AT LEAST ONE SOCIAL HOUR EVERY WEEK IN DEMENTIA CARE HELPS LIVES AND EVEN WILL SAVE FUNDING

Person-centred fun-filled activities joined with a single hour a week of social conversation could enhance standard of living and minimize irritation for people who have dementia currently in residential care, whilst lowering costs.

These are the final thoughts from a sizeable research project directed by the University of Exeter, King’s College London and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. These outcomes were exposed this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2017 (AAIC).

The research project concerned greater than 800 people who have dementia over 69 care homes in South London, North London and even Buckinghamshire. Two ‘care staff champions’ at each care home were trained across four day-long sessions, to try basic measures for example involve talking to people about their pastimes and choices about their own care. When accompanied by one hour in one week of social connections, it really improved standard of living and reduced irritation.

Importantly, the tactic also ended up saving money in comparison to regular care. Experts suggest the next critical problem is to roll the plan to the 28,000 care homes throughout the UK to help the lives of the 300,000 people who have dementia located in these types of residenital care homes.

Professor Clive Ballard, of the University of Exeter Medical School, who brought about the sessions, explained: “Individuals with dementia who are dwelling in care homes are among the most vulnerable in today's world. Incredibly, of 170 carer training guides in the marketplace, merely four provide evidence that they actually work. Our end results indicate that good employees guidance and simply one hour per week of sociable conversation tremendously betters quality of life for a group of people who can often be unconsidered by society.”

Dr Jane Fossey from the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, claimed: “Taking a person-centred method is about really becoming acquainted with the resident as an individual - being aware of their likes and dislikes and talking to them while you provide all aspects of care. This makes a tremendous difference to the individual themselves as well as their carers. We’ve shown this approach noticeably boosts lifestyles, minimizes agitation and also will save cash also. This specific guidance must now be rolled out countrywide so other individuals can reap some benefits.”

The results are the conclusions of the Improving Wellbeing and Health for People with Dementia (WHELD) trial, the biggest non-pharmacological randomised control research project in individuals with dementia living in residential care homes thus far.

The undertaking integrated collaboration from University College London, the Universities of Hull and Bangor, and Alzheimer’s Society.

Doug Brown, Director of Research for Alzheimer’s Society, expressed: “70% of persons dwelling in residential care homes have dementia, so it is crucial that employees have the appropriate coaching to supply good quality dementia care."

“We know that a person-centred strategy that takes everyone's distinctive qualities, skills, motivations, personal preferences and needs into account can certainly improve care. This study shows that training to deliver this sort of individualised residential care, in conjunction with physical activities and social communications, has a vital impact on the well-being of people living with dementia in residential care homes. It also demonstrates that productive residential care can aid in reducing expenses, which the stretched social care system desperately demands."

“Alzheimer’s Society is invested in increasing dementia care by means of investigation. We wish to discover interventions like this put into practice, and can continue to fund further more study to raise the standard of living for individuals with dementia inside of their houses, dementia care homes and even hospitals. However investment in researching solely cannot rescue the broken system. The government ought to use the consultation on social care reform to supply a long-term solution that handles the desperate funding crisis within our latest method and shares the price of dementia care across society.”

What To Think About When Choosing A Nursing Home

Nursing homes have transformed drastically within the last several decades. These kinds of changes have been powered by government polices as well as customer demands. Today’s nursing homes tend to be highly regulated, high-quality organizations for the care and treatment associated with older adults who have severe physical health and/or psychological disabilities. Assisted-living amenities do not possess the same laws that guide care in nursing homes.


Who resides in nursing homes?
Nearly half of all people that reside in nursing homes tend to be 85 years or even older. Fairly few occupants are younger than 65 years. Most are females (72%), many of whom are without a partner (nearly 70% are generally widowed, separated, or never married) and with only a small group of family members and friends for help.


