Hi fellow carers. I learned on the mid-day news it is now possible to receive a new drug on the NHS to help kick the smoking habit. Trials have been carried out on 4,000 people and there was a 22 percent success rate! Anyone know the success rate for Alzheimer's drugs which are not available on NHS? Sounds crazy to me. Padraig
Crazy run NHS
- Thread starter Lonestray
- Start date
Padraig, I am a smoker... who selfishly pricked up their ears at the news today .... (after many failed attempts at giving up) .....
Let me put this my way .....
I would love some miracle medicine for me:
I am the idiot who many years ago picked up this horrid habit under peer pressure (like I didn't have a mind of my own
) ...... and have found myself totally addicted..... potentially wrecking my health, certainly my finances ..... and the more I worry about the damage I am doing the more stressed I get and more likely to reach for a 'ciggie'..... YET THE NHS WILL SUPPORT ME IN TRYING TO KICK A HABIT I KNOW IS NOT GOOD FOR ME.....
I would love some miracle medicine for my mum:
She is the one has done nothing to deserve what she is going through .. it's not through anything of her own making that she is 'cursed' with what she faces now....
What I know is I can (if I chose) access (all for free) no-smoking clinics/counsellors, prescription chewing gum etc..... on the NHS ..... yet we still await whether mum's recommended 'Aricept' ever transpires......
I feel an element of 'who is most deserving?' - don't need to answer that ....
What I know is I am a prime 'statistic' ...... easy to quantify the number of 'ex-smokers' (saved souls???? ) but when the government and NHS come up with an argument about QUALITY of life, I'll start taking more heed....... and I agree with you ... that's what can't be quantified...... we know it, and they know it...... just we admit it and they don't......
Thanks (I think!) for that, Padraig,
Karen, x
Let me put this my way .....
I would love some miracle medicine for me:
I am the idiot who many years ago picked up this horrid habit under peer pressure (like I didn't have a mind of my own
) ...... and have found myself totally addicted..... potentially wrecking my health, certainly my finances ..... and the more I worry about the damage I am doing the more stressed I get and more likely to reach for a 'ciggie'..... YET THE NHS WILL SUPPORT ME IN TRYING TO KICK A HABIT I KNOW IS NOT GOOD FOR ME.....I would love some miracle medicine for my mum:
She is the one has done nothing to deserve what she is going through .. it's not through anything of her own making that she is 'cursed' with what she faces now....
What I know is I can (if I chose) access (all for free) no-smoking clinics/counsellors, prescription chewing gum etc..... on the NHS ..... yet we still await whether mum's recommended 'Aricept' ever transpires......
I feel an element of 'who is most deserving?' - don't need to answer that ....
What I know is I am a prime 'statistic' ...... easy to quantify the number of 'ex-smokers' (saved souls???? ) but when the government and NHS come up with an argument about QUALITY of life, I'll start taking more heed....... and I agree with you ... that's what can't be quantified...... we know it, and they know it...... just we admit it and they don't......
Thanks (I think!) for that, Padraig, Karen, x
Nothing new ...
Dear Padraig,
Polite words fail me - but that's nothing new where NICE and their 'clinical excellence' is concerned ..................
I was brought up to believe in justice, but I am afraid, the older I get the less justice I see in this world.
Dear Padraig,
Polite words fail me - but that's nothing new where NICE and their 'clinical excellence' is concerned ..................
I was brought up to believe in justice, but I am afraid, the older I get the less justice I see in this world.
Hi Padraig
I, as a smoker will welcome the new drug, I have tried everything but the want power, which my husband says I lack and without that I am doomed to be a smoker. Although 22% success rate doesn't appear to be a lot.
Alzheimers/Dementia suffers probably have done nothing more than the normal person, to deserve this terrible disease. Mum has never smoked in her life and Dad quit 25 - 30 years ago, but both have Alzheimers/Dementia.
I agree, why should there be drugs to stop smoking, when there are millions being denied the medication to bring a better quality of life for xx amount of years.
But then we come to the question of whether a drug addict should have methedone prescibed under the NHS.
I don't know the answer. To quote someone else on this forum "It's only my opinion" but I think everyone who needs medication, should be able to access it. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case
I have read your posts and I think you are a superman in the way you love and care for your wife
Long may it continue
Alfjess
I, as a smoker will welcome the new drug, I have tried everything but the want power, which my husband says I lack and without that I am doomed to be a smoker. Although 22% success rate doesn't appear to be a lot.
