News
Healthy Ageing
National: Drugs for heartbeat problem may cut dementia risk,
BBC News, 8 March 2011.
Treating stroke survivors for a heartbeat problem called atrial fibrillation (AF) might prevent many patients from going on to develop dementia, UK experts believe. Research into...
National: New system uses brain scans to spot early Alzheimer's,
BBC News, 7 March 2011.
A new method using brain scans to spot the early signs of Alzheimer's Disease is being tested in NHS memory clinics. An advanced computer programme compares a patient's brain scan...
National: Neurons 'lost to Alzheimer's' grown in lab,
NHS Choices, 7 March 2011.
Research on Alzheimer's disease is in the news today, with The Guardian reporting that "brain cells grown in the lab will help to identify new Alzheimer's drugs". The Mirror reports...
National: Lung cancer rates double in women over 60 since 1970s,
Telegraph, 7 March 2011.
Lung cancer rates for retired women have more than doubled since the mid-1970s because of an increase in the number of female smokers, new figures have shown. Rates for British...
Local: Why therapists are key to managing Wales' ageing population,
Wales Online, 7 March 2011.
Wales’ elderly population is increasing as medical advances are allowing people to live longer, albeit with complex health problems. Professor Patricia Price asks whether our focus on...
Local: Retired lecturer Phillip Clarke on his battle with Alzheimer’s,
Wales Online, 7 March 2011.
The early symptoms of Philip Clarke’s Alzheimer’s disease were first attributed to a mini stroke. The retired lecturer spoke to Health Editor Madeleine Brindley about living with...
National: Gene that predicts risk of heart attack identified by scientists,
Telegraph, 6 March 2011.
Scientists from all over the world, including Britain, studied the genetic make up of more than 140,000 people to find DNA faults in those susceptible to coronary heart disease...
National: Memory cells killed by Alzheimer's grown in laboratory,
Telegraph, 4 March 2011.
Brain cells that are most vulnerable to attack from Alzheimer's Disease have been grown by scientists for the first time in a breakthrough that could help reverse memory loss...
National: Can ibruprofen ward off Parkinson's?,
NHS Choices, 3 March 2011.
Taking ibuprofen just a few times a week could cut the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by a third, according to The Daily Telegraph. The news is based on the publication of a...
National: Ibuprofen 'cuts Parkinson's disease risk',
BBC News, 2 March 2011.
People who take ibuprofen on a regular basis have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, research suggests. The drug is commonly used to ease aches and pains but US...
National: How can technology help dementia patients?,
BBC News, 1 March 2011.
Dementia can be a stressful and lonely experience for patient and carer, but technology can make life easier and safer for both. Scientists at Stirling University have created a "dementia...
Local: Why respect and dignity must be at the heart of healthcare,
Wales Online, 28 February 2011.
A REPORT released earlier this month exposing alarming failures of NHS care for the elderly created something of a media frenzy. For a few days every television and radio news...
National: NICE to update blood pressure guide,
NHS Choices, 22 February 2011.
New approaches should be used to treat and diagnose high blood pressure, according to draft guidelines today published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence...
National: Call for home blood pressure tests to curb misdiagnosis,
BBC News, 22 February 2011.
Patients suspected of having high blood pressure will get another check at home because of fears that nerves from being at a GP surgery may be leading to too many people being...
National: Blood pressure device performs well,
NHS Choices, 21 February 2011.
A watch-like device "could revolutionise blood pressure monitoring", BBC News has reported. According to the website, the monitor can be used to measure pressure in the wrist...
National: Device 'could revolutionise blood pressure monitoring',
BBC News, 21 February 2011.
A device which can be worn like a watch could revolutionise the way blood pressure is monitored in the next few years, scientists say. Researchers at the University of Leicester...
National: Scottish researchers to seek cure for forgetfulness,
BBC News, 21 February 2011.
Scottish academics have launched a study in a bid to find a cure for forgetfulness. Doctors at CPS Research said people were becoming increasingly forgetful as a result of modern hectic...
National: TV nurse Joanna Scanlan's viewpoint on elderly care,
BBC News, 18 February 2011.
Older patients are not getting the care they deserve according to actor Joanna Scanlan who portrays a nurse on an elderly ward in TV comedy, Getting On, and offers her hard-hitting...
Local: Edwina Hart launches support for dementia sufferers,
Wales Online, 17 February 2011.
NEW advice has been developed by the Assembly Government and Alzheimer’s Society for people with dementia. The National Vision for Dementia is designed to ensure patients...
Local: Extra advice for people with Dementia and their carers,
WAG, 16 February 2011.
New advice for people diagnosed with dementia and their carers, developed by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Alzheimer's Society in Wales, has been launched today...
National: Hearing problems 'may signal dementia',
NHS Choices, 16 February 2011.
"Hearing loss could be an 'early warning' for dementia," reported The Daily Telegraph. It said that this finding from a new study "could lead to early interventions against Alzheimer's...
Local: ‘Annual health MoTs’ for over-50s in Wales,
Wales Online, 14 February 2011.
EVERYONE over 50 in Wales will be offered an annual health MoT to prevent “hundreds” of deaths, Labour pledges today. The promise to instigate the programme of health checks...
National: Fuel billing system 'leading to deaths',
BBC News, 11 February 2011.
The system for calculating most domestic fuel bills in the UK is contributing to thousands of deaths each winter, public health experts say. The UK Public Health Association says two...
