The cost of living in a care home is likely to swallow up half the value of a family house, say researchers.

They found the bills for a typical stay in a home were likely to be between £50,000 and £93,000 – and that the total would mean a loss of between a fifth and a half of the value of an average house.

The estimates, for an insurance firm, measure a family’s loss from the inheritance they would otherwise have expected when an elderly relative needs to go into a care home.

+3

The cost of living in a care home is likely to range between £50,000 and £93,000 - up to half the value of an average home. Around 160,000 pensioners have to pay their own bills (file photo)

Around 160,000 people living in care homes have to pay their own bills, and in many cases their property is sold or pledged to meet the costs.

The sacrifice of a house is demanded of care residents who have assets or savings above £23,250 – a threshold that means all homeowners must pay their own care home bills.

The analysis for Royal London showed, on average, someone who goes into a care home lives there for two-and-a-half years, paying bills that vary from £554 a week in the North East to more than £700 in the South East.

In the North East, care home bills can cost as much as 56 per cent of the price of a home. But in London, where the average house price is almost £500,000, bills are only 17.9 per cent of a house

The price of that stay in an average home in the North East would take up 56 per cent of the value of a typical house. In the South East the price would be just under a third of the value of an average house.

Researchers said that in some cases residents live in care homes for longer periods, and one in ten stay for six-and-a-half years. Long-term residents are in many cases likely to spend the entire value of their house and more.

The estimates have been drawn up at a time when Theresa May’s government is struggling with the growing difficulty of paying for social care for rising numbers of older people.

Royal London’s Debbie Kennedy said: ‘These figures are a shocking reminder of the huge costs which growing numbers of us will face if we need residential care later in life … The whole system is a lottery and we need to find better ways of supporting people to cope with these large and unpredictable bills.’

Steve Webb, a former Liberal Democrat pensions minister, who now works for the insurance firm, said: ‘Successive governments have failed to grasp the nettle when it comes to care costs … The Government’s plans for yet another discussion document on social care later this year are far too slow.’

SOURCE: Steve Doughty, Daily Mail

Anxiety and depression 'can increase your cancer risk by a third': Emotional distress thought to damage body's defence systems against the disease

Emotional distress can raise your risk of dying of cancer by a third, a study has found.

Up to one in 10 people in the UK will at some point battle anxiety or depression, which research for the first time shows raises the danger of death from bowel, prostate and pancreatic cancer.

Researchers say this may be because depression makes sufferers more likely to smoke and drink, and less likely to take exercise.

Up to one in 10 people in the UK will at some point battle anxiety or depression, which research for the first time shows raises the danger of death from bowel, prostate and pancreatic cancer.

But even accounting for this, anxious and depressed people die in greater numbers from cancer – thought to show that their unhappiness damages the body’s defence systems against the disease.

The authors of the study, from University College London, Edinburgh University, and University of Sydney in Australia, suggest emotional distress may hit immune function and damage DNA repair. 

It can also stop people from attending screening, which could spot their cancers early, or prevent them seeking proper treatment when they do fall ill.

In a review of 16 studies, taking in more than 163,000 people in the UK, they found those with anxiety and depression had a 32 per cent greater risk of dying from all types of cancer. This was true despite age, sex, education, weight, status and regardless of whether people smoked and drank.

Lead author Dr David Batty, from University College London, said: ‘After statistical control for these factors, the results show that compared with people in the least distressed group, death rates in the most distressed group were consistently higher for cancer of the bowel, prostate, pancreas, and oesophagus and for leukaemia.’

The people studied were followed for almost a decade on average, given questionnaires to judge if they were anxious or depressed. Their mental wellbeing was for some cancers as important as obesity or smoking in raising their danger of dying from the disease.

The way in which people who are anxious stop looking after themselves could explain their higher danger of death from bowel, pancreatic and gullet cancers. 

These are all lifestyle-related cancers which can be made worse by distressed people overeating or failing to exercise.

Prostate cancer, another cancer with higher death rates among those with emotional distress, is a hormone-related cancer. This may be caused by depression symptoms which cause spikes in the stress hormone cortisol, restrain DNA repair and harm the immune response which can ward off cancer.

In a review of 16 studies, taking in more than 163,000 people in the UK, they found those with anxiety and depression had a 32 per cent greater risk of dying from all types of cancer.

These physical effects could raise the risk of all types of cancer, by striking at the body’s natural defences.

The knock-on effects of psychological problems on the body have been highlighted by previous research showing that people with neurotic or conscientious personality types may be more likely to fall ill. Anxiety and depression have already been linked with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

The latest study, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at 163,363 people free from cancer, but the authors say some of these may have unknowingly been in the early stages of the disease, suffering symptoms which may have affected their mood and skewed the results.

