Taking elderly neighbours to church or a football match will reduce pressure on the NHS by giving pensioners a "reason to live" and stopping their "dependency" on care services, a Liberal Democrat minister has suggested.
Tuesday 17 September 2013
Age Action says pensioners forced to choose between food or heating
Many elderly go to bed at 7pm to stay warm, charity says in pre-budget submission
Gloria Foster's death ‘a serious mistake’, says report
A woman who died after being left without care for nine days was the victim of 'a serious mistake', a report by Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board said. Gloria Foster, 81, was found in a poor physica...
Dorset pensioners are urged to become silver surfers by going online
DORSET pensioners are being urged to go surfing – with more than half of elderly people not online. Around 58 per cent of people in the county aged 65 or over do not use the internet, according to figures from Age UK.
North-South Divide on Internet Use Amongst Over 65s
There is a north-south divide in internet use amongst older people, with over 65s in Surrey more than twice as likely to have web access as those in Tyne and Wear, data published by Age UK has found. Just 28 per cent of people living in Tyne and Wear and aged 65 and over report using the internet, compared with 63 per cent of over 65s living in Surrey. Using data from the Understanding Society study of 40,000 UK households, Age UK found just four areas in England where the percentage of older people online outnumbers those who are offline…
North-south divide in internet use amongst over 65s
New data from Age UK reveals a north-south divide amongst older people when it comes to using the internet, with those aged 65 and over in the south of England generally more likely to be online...
Pensioner suffers broken arm after Wolverhampton bag snatch
Police say the attack happened in Lower Vauxhall in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, on Friday night at 11pm. The crook, who is described as black and possibly in his 20s, rode up to the pensioner on a mountain bike and tried to snatch the bag from her shoulder.
When lies are kinder than truth but our reality is our own
I was on a train to Wales to run some workshops last week. My bottle of water came with a free Telegraph. In it, I came across a piece by Max Pemberton about whether doctors lying to people with dementia...
Meet six fabulous women - aged 73 and upwards - redefining what it means to be old
With an average age of 80, Bridget, Daphne, Jean, Gillian, Sue and Lady Trumpington are defying expectations of old age and have three things in common: to keep going, to look fabulous and to have fun, finds Louisa Peacock.
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Elderly have 'real fear' over Budget
Older people are suffering from "real tension and fear" ahead of the Budget, according to Age Action Ireland.
Suffolk: More than half of people aged 65 and over in Suffolk are online, new figures show
From sending emails to watching videos of historical moments, older people living in Suffolk are among the most internet-savvy in the country, according to new research which shows more than half of people over 65 in the county are online.
Peripheral vestibular dysfunction is prevalent in older adults experiencing multiple non-syncopal falls versus age-matched non-fallers: a pilot study
Background: vestibular disorders are common in the general population, increasing with age. However, it is unknown whether older adults who fall have a higher proportion of vestibular impairment compared with age-matched older adult non-fallers.
Objective: to identify whether a greater proportion of older adult fallers have a peripheral vestibular impairment compared with age-matched healthy controls.
Design: case-controlled study.
Setting: tertiary falls and neuro-otology clinics and local community centres, London, UK.
Participants and methods: community-dwelling older adults experiencing: (i) ≥2 unexplained falls within the previous 12-months (Group F, n = 25), (ii) a confirmed peripheral vestibular disorder (Group PV, n = 15) and (iii) healthy non-fallers (Group H, n = 16). All the participants completed quantitative vestibular function tests, the functional gait assessment (FGA), physiological profile assessment (PPA) and subjective measures for common vestibular symptoms (i.e. giddiness), balance confidence during daily activities and psychological state.
Results: a clinically significant vestibular impairment was noted for 80% (20/25) of Group F compared with 18.75% (3/16) for Group H (P < 0.01). Group F performed less well in complex gait tasks (FGA), and reported a greater number of falls than both Groups H and PV (P < 0.05). Vestibular symptom scores showed no significant difference between Groups F and PV.
Conclusion: vestibular dysfunction is significantly more prevalent in older adult fallers versus non-fallers. Individuals referred to a falls clinic are older, more impaired and report more falls than those referred to a neuro-otology department. A greater awareness of vestibular impairments may lead to more effective management and treatment for older adult fallers.
Sensorimotor and psychosocial determinants of 3-year incident mobility disability in middle-aged and older adults
Objective: to identify sensorimotor and psychosocial determinants of 3-year incident mobility disability.
Design: prospective.
Setting: population-based sample of community-dwelling older persons.
Participants: community-living middle-aged and older persons (age: 50–85 years) without baseline mobility disability (n = 622).
Measurements: mobility disability, defined as self-reported inability to walk a quarter mile without resting or inability to walk up a flight of stairs unsupported, was ascertained at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Potential baseline determinant characteristics included demographics, education, social support, financial condition, knee extensor strength, visual contrast sensitivity, cognition, depression, presence of chronic conditions and history of falls.
Results: a total of 13.5% participant reported 3-year incident mobility disability. Age ≥75 years, female sex, knee extensor strength in the lowest quartile, visual contrast sensitivity <1.7 on the Pelli–Robson chart or significant depressive symptoms (CESD score >16) were independent determinants of 3-year incident mobility disability (ORs 1.84–16.51).
Conclusions: low visual contrast sensitivity, poor knee extensor strength and significant depressive symptoms are independent determinants of future onset of mobility disability.
Age UK Finds Elderly Internet Use is Generally Lower in Northern England
A new study by Age UK has reported that adults over the age of 65 are generally less likely to be using the Internet if they live in the north of England than if they reside in the south. Older people in Tyne and Wear were the least likely to be online (28% connected), while […]
Do you know a fantastic councillor?
Nominations for the Age UK Councillor Award open on 14 October, so why not start thinking now about who you could nominate? In recognition of the important role that councillor's play, we sponsor t...
Energy tariffs 'too confusing'
There are so many energy tariffs available that consumers are being left in a state of bewilderment, consumer group Which? has said. {DynamicContent:Social Media Buttons} The watchdog...
Win tickets to see Pride & Prejudice at the Lyric
Enter our competition to win tickets to see 'Pride & Prejudice the musical' at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast! Three pairs of tickets to give away! To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen'...
Elderly in north/south web divide
Internet use among older people in England is subject to a "concerning" north/south divide, a charity has warned.
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