Alzheimers/Dementia suffers probably have done nothing more than the normal person, to deserve this terrible disease. Mum has never smoked in her life and Dad quit 25 - 30 years ago, but both have Alzheimers/Dementia.
I agree, why should there be drugs to stop smoking, when there are millions being denied the medication to bring a better quality of life for xx amount of years.
But then we come to the question of whether a drug addict should have methedone prescibed under the NHS.
I don't know the answer. To quote someone else on this forum "It's only my opinion" but I think everyone who needs medication, should be able to access it. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case
I have read your posts and I think you are a superman in the way you love and care for your wife
Long may it continue
Alfjess
Sorry Karen and Alfjess, I'm not against cures to stop smoking just that, it fails to make sense to offer it on NHS with the success rate is as low as 22 p/c when other drugs for Alz I suspect, have a higher rate in helping to prolong life.
My wife smoked until she forgot she did. Kept losing the packets and lighter so I offered to look after them, and gave her two or three at a time. In time she forgot to ask me for a smoke! Sometime later, fetching her reading glasses for her, the glasses were missing from the case it was full of cigarettes!
By the way Karen, I talk to Jean all the time about 'her home' and where she grew up. I enter her world and talk about playing down the 'Beck' to throw stones. Is that a NE word for a stream or river? I first met her when she was 18, I wish I'd learned more about her childhood. Yeasterday I talked about the pair of skates she and her sister got for Christmas, one each! The fun they had sharing them. I enjoy 'going home' with her such warmth and friendliness, sweet memories. Maybe if I get AD that's where I'll be wanting to go when I say "I want to go home". Alfjess, I have my own way of avoiding stress or getting down. To most it appears strange: when I'm asked "Do you get help?" I can't help but laugh, why should I share something I'm enjoying. Thank you all and God bless. Padraig.
My wife smoked until she forgot she did. Kept losing the packets and lighter so I offered to look after them, and gave her two or three at a time. In time she forgot to ask me for a smoke! Sometime later, fetching her reading glasses for her, the glasses were missing from the case it was full of cigarettes!
By the way Karen, I talk to Jean all the time about 'her home' and where she grew up. I enter her world and talk about playing down the 'Beck' to throw stones. Is that a NE word for a stream or river? I first met her when she was 18, I wish I'd learned more about her childhood. Yeasterday I talked about the pair of skates she and her sister got for Christmas, one each! The fun they had sharing them. I enjoy 'going home' with her such warmth and friendliness, sweet memories. Maybe if I get AD that's where I'll be wanting to go when I say "I want to go home". Alfjess, I have my own way of avoiding stress or getting down. To most it appears strange: when I'm asked "Do you get help?" I can't help but laugh, why should I share something I'm enjoying. Thank you all and God bless. Padraig.
Hiya Padraig....
No need to say sorry - just had a little rant there myself and didn't make things clear.....
What I was trying to get across (and watch me get it all wrong here again .... ) was that if I can afford to 'feed' my habit ... then I oughta be able to 'feed' the cost of the possible 'solutions' ...... not expect the NHS to fund said solutions..... 'just in case' they work .... (quite frankly if someone told me to buy a certain brand of washing powder because it had a 22% chance of removing all stains ... I wouldn't buy it..... )
Here's one thought I had today thanks to you and this thread.... my 'habit' costs £5 per day and does me a lot of damage...... mum's suggested Aricept £2.50 per day .... and could do her a lot of good...... me, I can get the 'fix' I need at any shop or supermarket.... all perfectly legal and without question or quibble.....
It IS madness..... and yet another incentive for me to 'quit' - could fund mum's Aricept personally (can I do that folks? IS it available privately?? still waiting to hear from the MATS team..... ) and STILL save myself a small fortune .....
Aside my political ranting ...... Padraig...... you are such a star!!!! I'm not so much a 'beck' person more 'up tu t'brook' ..... (more Peter Kay than Jimmy Nail) ....
God bless you too!
Love, Karen, x
No need to say sorry - just had a little rant there myself and didn't make things clear.....
What I was trying to get across (and watch me get it all wrong here again .... ) was that if I can afford to 'feed' my habit ... then I oughta be able to 'feed' the cost of the possible 'solutions' ...... not expect the NHS to fund said solutions..... 'just in case' they work .... (quite frankly if someone told me to buy a certain brand of washing powder because it had a 22% chance of removing all stains ... I wouldn't buy it.....