However, the authors corrected for this by excluding those who died in the first five years of follow-up, with the results that emotionally distressed people died more often from cancer remaining the same.

Dr Batty said: ‘Our findings contribute to the evidence that poor mental health might have some predictive capacity for certain physical diseases but we are a long way off from knowing if these relationships are truly causal.’ 

SOURCE: Victoria Allen, Daily Mail
Really interesting research here and one hopes that the findings from these studies will contribute to further follow up research,  Anxiety and depression have long been linked to many illnesses including stroke and heart disease and it would therefore be hugely beneficial if we could reach the point where  studies could predict the incidence or likelihood of diseases occurring as a result of a breakdown in mental health.

Six years in a care home can cost more than raising a child: Typical bill of £230,000 means one in three over 55s are resigned to selling their home to pay the bill

The price of a parent’s care home place can cost more than bringing up a child, families were warned yesterday.

Raising a son or daughter to the age of 21 and putting them through school and university typically costs just over £230,000, a report said.

But the same amount would buy just six years’ residency in a care home for an elderly and vulnerable parent.

The report said that almost a third of adults over 55 have no idea how they would pay bills on that scale, and that nearly one in five are resigned to selling their homes to pay fees.

It comes at a time of continued uncertainty following the failure of Theresa May’s election campaign.

She planned to make those with assets of more than £100,000 liable for paying all bills – which jarred with those who preferred the £72,000 care costs cap put forward by David Cameron but never implemented.

Until new policies are produced it remains the case that anyone with savings and property in England will have to pay for their own place until their assets are reduced to £23,250. Many are forced to sell their homes to meet the costs.

Yesterday’s report put the average price of a place in an English care home at £694 a week – a level broadly in line with other estimates, although prices are higher in the South of England than in the North. It said that if a family had to pay for a place for ten years, the cost would be around £360,000.

Tom Lyon, of uSwitch, said families who do not have their affairs in order and are unable to access Government support could be facing a future of crippling debt

But, it said, a poll found that an average person put the likely bill at £283,000.

On an annual basis, the report said, the real cost of a place is £36,088 but typically people believe it is £28,358.

Meanwhile the estimated average cost of bringing up a child is just under £232,000, including the price of a university education. In practice, the insurance industry calculates that a typical stay in a care home lasts just two-and-a-half years – and that bills are likely to amount to between £50,000 and £90,000. But that sum is still a quarter of the value of an average home.

The poll of 2,006 people, carried out for price comparison site uSwitch, found that three quarters – 76 per cent – of younger people expect their parents to meet their own care home bills, while some 19 per cent expect to have to sell their houses to pay for care.

Some 30 per cent do not know how they would cover the fees.

Tom Lyon, of uSwitch, said: ‘These findings show how unprepared we are when it comes to funding the care for our elderly parents. It is a sobering thought that it could now cost more to look after an elderly parent than to raise a child, adding extra pressure on families when household budgets are already squeezed.

‘Families who do not have their affairs in order and are unable to access Government support could be facing a future of crippling debt.’

Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said: ‘Not many of us can afford to save enough from our wages or salary to cover the cost of a risk that may never materialise.’ She added: ‘This Government must urgently create a fair and sustainable system ... so that we can all face the future with confidence.’

SOURCE: MailOnline, Steve Doughty

If you know someone with a dementia, don’t be a stranger.

Some people with a dementia find that after their diagnosis friends and acquaintances may not visit as much or even lose contact.

• 0 Comments

Often this is because people don’t know very much about dementia, don’t feel confident about how to communicate with someone with a dementia or are afraid they might be intruding.

But keeping in contact is important for someone with dementia and can make all the difference to them.

Life doesn't end when dementia begins and someone with a dementia can live well for a long time after their diagnosis, especially if they have a good support network.

Evelyn and Jean who feature in the recent ‘Still Me’ campaign are lifelong friends. Evelyn’s diagnosis hasn’t changed that and just as before her diagnosis, Evelyn loves catching up with her friend Jean, going for coffee, enjoying day trips and music.

If you have a friend or family member with a dementia diagnosis, support them by keeping in contact and continuing with the hobbies, activities and pastimes that they’ve always enjoyed.

Danny Brown and his son Danny also feature in the ‘Still Me’ campaign. Danny is very proud of how his dad has dealt with his dementia diagnosis, particularly his positive attitude to life. Danny supports his dad and the two enjoy spending time together.

I just love the garden! In the summer I've been in the garden some mornings at seven o'clock right up until half ten at night.

Danny is aware of the stigma attached to dementia, but is thankful of the care and support he has every day.

Yes you can fear it, but you've got to encompass it. There are a lot of people out there tripping over themselves to help you.

