Tag Archives: Health

Do we really have seven regrets in our lifetime?

  By BathKnight | March 20, 2013 - 4:01 PM | ,
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According to a report in the Mature Times, Britons on average have seven major regrets throughout their lives.

The main list of regrets are made up of decisions that should or should not have been made in a person’s life such as not going to college, achieving better grades in school, taking up smoking, being too adventurous or not being adventurous and not keeping in touch with friends and family.

But, should we let the decisions we have made in the past haunt us forever?

One regret that a lot of people have mentioned on the list is never going to university or college. What I find most interesting about these two is there is still time to get into higher education or take up a course at any age and there are no limits! According to a report in the Guardian, universities minister David Willetts has said that older people should return to higher education.

Taking the step back into education towards the end of one career could open the door to another and also bring new skills which you may have never dreamed possible. Taking up a course in the day or evening is a great way to make new friends too, especially if you’re feeling lonely and want to take up a new hobby.

Making choices to stop smoking, cut down drinking and lead an overall healthier life can benefit everyone and the choices to get married, have children too young, too late or not at all or even buying a house should never be a regret, if it has helped mould you into the person you are today and you are happy then it was only ever a good decision.

Negativity is never any good for anyone and remembering that no matter what you do in life, there will always be a few regrets here and there but if we spent time dwelling on them, we may regret the time we have wasted thinking about them.

Seeing as today is International Happiness Day, I think it is a marvellous opportunity to reflect on the life changing choices made over the years and how happy they have made you!

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Working at 100

  By BathKnight | February 1, 2013 - 10:13 AM | , ,
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Image | BBC

I have recently read about a 100-year-old man from Essex who says he has no plans to give up the job he started 34 years ago after becoming “bored” with retirement.

Jim Clements, who lives and works in Harlow, said he started the role at Active Security after his wife told him to get a job.
He said: “My wife got on to me because I kept moaning and didn’t know what to do with myself.

“I shall hate it when I do pack up, but it’s got to come one day.”
Mr Clements turned 100 on 20 January and spends two mornings a week at work; filing, shredding and making tea.

Before he took retirement, Mr Clements’s used to make torpedoes!

I have previously blogged about Dolly Saville, a 98-year-old barmaid who also has no intentions of giving up her job too.

I love all these stories about people still living their lives fully and not letting old age get in the way , earlier this week, I also read about three sisters whose ages add up to 304! Eirwen Roberts, who has celebrated her 104th birthday and shared the joy with her sisters, aged 101 and 99.

While Eirwen lives in a care home in Chester, her sisters Eluned and Carys live independently in Rhyl, North Wales.

According to Eirwen’s family, she has always been too busy to think about her age and the sisters put their long lives down to eating well and always being busy and active.

At Bath-Knight we strongly believe in independent living and from starting the company all those years ago, it still amazes me today to see how much my father’s invention helps people and keeps them independent in their own homes. I also agree that the secret to a long and healthy life does seem to be doing what keeps you happy and busy. Keeping fit and healthy along with a great diet is also the key to being young at heart.

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Help ‘Spread the Warmth’ to elderly people in your community

  By BathKnight | January 16, 2013 - 2:14 PM | ,
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Plummeting temperatures and wintery showers have affected much of the UK over the past couple of days and forecasts published this morning predict that a band of heavy snow will hit most of the country on Friday.

These wintery conditions make life difficult for everyone but elderly people suffer the most because of the impact that freezing temperatures have on their health. Sever cold temperatures can raise the blood pressure and increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke.

spread the warmth elderly lady

Image | Spread the Warmth with Age UK 

Many elderly people find keeping the house warm during periods of prolonged cold weather very difficult and some end up sitting in cold rooms, which can sadly lead to conditions such as colds and flu and in more severe cases hypothermia.

Age UK believes that in excess of ‘200 older people die every day’ due to the cold weather and for a number of years they have campaigned for the government and general public to take action and help the elderly with their ‘Spread the Warmth’ campaign.

I’ve featured the campaign on my blog numerous times before but I felt that with the current weather conditions helping the elderly couldn’t be more important- I wrote a Top Tips article just before Christmas which you can read here.

stay_warm_small

Image | Age UK 

In addition to Spread the Warmth campaign, Age UK are also encouraging neighbours, milkmen, postmen and delivery professionals to be vigilant of elderly people who might be struggling in the community. Suggestions include knocking on to make sure elderly neighbours are okay, helping get extra blankets or bedding from cupboards or the lofts, offering to collect medicines from the pharmacy or food essentials from the supermarket.