)Here's one thought I had today thanks to you and this thread.... my 'habit' costs £5 per day and does me a lot of damage...... mum's suggested Aricept £2.50 per day .... and could do her a lot of good...... me, I can get the 'fix' I need at any shop or supermarket.... all perfectly legal and without question or quibble.....
It IS madness..... and yet another incentive for me to 'quit' - could fund mum's Aricept personally (can I do that folks? IS it available privately?? still waiting to hear from the MATS team..... ) and STILL save myself a small fortune .....
Aside my political ranting ...... Padraig...... you are such a star!!!! I'm not so much a 'beck' person more 'up tu t'brook' ..... (more Peter Kay than Jimmy Nail) ....
God bless you too!
Love, Karen, x
Hi Padraig
Yes a 'Beck' is a little brook..........i'm just wondering which part of the NE she was brought up?...........might be able to tell you which beck it is! and what the surrounding area looks like................then you might be able to jolt her memory a little.
Love Alex x
Yes a 'Beck' is a little brook..........i'm just wondering which part of the NE she was brought up?...........might be able to tell you which beck it is! and what the surrounding area looks like................then you might be able to jolt her memory a little.
Love Alex x
Hi Tenderface
What you said makes perfect sense, if we can afford to smoke, we can afford to pay for medication to quit (If we have the want power, as my husband says) £2.50 a day is not a lot of money to enable lots of people to have a better quality of life, for longer.
As a smoker I would rather the money be spent on AD medication, than stopping weak willed people, like me, to stop smoking.
Who knows when we will need the medication and probably by then we will have forgotten we smoke anyway
Alfjess
What you said makes perfect sense, if we can afford to smoke, we can afford to pay for medication to quit (If we have the want power, as my husband says) £2.50 a day is not a lot of money to enable lots of people to have a better quality of life, for longer.
As a smoker I would rather the money be spent on AD medication, than stopping weak willed people, like me,
to stop smoking.Who knows when we will need the medication and probably by then we will have forgotten we smoke anyway
Alfjess
Hi Alex, Karen Nan & Alfjess Wonderful to hear from you all. Alex, Jean hails from: West Auckland, St Helens Co. Durham. The whole area was flattened some thirty years ago to be replaced with new houses. It came as a shock to me one day in earlier period of AD. She was making her way down a main highway, one slipper and one wellie. I pulled alongside and asked: "Where're you going" "Home"
"Hop in and I give you a ride there" I asked where home was, imagine my shock when she replied: 14 Withwell Terrace, West Auckland.
Years earlier when given a memory test, she was given a fictitious address: Mr. Smith, 16, Stone Street, Aberdeen. She was asked to repeat it a number of times, it was then repeated a number by the tester. After moving on with the co-ordination test when asked to recall the address she could only remember Aberdeen!
When I took on the roll of carer I have discovered things I never knew about myself. They have been of great benefit but much more for me to ponder.
Alfjess, you pose one which I have encountered before. My daughter who's nearing 49, when her husband first met me he remarked " Your're not so big, from what she said, I expected some superman" Then at working for Lockheed one American entered my office seeing my name plate: "So your the famous Paddy, your're not that big!" It appears my name preceeded me.
What I can say is for a kid who started out emotionally barren with a stunted devolement all I have achived is due to the inspirational spirit of my wife. God bless. Padraig.
"Hop in and I give you a ride there" I asked where home was, imagine my shock when she replied: 14 Withwell Terrace, West Auckland.
Years earlier when given a memory test, she was given a fictitious address: Mr. Smith, 16, Stone Street, Aberdeen. She was asked to repeat it a number of times, it was then repeated a number by the tester. After moving on with the co-ordination test when asked to recall the address she could only remember Aberdeen!
When I took on the roll of carer I have discovered things I never knew about myself. They have been of great benefit but much more for me to ponder.
Alfjess, you pose one which I have encountered before. My daughter who's nearing 49, when her husband first met me he remarked " Your're not so big, from what she said, I expected some superman" Then at working for Lockheed one American entered my office seeing my name plate: "So your the famous Paddy, your're not that big!" It appears my name preceeded me.
What I can say is for a kid who started out emotionally barren with a stunted devolement all I have achived is due to the inspirational spirit of my wife. God bless. Padraig.