SOURCE:Belfast Telegraph

Clearing the fog of dementia with song

Music’s ability to trigger our deepest memories and emotions could help improve quality of life for people with dementia

Anyone who’s known a loved one with dementia can testify to its cruelty – the frustration, anger and sadness that comes from watching someone you love slip away.

Dementia, the umbrella term for conditions with a severe decline in mental function, can be an incredibly painful experience, marked by confusion, distress and a profound sense of loss. It’s also increasingly common. Dementia is now the second leading cause of death in Australia.

There is no cure, but researchers, including Professor Felicity Baker, co-director of the University of Melbourne’s National Music Therapy Research Unit, are looking for new ways to help people cope.

Professor Baker studies how music, especially singing and songwriting, can be used to treat people with a range of conditions – from young people with traumatic brain injuries to adults with substance abuse issues. She says music therapy can be a way for people living with dementia  and their carers – to deal with its symptoms.

 “We know that managing dementia with medication actually can make people more confused,” she says. “We need to be creative in finding ways that people with dementia can manage the challenges they face, and to address distressing symptoms such as agitation and depression.”

Professor Baker recently developed a songwriting program for people living with dementia and their carers at Caladenia, a care centre based in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Participants worked together in small groups to write and compose songs with a music therapist.

In one 10-week session, participants wrote seven songs. They sang about family, cruise ship holidays and staying out until the sun comes up. They thought about, talked about and even argued about songs they created, from the lyrics to the musical direction.

Even participants who normally struggle with conversation and interaction were able to work together on a music project.

“With music, they’re really engaged in a way that they’re not in other activities,” says Professor Baker. “They’re offering their ideas and perspectives. They’re happy to argue with each other about what they think the lyrics should be and whether the lyric fits the melody.”

But what really struck Professor Baker was that participants remembered the music they created.

“There’s this assumption that people with dementia can’t learn, that they’re just losing memories,” says Professor Baker. “But what we found is that they were actually remembering lyrics from week to week.”

Professor Baker’s findings will be used to inform her next project, a large-scale study funded by a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council. She hopes to find out more about how collaborative music therapy, such as group music therapy or choir groups, might affect the cognitive function, depression, neurological symptoms and quality of life of people with the condition.

The project will include a major randomised control trial, comparing standard dementia care practices with three music-based interventions – group music therapy, larger choir groups and a combination of both.

There’s no doubt that music is a huge part of our lives. The simple act of listening to a song can evoke memories and emotions of heartbreak, love affairs, places or people in our past. And scientists, too, have long known that music has a powerful effect on brain function.

Unlike other stimulants, Professor Baker says, music engages all parts of our brain.

“When we engage in some activities, specific neural networks are activated. But when we listen to music, we actually engage quite a distributed network of neuronal activity.”

Professor Baker was struck by how residents at Caladenia Dementia Care could remember the lyrics they wrote to songs from week to week. Picture: Supplied

Studies have also shown that the act of creating music – songwriting, singing or playing an instrument – is more effective in stimulating our brain than just listening to music. In other words, it’s more stimulating to write and sing a song than listen to your favourite album.

“When we sing, we’re stimulating our auditory system, we’re stimulating our physical system,” she says. “When we use language in song, it’s tapping into our emotions and it’s tapping into physiological processes like our heart rate and our breathing.”

Since music is an emotional and physical stimulant, Professor Baker wants to see how much it can trigger memory function for people living with dementia.

“The theory is that pairing music and lyrics with an emotional experience can reach the threshold for memory,” she says. “It connects people and helps them to remember.”

A 2009 study by the University of California, Davis, for example, found that the area of the brain that holds our memories and links music to emotions is also the last part of the brain to atrophy during Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.

Professor Baker’s research project is the Australian arm of a much larger study into the effects of music therapy on people living with dementia. Work in Australia will involve 500 participants, but academic colleagues in Norway are leading similar and even larger initiatives.

“It’s going to be the biggest music therapy study in dementia care ever and it’s certainly a game-changer for the dementia field,” she says.

Previous literary reviews about the effects of music therapy have been promising but inconclusive, citing the need for larger studies and more evidence.

“Worldwide, we have amassed a lot of small scale studies that show it’s effective but nothing big that will help us be taken more seriously when healthcare policies are being made.”

The NHMRC grant used to fund Professor Baker’s research is part of the Boosting Dementia Research Initiative, which gives $200 million to dementia research projects, including several other studies based at the University of Melbourne. Nearly 1 million Australians are expected to have dementia by 2050, and health policymakers are wondering how the system will deal with it.

“Dementia is going to be a challenge for this country,” says Professor Baker. “And they want to invest extra funding into projects that will help us with this massive problem that’s ahead of us.”

SOURCE: Kate Stanton, University of Melbourne

99% of patients with dementia 'are let down in last months': Just 1% of sufferers receive specialist care before they die

Only 1 per cent of advanced dementia patients receive specialist care in their final months, despite many having complex health problems, a study found.