The Most Commonly Encountered Reason Behind Living in A Nursing Home
Some type of disability with activities of daily living (ADLs) is among the most common reason why older people reside in nursing homes. Unsurprisingly, people residing in nursing homes usually have more incapability than people living at home. More than 80% of nursing home residents require assistance with 3 or more ADLs (including dressing and washing). 90% of residents who are able to walk require assistance or supervision. More than 50 % of residents have urinary incontinence (possibly bowel or bladder), and more than 1 / 3 have difficulty with listening or seeing.

As well as physical difficulties, psychological illnesses tend to be frequent in nursing home residents. In reality, dementia remains the most common issue, and has an effect on an estimated 50-70% of residents. More than three fourths of nursing-home occupants have issues making day-to-day choices, and 2 thirds experience problems with memory or figuring out exactly where they are from time to time.

At least one-third of nursing home occupants have problematic actions. These actions might include spoken and also actual physical abuse, behaving inappropriately in public, fighting off essential attention, as well as wandering. Communication troubles are also common-almost half of nursing home residents have a problem both being understood and understanding other people. Depression is an additional problem which has an effect on nursing home occupants. Research has shown it may take place a lot more within nursing home occupants than in folks living in the town.


Length of Stay
Period of stay differs a lot within nursing homes. Twenty-five percent of people admitted stay only a short time (Three months or fewer). Lots of people whom remain for a short period of time are admitted for rehabilitation or for critical (end-of-life) health care. About 50 % of occupants spend a minimum of 12 months within the nursing home, and 21% live there for almost Five years. Interestingly, function usually improves in numerous residents who stay for a longer time.


Risk Factors for Admission


There are numerous risks with regard to admittance to a nursing home:
Age. The chance of being admitted to a nursing home increases with age. For example, about 15% of people 85 years and older live in nursing homes, compared with just 1.1% of people 65-74 years of age.

• Low income.

• Below average family support, especially in cases where the older adult lacks a spouse or children.

• Low social activity.

• Functional or mental difficulties.

• Caucasian race/ethnicity.

Characteristics of Nursing Homes
Nursing homes frequently offer you medical solutions similar to those offered in hospitals following surgery, sickness, or any other sudden medical problems. Older adults require a more impressive range of care, and hospital stays are shorter than they used to be. Medical services vary a lot among nursing homes, but include:

• skilled nursing care

• orthopedic care (care for muscle, joint, and bone problems)

• breathing treatments

• support after surgery

• physical, occupational, and speech therapy

• intravenous therapy and antibiotics

• wound care

Nursing homes provide nutritional counseling, social work services and recreational activities, as well as respite care, hospice care, and end-of-life care.


Choosing a Nursing Home
Your health care provider or other healthcare professional (such as a home health nurse or social worker) can provide recommendations for nursing homes. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides detailed information that can help you compare different nursing homes.

Elderly adults and/or family members need to try to visit as many homes as they can to acquire a feeling of the general feeling and excellence of attention. Utilizing a checklist can help you evaluate quality, the range of solutions, convenience, and costs. Your visit may last an hour or two so that you can meet and talk with the admissions officer, nursing home administrator, director of nursing, and social worker. Remember that no nursing home is perfect, and all will likely be very different from the current living situation.

Suggested Questions to Ask When Visiting a Nursing Home

Is the nursing home clean?

Are there any unpleasant smells?

Is it well maintained?

Do the residents look well cared for?

Are the rooms adequate?

What recreational and private space is available?

Are there safety features, such as railings and grab bars?

Is the home licensed by the state and certified by Medicaid?

How many nurses and nursing assistants are there compared with how many residents?

Do the administrators and medical professionals have special training in geriatrics or long-term care?

Are key professionals full-time or part-time?

How long have the managers and medical professionals worked at the nursing home?

Is vaccination against influenza required for all staff members?

Who will be the physician or nurse practitioner that will be following the resident, and how accessible are they?

How close is the nursing home to family members?

How close is it to the nearest hospital?

What is the food like?

How much do basic services cost? What services are covered?

What additional services are available? How much do they cost?

What happens if a person runs out of money and needs medical aid?