Hi Padraig
Unfortunately, West Auckland is about 42 miles from me and although i know of St Helens, i've never been in that bit, but i quite often drive through West Auckland..........have you been lately?............when was the last time you were there? I can imagine there will have been huge changes there since your wife was a child, although the main street of West Auckland is fairly much the same with the village green, post office, florist etc, and the pub is quite nice.
She would only have been about 8 miles from Barnard Castle and thats a lovely place, i spent many a weekend there horseriding when i was younger.......come to think of it, on summer days, we used to take the horses into Langley Beck to wash them down.......... now Langley Beck is half way between West Auckland and Barnard Castle, so i would imagine it might have been Langley Beck that she's talking about.
Sorry i can't help anymore than that Padraig, if it had been within a 20 mile radius of newcastle, then there is hardly a street i don't know, but its a little out of my range.
Love Alex x
Unfortunately, West Auckland is about 42 miles from me and although i know of St Helens, i've never been in that bit, but i quite often drive through West Auckland..........have you been lately?............when was the last time you were there? I can imagine there will have been huge changes there since your wife was a child, although the main street of West Auckland is fairly much the same with the village green, post office, florist etc, and the pub is quite nice.
She would only have been about 8 miles from Barnard Castle and thats a lovely place, i spent many a weekend there horseriding when i was younger.......come to think of it, on summer days, we used to take the horses into Langley Beck to wash them down.......... now Langley Beck is half way between West Auckland and Barnard Castle, so i would imagine it might have been Langley Beck that she's talking about.
Sorry i can't help anymore than that Padraig, if it had been within a 20 mile radius of newcastle, then there is hardly a street i don't know, but its a little out of my range.
Love Alex x
Hi Alex, Thanks for your info. I'm afraid It's too many years since I've been up north before Jean' Alz. During her earlier stages her sisters came to take her for a week's holiday, although she was able to walk and talk she was doubly incontinent. Two days later they came back with her saying somthing came up and there was a change of plan. Although I knew it was too much for them I accepted their reasons and I understand.
I expect the place is very different, but it will always stay in my memory just as it was the first time I arrived there in 1952. I was serving in the forces in Lincolnshire when one of the men asked me why I always spent my leaves on camp. Too ashamed to admit to not having a home I said it was too for to go home. He invited me to his home for Christmas but I chose to stay to enjoy dinner and duty was easy and when the men returned I had my time off and could lay in. I accepted a second invite for a weekend and was hooked on the NE a place I'd call home. It was Stanley, Crook I first went to. You must understand in the late 40's and 50's the Irish were not welcomed with open arms. I recall a pub in Grantham with the sign "No dogs and Irish allowed."
I met Jean at a dance in Bishop Auckland Town Hall. To this day I can't understand why she took me on. I was a real tear-away, not house trained, it's no wonder she kept saying "Your strange." I was always in fights; just a small example: Stood outside a dance hall, there was this fellow swearing, I told him not to swear in front of girls. He threatened me to stop him and I did.
Some things I said to her years ago have, and are still coming home to roost. When she discoved I had no one who cared for me, I explained "I'm lucky I'll never know what it feels like to lose a parent, can't imagine what it must be like." She has inspired me with her love, and I know now I need not tell anyone on TP how very much love hurts as I view it every day in the posts.
I wish you well and God bless. Padraig
I expect the place is very different, but it will always stay in my memory just as it was the first time I arrived there in 1952. I was serving in the forces in Lincolnshire when one of the men asked me why I always spent my leaves on camp. Too ashamed to admit to not having a home I said it was too for to go home. He invited me to his home for Christmas but I chose to stay to enjoy dinner and duty was easy and when the men returned I had my time off and could lay in. I accepted a second invite for a weekend and was hooked on the NE a place I'd call home. It was Stanley, Crook I first went to. You must understand in the late 40's and 50's the Irish were not welcomed with open arms. I recall a pub in Grantham with the sign "No dogs and Irish allowed."
I met Jean at a dance in Bishop Auckland Town Hall. To this day I can't understand why she took me on. I was a real tear-away, not house trained, it's no wonder she kept saying "Your strange." I was always in fights; just a small example: Stood outside a dance hall, there was this fellow swearing, I told him not to swear in front of girls. He threatened me to stop him and I did.
Some things I said to her years ago have, and are still coming home to roost. When she discoved I had no one who cared for me, I explained "I'm lucky I'll never know what it feels like to lose a parent, can't imagine what it must be like." She has inspired me with her love, and I know now I need not tell anyone on TP how very much love hurts as I view it every day in the posts.
I wish you well and God bless. Padraig