National: Spice drug fights stroke damage,
BBC News, 10 February 2011.
drug derived from the curry spice turmeric may be able to help the body repair some of the damage caused in the immediate aftermath of a stroke. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical...
Local: Dementia 'not normal part of ageing' say scientists,
Telegraph, 10 February 2011.
Experts claim they are close to developing effective treatments for the degenerative conditions that will soon affect a million people in Britain. They want to dismiss the idea...
Local: Welsh scientists press for dementia research funding,
Wales Online, 9 February 2011.
SCIENTISTS will today call for more funding for research into dementia. A charity will also claim dementia research is the poor relation to other diseases, even though it costs...
Local: Children living in fuel poverty see health and education suffer,
Wales Online, 9 February 2011.
THE health and education of children in Wales’ poorest areas is suffering because their families can not afford to heat their homes. Posters will be distributed to schools across...
National: Mistakes in drug doses common when elderly use inhalers,
BBC News, 8 February 2011.
Older people using inhalers run a greater risk of taking the wrong dose of medicine, according to new research from Leeds University. It found that mistakes were most likely...
National: New clues to sight loss from AMD,
NHS Choices, 7 February 2011.
Scientists have developed "a new treatment for the most common form of blindness", The Daily Telegraph has reported. The newspaper said researchers have found that the lack of...
National: Age related macular degeneration clue discovered,
BBC News, 6 February 2011.
An international team of researchers have found a clue to one of the leading causes of blindness, which they hope could eventually lead to a cure. Age-related macular...
National: More gene clues to Parkinson's discovered,
BBC News, 2 February 2011.
Genes play a bigger role in Parkinson's disease than previously thought, according to the largest genetic study yet. Five new common risk genes have been discovered, bringing...
National: Loneliness is 'hidden killer' of elderly,
BBC News, 1 February 2011.
Loneliness is the "hidden killer" of elderly people, says a campaign group, which is calling for greater recognition of the link between isolation and ill-health. A group of charities is...
Local: Plans to improve stroke rehabilitation in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan,
WAG, 1 February 2011.
A centre of excellence to care and support people recovering from a stroke will be developed at the University Hospital, Llandough, Health Minister Edwina Hart has...
National: 100,000 older people missing thyroid treatment - study,
BBC News, 24 January 2011.
Around 100,000 older people in the UK are missing out on thyroid medicine that could improve their lives, according to a study. The Journal of Medical Screening study...
National: Blood sugar and a protein combine to increase bleeds,
BBC News, 24 January 2011.
One reason why people with diabetes can suffer more damage during strokes has been discovered by US scientists. The study on rats, published in Nature Medicine, found a...
National: Brain cooling could aid stroke recovery,
BBC News, 24 January 2011.
Cooling the brain of patients who have suffered a stroke could dramatically improve their recovery, a group of Scottish doctors has said. They are joining others from across Europe...
National: Early Alzheimer's sufferers to get new drugs after u-turn,
Telegraph, 18 January 2011.
Three drugs that had been restricted to those with moderate to severe symptoms will be made available to those in the early stages of the disease to slow its progression, the...
National: Tai Chi 'prevents falls in the elderly',
NHS Choices, 14 January 2011.
The elderly are being told to "take up tai chi to prevent falls", reported The Daily Telegraph. It added that updated guidelines for preventing falls in the elderly recommend tai chi as...
Local: Sport Wales launches new vision for families,
Wales Online, 14 January 2011.
A DYNAMIC new vision under which everyone in Wales will be urged to improve their fitness level is being launched today. Sport Wales is calling on families to play their part in getting...
Local: Report calls for radical shake-up of elderly care services,
Wales Online, 13 January 2011.
OLDER people in Wales are being let down by too much red tape and a lack of common sense by those responsible for their wellbeing, a report has concluded. The Archbishop...
National: Tai Chi prevents elderly falls say geriatrics societies,
BBC News, 13 January 2011.
Tai Chi lessons and reduced medication should be used to prevent falls in the elderly, according to experts in the UK and the US. The latest thinking on tackling falls is included...
National: NSAID painkillers linked to increased heart risk,
BBC News, 12 January 2011.
Taking certain painkillers daily for some years carries a small increased risk of heart attack and stroke, research has suggested. The findings relate to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory...
National: Group urges action for long-term pain sufferers,
BBC News, 11 January 2011.
Action is needed to help people who suffer long-term pain, the Patients Association says. The survey of more than 4,400 people found while many had suffered chronic problems...
National: Prozac may aid stroke recovery,
NHS Choices, 10 January 2011.
The Daily Telegraph today reports that "A commonly prescribed anti-depressant could help stroke victims recover physical control over their bodies." The newspaper says that a study...
National: Stroke recovery boosted by a course of Prozac,
BBC News, 10 January 2011.
Giving stroke patients Prozac soon after the event could help their recovery from paralysis, a study has found. Researchers discovered more improvement in movement and greater...
National: Alzheimer's blood test shows promise,
NHS Choices, 7 January 2011.
"A new technique could lead to a blood test for detecting Alzheimer's," BBC News reported. This news story is based on research that has developed a new method to screen blood...
National: Alzheimer's blood test 'fishes' for signs of disease,
BBC News, 7 January 2011.
A new technique could lead to a blood test for detecting Alzheimer's, a US study claims. The small trial, published in the journal Cell, used thousands of artificial molecules to "fish" for...
National: Green tea and Alzheimer's,
NHS Choices, 6 January 2011.
"A cup of green tea a day appears to protect against Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia," reported The Daily Telegraph. It said that researchers have found the drink...