The Centers with regard to Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) uses various quality measures to rate nursing homes. For example, CMS reports the percent of residents who:
receive seasonal flu vaccines and the pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine

were physically restrained

had one or more falls with major injury

have pressure ulcers

lose too much weight


Nursing homes may often seem scary and depressing, and moving into one can fill people with a sense of betrayal and failure. Family involvement is important in helping the older person make the transition to a new living arrangement.

Contrary to the stereotype, families do not abandon their loved ones by placing them in a nursing home. In fact, only a few nursing home residents are truly without any family. Family
members are encouraged to visit residents regularly and to be involved in the total care of their older relative. Family members can offer company and help with the basic activities of daily living, and they may be better able to communicate the needs of the resident.

Internet Addiction Ups Risks Of Other Mental Health Problems: Study

Youngsters spending excessive hours online have a tendency to experience mental health issues which include anxiousness, poor attention, depression, executive functioning troubles, impulsiveness and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Investigators at McMaster University in Canada included 254 college students for their study about the effects of internet and social networking use in university-age people. For the purpose of the investigation, the investigators used the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) produced and implemented since '98 and also a brand-new testing scope they developed independently.

Out of 254 college students, Thirty-three were seen to be suffering from internet dependence in accordance with the conditions set in place from the IAT. Roughly 55.8 percent of pupils thought it was hard to control their practice of online video internet streaming, 47.9 percent could not stay clear of utilising social networking and also 28.5 percent ended up captivated with instant messaging tools.
Alternatively, the new screening tool developed by the investigators showed that 3 x as many youngsters met the criteria for internet addiction.

Van Ameringen announced that internet use has changed in the last Eighteen years considering the introduction of social networking, online jobs, video streaming and the like. The researchers observed that the IAT, which had been developed just before smart phone use got to be wide-spread, might not be reliable in today's state of affairs as it may well produce unrealistic positive outcomes in differentiating individuals simply using the internet from people addicted to it.

On the flip side, the brand new tool was made to screen present-day internet use. With it, the investigators found out that 42.1 percent of the surveyed college students had mental health difficulties as a result of substantial attachment to the internet. Van Ameringen explained this leads to questions on whether the prevalence of obsession with the internet has been incredibly underrated and whether or not other mental health problems are actually a trigger or effect of being too reliant on the technology.

With all of these worries at heart, Van Ameringen observed that the study could possibly have practical implications for how mental health care providers tackle bothersome internet usage.

"If you are hoping to treat an individual with an addiction although in fact they are actually anxious or even depressed, then you might be going down the wrong route," he informed. Van Ameringen included that to achieve an improved comprehension of the problem and come up with a solution, large-scale research needs to be carried out amongst a larger and much more diverse group.
The study is scheduled to be presented at the 29th annual European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress in Vienna, Austria.

In line with the Illinois Institute of Addiction Recovery, the indications of internet addiction include preoccupation with and extended use of the internet, unsuccessful attempts to cut down internet use and using the technology to flee real-life issues and feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, depression and guilt.

An innovative solution to dementia treatment

Dementia sufferers that strike and kick other care home inhabitants along with staff members oftentimes tend to be prescribed potent medicine to control their particular conduct, nevertheless these drugs come with unsafe and in some cases dangerous side effects.

Today, new information coming from Boston researchers proposes one way which will appreciably minimize use of these powerful sedatives: simply by linking care home employees with experts in dementia treatment, by using video consultation services.


In a small number of Massachusetts nursing facilities where employees made use of the twice monthly online video meetings, residents ended up being 17 percent less inclined to be given the antipsychotic drugs, weighed against residents in nursing facilities not within the method, based on the research by research workers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Hebrew SeniorLife.

“There is a method to try and get antipsychotic utilization down with carrots and sticks, and with penalizing. The other is to try to supply individuals tools to do this,” stated Dr. Stephen Gordon, a geriatrician at Beth Israel Deaconess and head writer of the analysis published inside the May Journal of the American Medical Directors Organization.

