 40 per cent of them have got lost at some time outside their homes. Walking can provide significant benefits for people with dementia, but also presents some risks. If a person with dementia wanders alone and unannounced it also causes distress for family carers and loved ones. Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, says, 'We know new technology is available and could offer benefits to people with dementia and their carers. There is a careful balance to strike between empowering people and restricting their movement and this technology can certainly never be used as an alternative for high quality dementia care. We would like to see people with dementia and their carers joining the discussion on safer walking technology and what role it can play in the fight against a condition affecting 700,000 people in the UK.'
Tracking devices use global positioning technology as a way of locating a person with dementia if they are lost. A carer, close friend or specialist team can then collect them and bring them back home. The Alzheimer's Society is releasing new guidance on safer walking technology including calls for more research into its use and ability to support people with dementia and their carers. The charity believes people should have access to devices if it is appropriate and they want them. Advanced decisions about this technology could be used before people reach the later stages of dementia, when they may have lost mental capacity. Jo from Oxford, cares for his wife who has Alzheimer's disease. He says, 'When my wife first wandered we were in London and I spent the night sitting in a police station waiting for her. If I could have had any way of finding her then it would have been hugely valuable. It is important to have devices which are practical and small enough to have on you all the time.' http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Low levels of vitamin D could increase the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack, heart failure or stroke by 62 per cent, suggests a new study from the US.
http://www.nutraingredients.comPosted YVN
posted by Valery Yermalitsky at
7:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home