Helping collect things which elderly people may need is really helpful because they don’t have to venture out. I know from walking my dogs and driving into work this morning that roads and pavements are very slippery and these conditions increase the chances of an elderly person falling; something which is preventable with the help of friends and neighbours.  So if you are an older person who doesn’t feel confident please don’t be afraid to ask for help this winter.

Read more about Age UK’s Spread the Warmth campaign and learn about fall prevent here.

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Over one million people to become Dementia Friends

  By BathKnight | November 8, 2012 - 12:49 PM | ,
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Dementia affects over 700,000 people in the UK and with an aging population raising awareness of dementia is crucial. Shockingly one in three people over the age of 65 are diagnosed with dementia yet the general public’s understanding of the illness is limited.

dementia-friends

Today the government called the lack of dementia awareness ‘a national crisis’ and promised to spend both time and money on creating a better understanding of dementia, an illness that is expected to affect double the amount of people within the next 30 years.

By 2015 the government want to have recruited one million ‘Dementia Friends’- people who take the time to learn more about dementia. Dementia Friends will be able to spot signs and symptoms of dementia and generally understand how the illness affects its sufferers. This awareness will enable people to help dementia sufferers carry out general day-to-day tasks and make life that little bit easier.

seniors_breakfast

The Dementia Friends scheme is encouraging everyone – not just those who have a family member with dementia –to become a Dementia Friend so that there is somebody who can offer a helping hand wherever a dementia suffers goes. Having a Dementia Friend in a supermarket, bank, post office or local library means that people with dementia can live more independently. They can get out and about with the peace of mind that if they get confused or forgetful somebody will understand why, and be able to help.

I think that the scheme is a brilliant idea and with the correct support and backing from the government I’m hopeful that Dementia Friends will have a positive impact and help raise much needed awareness of dementia. More importantly the scheme could significantly improve the lives of people who live with dementia.

Read more about Dementia Friends including how to register to become a Dementia Friend by visiting the Dementia Friends website.

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Macmillan Cancer Support – The Age Old Excuse Campaign

  By BathKnight | October 18, 2012 - 11:42 AM |
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Having blogged about Sing for Your Life earlier this week- a Channel 4 documentary about a choir made up of 35 people who have or are being treated for cancer- I’ve been keeping a close eye on cancer awareness campaigns.

So when Independent Living’s Newsletter arrived in my inbox yesterday I was pleased to see that editor, Frances Leckie, had brought Macmillan Cancer Support’s latest campaigns, the Age Old Excuse to my attention.

Macmillan logo

The campaign has support from health care professionals and cancer campaigners including actress, Alison Steadman because the Age Old Excuse focuses on helping to ensure that elderly people who are newly diagnosed with cancer are assessed and treated based on their health, fitness and well-bring rather than just their age.

Shockingly the UK has ‘some of the worst survival rates in Europe for older people’ who have cancer, and it’s thought to because we don’t offer the most suitable treatment for older patients suffering with cancer. Courses of treatment are generally prescribed according to a person’s age rather than overall level of fitness and other health attributes.

Earlier in the week I read a news article claiming that ‘Thousands of older people are missing out on potentially life-saving surgery because of outdated assumptions about fitness’. Together the two seems to create an unfortunate trend suggesting that elderly people are generally missing out on healthcare simply because of their age something which is desperately sad to hear.

By supporting the Age Old Excuse campaign you’ll help ensure that older people get the most suitable treatment for them, which could save or prolong their lives. And you’ll be supporting the notion that elderly people should be medically treated in the most efficient and effective manner, regardless of their age. Something which I’m sure we will all strongly agree upon later in life.

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Love Your Heart with British Heart Foundation and Flora Pro-Activ

  By BathKnight | September 27, 2012 - 12:13 PM | ,
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British Heart Foundation have partnered with Flora Pro-Activ for their latest campaign, Love Your Heart. I was first made aware of the campaign earlier this week when I saw an advert on the television and was genuinely shocked by some of the facts and figures which it revealed.

Love Your Heart is aimed specifically at women and hopes to raise awareness of heart disease amongst the female gender because heart disease is the ‘single biggest killer of women in the UK’ and kills 3 times more women than breast cancer; a fact which I found rather surprising and I’m sure other women will too.

love you heart

The campaign explains that the key risks in heart disease are high cholesterol and high blood pressure, both things that can be improved with simple life style changes. These adjustments include eating a well-balanced and healthy diet- cutting down on fatty foods, avoiding high levels of salt and opting for wholegrain and wholemeal. Exercising regularly and generally keeping your health in good order.

