Alzheimer's Society on Newsnight tonight -lockdown in care homes

Palerider

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Aug 9, 2015
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Hello

For those interested the AS is on newsnight tonight on BBC 2 to represent the issues around care homes and lockdown.

Tonight, our CEO, Kate Lee, will appear on Newsnight to raise awareness of this issue, and highlight our calls to Government to urgently address the devastating effects a lack of social contact is having on people affected by dementia.
 

Baker17

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Mar 9, 2016
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Just watched the item on Newsnight. It’s all very well for the government to say that testing will be available. Testing was carried out at my husband’s care home but due to his advanced Alzheimer’s he wouldn’t cooperate so the test couldn’t be carried out, it’s as plain as the nose on your face, well my face anyway, that there is no understanding of the illness and consequences mentally for the sufferers. It was heartbreaking when the gentleman whose wife is a sufferer said about being able to make his wife laugh as that’s how I feel, we often laugh together about silly things and for a short while my husband is back with me and that means the world to me.
I am fortunate that I saw my husband for five hours this week because they had to ring an ambulance because he was having a possible angina attack and I had go with him to the hospital. The first thing he said to me when I arrived at the home was, I haven’t seen you for such a long time so even though his Alzheimer’s is advanced he is obviously still aware of not seeing me as he usually would two to three times a week.
As it turned out we had a really lovely time in A&E even having a dance and sharing laughs, he was able to go back as they couldn’t find anything wrong. Tonight the home phoned, my weekly phone call and said he wouldn’t come out of his room for the two days after this and that’s not him as he usually spends most of the day wandering and pottering about, it does make me concerned about the affect this is having on him.
Someone needs to sit up and smell the coffee immediately, I’m sure that won’t happen though as they are forgotten people?
 

Palerider

Registered User
Aug 9, 2015
4,159
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56
North West
Just watched the item on Newsnight. It’s all very well for the government to say that testing will be available. Testing was carried out at my husband’s care home but due to his advanced Alzheimer’s he wouldn’t cooperate so the test couldn’t be carried out, it’s as plain as the nose on your face, well my face anyway, that there is no understanding of the illness and consequences mentally for the sufferers.

That is part of the problem, there is little or no understanding of what this disease is or does and also that there is residual left in someone with dementia -but thats the awful thing about this disease, it isn't a complete loss of the world. Also the narrator managed to actually get the facts right when he said a medical disease -finally someone has picked up on this in the media.

The cruxt of the problem as was mentioned was how pwd have been managed and continue to be dealt the worse card from the pile in society. At least there was some recognition that dementia is the same as other physical diseases and requires better funding. I am assuming the reporter was hinting at integrated care? Interestingly goverment had no representative but provided a statement -damage limitation