Dementia patients are instead most likely to be treated by a GP, even though family doctors say they do not have the expertise or time to meet their needs.

One in five advanced dementia patients are seen by paramedics in the last few months of their lives, which experts said showed dementia care was largely unplanned and reactive.

The study will raise new fears over the care of elderly and severely ill dementia patients in their final months.

Researchers from University College London followed 85 advanced dementia patients from Greater London for nine months to see what care they received. Most were living in one of 14 care homes, while six were in their own home.

The University College London found care homes, and GPs visiting them, were ‘poorly served’ and unsupported by specialists

The study found care homes, and GPs visiting them, were ‘poorly served’ and unsupported by specialists.

Assessments of the patients found most suffered a number of problems beside dementia, with nearly two thirds in some form of chronic pain and more than half at high risk of pressure sores.

Two in five had difficulty swallowing. Between a third and half of patients also experienced at least one psychiatric symptom, including agitation, depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Over the study period, 14 per cent of patients contracted a urinary tract infection, while a number suffered serious illnesses including pneumonia and septicaemia.

Despite their complex problems, only 1 per cent of the 85 participants saw a geriatrician or specialist psychiatrist over the study period.

Patients also had ‘little contact’ with neurologists or community psychiatric nurses. They were more likely to see a chiropodist, optician or dentist. Most patients saw their GP and 96 per cent of those who died saw a GP in their last month, according to the study, published in the journal Palliative Medicine.

Only 28 per cent saw a palliative care team, who could have helped alleviate their symptoms, despite 34 per cent being referred. Those who were referred tended to only get help in their final month of life.

Rob Burley, of the charity Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Dignity and quality of life appears to be playing second fiddle in a care system that is failing to meet the needs of people living with dementia.

‘It is degrading and frankly cruel that people with dementia are suffering chronic pain and persistent psychiatric symptoms without specialist treatment.’

Lead researcher Dr Liz Sampson, of UCL’s Marie Curie palliative care research department, said: ‘People with advanced dementia can have very complex needs.

‘Problems such as severe agitation are common. People may think that this is just “part of” having advanced dementia and little can be done. However, [patients] can benefit hugely from specialist support.

‘Unfortunately, there may be insufficient funding for specialists in some areas to support care homes and their residents.’+2

Patients also had ‘little contact’ with neurologists or community psychiatric nurses and were more likely to see a chiropodist, optician or dentist

SOURCE: Rosie Taylor

Robots could soon care for dementia patients but experts warn it's 'not a replacement for human contact'

Robots could soon be caring for dementia patients, a report suggested.

Technological advancements mean gadgets and apps are already being introduced into dementia care.

Devices like GPS trackers are used to ensure patients do not get lost, while monitors in the home can detect falls and tell if the phone or television is being used, sending information back to family and carers.

Some dementia patients wear smartwatches, which collect data on their sleep and eating patterns, blood pressure and sugar levels for analysis by doctors, researcher and carers.

Technological advancements mean gadgets and apps are already being introduced into dementia care - but robots could be next

And interactive technology, including virtual reality and specialised apps and computer games have been introduced to care homes to help calm patients with dementia.

Electronic calendars and speaking reminders can also help patients tell the time or remind them to do simple tasks like washing hands.

Some care homes are also using robot animals which interact with patients to help them feel at ease – and it will not be long before robots are used to help with feeding, washing and mobility. 

The summary of technology available to patients is published today as part of a Lancet Commission report on dementia prevention, treatment and care.

It warned that while technology could be useful, it was 'not a replacement for human contact.'

Robots are just as effective at removing prostate cancer as humans, research showed in July.

The first-ever study into a type of operation performed by three-armed machines also found they cause patients far less pain.

It involves a highly-trained surgeon controlling a small robot from the back of the operating theatre and guiding it to remove the infected cells.

The section of the robot which removes the tumour is very small and experts claim it causes less bleeding, scarring and pain than the standard operation.

There were also concerns some devices could fringe on privacy rights and that most had not been tested to see if they had any negative effects.

It said: 'Advances in the use and application of technological innovations might help people with dementia to live in safe, stimulating, and functionally enabling environments, and support and assist carers and professionals in improving quality of care.

'However, evidence on the effectiveness for most devices is not available. Caution is therefore needed to protect people with dementia from overselling of ineffective and potentially unsafe devices.

Study co-author Professor Clive Ballard, of Exeter University, said: 'There might be some potential in robots but my worry would be if people started using that as a substitute for face-to-face care.

'Personal interaction is a human need and advancements in technology won't work unless you also have that human element.'

SOURCE: MailOnline, Rosie Taylor
Food for thought indeed, is this really where we are headed?