Using Flora Pro-Activ food products can help kick start lowering cholesterol and although I’ve seen them stocked in the supermarket I have to admit that I’d not fully understood the value of them until now. Having done some research I’ve learnt that Pro-Activ products contain plant sterols which helps lower LDL cholesterol, in other words they actively reduces bad cholesterol and have significantly helped people achieve a healthy level of cholesterol making them a brilliant option for people who are at risk of heart disease.

Flora Pro-Activ products – mini drinks, light spreads and low fat milk- have to be accompanied by a healthy diet to work effectively so incorporating healthy meals into your routine is essential. For some people it might mean simply adjusting recipes which you love, maybe not adding cheese on top of your fish pie or eating wholemeal toast rather than white. But to help anyone who feels like they need a little recipe inspiration Flora have produced a series of healthy recipes that will help lower cholesterol and improve your diet; the stuffed aubergines look delicious and are proof that you can get healthy whilst still eating delicious food.

Looking after your heart really couldn’t be more important so take a look British Heart Foundation and Flora Pro Activ’s campaign to read more about the risks of heart disease and how you can makes these risks preventable.

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BBC Panorama – Old, Drunk and Disorderly?

  By BathKnight | September 11, 2012 - 12:14 PM | ,
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Last night’s episode of Panorama approached the subject of drinking amongst the over 65’s in Britain as former government voice of older people Joan Bakewell investigated why an estimated 1.4 million elderly people are regularly exceeding the recommended alcohol limit.

Quite shockingly hospital admissions for people aged 65 and over who have alcohol related illnesses or injuries are on the rise and more elderly people are admitted to hospital thanks to alcohol than those aged 16-24; a statistic which I personally found surprising.

Throughout the programme Joan met a series of older people who have developed problems with alcohol later in life and assessed how the drinking habits of drinkers aged 65 and over makes their alcohol problems more difficult to identify and deal with.

Joan Bakewell panorama

Many older people who have problems with alcohol drink alone, choosing to turn to alcohol during times of stress or depression or even when they are bored. More commonly the habit of drinking a glass of wine with an evening meal or sip of whiskey before bed means that most older people drink every day and exceeded the daily recommend consumption without even realising it.

I have to say that I was worried that this documentary would suggest that everyone over 65 who enjoys a glass or two of wine was abusing their body but Joan Bakewell cleverly managed to create a balance between people simply enjoying alcohol and it becoming an unhealthy habit.

Joan kept a personal drink diary where she noted down her own consumption during the month of July. She drank a total of 52 glasses of wine totalling 76 units, a sum which surpasses the recommended limit. Yet Joan wasn’t binge drinking or putting herself at any particular danger and she admitted that she wasn’t particularly worried by how many units she had consumed because she knew that she wasn’t using drink irresponsibly.

I personally believe that alcohol unit guidelines are useful, especially for people who feel that they need to keep track of their intake. However, I also understand the balanced approach which Joan takes toward drinking. She, like lots of other older drinkers, have a healthy understanding towards alcohol mainly because they’ve  drank responsibility for years and ultimately doesn’t want to be told when or how she can drink.

The key message from Joan Bakewell’s Panorama report ‘Old, Drunk and Disorderly?’ seemed to be that older people don’t want to be told how much they can and can’t drink. However, they have to take responsibility of their drinking habits and seek help if and when they need too- a message which I tend to agree with.

Watch Panorama on BBC iPlayer.

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Carers Week 2012

  By BathKnight | June 18, 2012 - 2:27 PM | ,
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With over six million carers in the UK it is paramount that their tireless work is appreciated and that they are recognised as individuals, which is why I support Carers Week. An annual awareness campaign brought together by a coalition of charities including Age UK, Carers UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and Carers Trust.

This year’s campaign centres around the theme ‘In sickness and in health’ and hopes to educate carers on looking after their own wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of the loved one who they care for.

Carers Week 2012

Carers Week 18th – 24th June 2012

In a recent study it’s been reported that nearly 40% of carers put their own health in jeopardy because of their caring commitments. Some carers don’t feel that they have the time or support to seek medical attention for themselves, whilst others are so tightly wrapped up in the welfare of their loved one that their personal needs get overlooked.

Government cuts and tightly squeezed local authorities unfortunately mean that many unpaid carers are receiving little help from the state. Sadly more and more carers are being forced to give up work to care full time, subsequently meaning that their lives revolve solely around caring. It comes as little surprise that a majority of health issues affecting carers are due to the heavy strain of being a primary carer.

Young carer

Support carers of all ages this Carers Week

 As well as encouraging carers to seek the necessary help and advice in all areas of their caring life- health, well-being and financial support- Carers Week also encourages carers to find time for themselves with a host of events been held up and down the country this week.

Events range from workshops in arts and crafts to tai chi and yoga which aim to help carers de-stress. For people who’d prefer a simple chat over a cup of tea and biscuits, social gatherings and coffee mornings are also on the agenda; perfect if you’re looking to make friends with other carers, which can be extremely beneficial if you care full time.

Carers make life so much more fulfilling for elderly, poorly and disabled people, which is why I think Carers Week is a campaign that is worth supporting; visit www.carersweek.org for more information.

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Give Blood- National Blood Week 11th- 17th June 2012

  By BathKnight | June 14, 2012 - 2:19 PM | ,
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Today is World Blood Donor Day and countries across the world are encouraging more people to become blood donors and thanking current donors for their generous blood donations which help save hundreds of lives every day.

Here in the UK ‘give blood’ are hosting National Blood Week from 11th-17th June. During this time a team of donor experts are touring the country in a bid to inspire more people to become donors and advise them on how, when and why becoming a donor is so important.

giveblood_logo1

 Blood stocks have to be replenished to ensure that blood banks are supplied with enough blood to help poorly people. The levels and availability of blood types ranges which is why it’s so important to get as many people from all ethnic backgrounds to become donors.

Unfortunately some people won’t be able to donate blood, some medical conditions and prior experience can affect eligibility- check here for more info. And I know that many older donators are upset that they have to stop donating after their 66th birthday; if you’ve given blood for a long time it does become an important part of your life but for a donor’s own health this upper age limit is strictly followed.

This is why it’s important to ensure that younger people become donors. Healthy youngsters are perfect donors as they can regularly give blood and help make a difference. Giving blood can be daunting, especially if you’ve not done it before, but speaking from experience I can assure you that it’s nothing to worry about. 

Rachel Riley giving blood

Simple ensure you follow the standard guidelines of drinking lots of water, a good night sleep and regular meals prior to giving blood and make sure you rest afterward. Once you’ve perked up you’ll have that feel-good feeling of doing something so positive that you’ll no doubt want to continue donating which is fantastic.

So during National Blood Week visit the give blood website to learn more about how important it is to roll your sleeves up and give blood. Online you can register as a donor and find a local blood donor centre, plus make an appointment to meet an advisor who will explore you eligibility and explain how your blood could help save a life.

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National Epilepsy Week 2012

  By BathKnight | May 24, 2012 - 12:58 PM |
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It’s currently National Epilepsy Week (20th-26th May 2012) and epilepsy organisation, Epilepsy Action, are using this week to raise crucial awareness of the neurological condition which affects over 600,000 people in the UK.

The theme to this year’s awareness week is achievement. Epilepsy Action are calling on epileptics to recall their proudest moments and most significant achievements to prove that epilepsy doesn’t have to stop people enjoying their life just like everybody else.

National epilepsy week 2012A whole host of epileptics have submitted their stories online. Their personal tales range from youngsters with epilepsy learning to swim, excelling at school and even sky diving! And adults achieving career successes beyond their expectations, having children and been able to take part in sporting activities after seizures, surgery and medication.

Each story is inspiring and it’s great to see a national awareness campaign that has such a positive approach. All too often we are bombarded with facts and figures. Epilepsy Action’s focus on achievements is refreshing and gives a personal touch that’s incredibly engaging.

In addition to promoting stories of personal achievement from ordinary epilepsy sufferers, Epilepsy Action also called on World Champion hurdler, Dai Greene, to recall his experiences of achieving great success whilst living with epilepsy.

epilepsy action

Dai’s story was published in an awareness supplement featured in Monday’s edition of The Guardian, which I’d highly recommend reading as it features a range of issues surrounding epilepsy including effective management of epilepsy in the workplace and in schools- read or download ‘Epilepsy Celebrating Achievement’ here.

Epilepsy is a condition which can affect just about anybody- old people, young people and fit and healthy people. The truth is you probably don’t realise the majority of sufferers have epilepsy which is why epilepsy is a condition that is worth supporting. During National Epilepsy Week why not spare half an hour to check out a local event, make a donation or just get clued up on the facts, it could really make a difference.

Top Tip: Did you know that people suffering from epilepsy can be eligible for a Disabled Persons Railcard and save up to 1/3 off rail travel. Visit www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk for more information.

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