With dementia afflicting a substantial and increasing variety of older adults, nursing homes are struggling with more sufferers that have challenging behaviours. Simultaneously, the volume of physicians who are experts in dementia and senior care isn't keeping pace, based on the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers saw videoconferencing as a means to help, by simply linking these specialists, who generally work within hospitals, to nursing homes in which the specialists’ know-how is greatly desired.

The desire to lower utilization of antipsychotic medications in nursing facilities is hardly brand new. Excessive use of the medications continues to be a problem 4 years after Massachusetts and federal regulators released a campaign to turn back the practice.

Approximately one in five Massachusetts care home residents gets antipsychotic medicine, according to the newest federal information. Countrywide, the percentage of nursing home residents getting this kind of medications is lower, at approximately 17.5 percent.


The medicines raise the likelihood of bacterial infections and cardiovascular difficulties in older sufferers, in accordance with federal authorities. The drugs could also cause dizziness, a sudden decline in blood pressure levels, abnormal heart rhythms, blurry eyesight, as well as urinary issues.

To examine the efficiency of videoconferencing in reducing antipsychotic utilization, the researchers picked 11 Massachusetts nursing facilities for the 18 month project, giving staffers sessions twice a month with health care professionals who specialize in elder care, which includes a psychiatrist, neurologist, and social worker.

They picked Twenty two other nursing homes that did not participate in videoconferencing, but were comparable in size and also other important characteristics towards the 11 in the scientific study group.

Within the initial three months of this study, the utilization of antipsychotics in the Eleven nursing facilities decreased by 12.5 percent, the researchers observed. Which translated to a decrease from 321 residents given antipsychotics to 286

In the meantime, use of the drugs in the nursing facilities that did not receive the external help went up by about 4 percent during that period of time.

The utilization of antipsychotics in nursing facilities that took part in video conferences carried on to decline steadily over the remaining Fifteen months of this project, while the other nursing facilities also decreased consumption, though slightly.

Scientists and nursing home leaders not involved with the analysis said the conclusions, whilst centered on a small number of nursing facilities, are encouraging. They also observed, however, the nursing homes selected within the scientific study weren't picked at random, raising the possibility the facilities that consented to be in the video conferencing may have already been more committed to lowering antipsychotic use.

‘Even very minimal initiatives at education and problem solving could go a long way to bettering care for people who have dementia.’

Dr. Jonathan Evans, American Medical Directors Association past president
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“Given the constraints, they were still capable of finding changes, and that’s very suggestive we will want to look at this [approach] even more,” said Becky Briesacher, an associate professor and health services researcher at Northeastern University.

Briesacher’s studies have discovered that inhabitants in nursing facilities with a history of regular antipsychotic use tended to end up on these medications more frequently than patients in different facilities, even if the sufferers didn’t require the medications.

Dr. Jonathan Evans, past president of the American Medical Directors Association as well as a medical director of 2 nursing homes in Virginia, said the study indicates nursing facilities can do better in limiting use of antipsychotics.

“Even very modest efforts at education and problem-solving can go a long way to enhancing care for people with dementia and reducing improper habits in the care of these types of patients,” Evans said. “There is no question there's a enormous absence of training on the part of doctors, nurses, take your pick, on understanding dementia.”

At Beatitudes Campus, a nursing home and retirement living network in Phoenix, leaders have grabbed national recognition for their innovative procedure for dementia treatment. The focus has not been on reducing the use of antipsychotics, but on getting every resident as comfortable as is possible. Baths, dinners, and fun-based activities are structured around residents’ preferences as opposed to staff schedules. Along the way, antipsychotic use has continuously dropped.

“For a very long time, people were saying there is nothing we are able to do, we just need to medicate” nursing home residents, said Tena Alonzo, Beatitude’s director of research and dementia education. “This study says there's something else, and that is a extremely effective declaration in terms of social justice.”

Extra care critical for elderly struggling with severe loneliness

A new study has recently emphasised the need for communicating with elderly people and furthermore guaranteeing they receive the best suited standard of care and support they need.

A new report, authored by Age UK, discovered that hundreds of older individuals are contending with a "double whammy" of problems, having to deal with constant isolation and furthermore cope with unmet care needs.

Accessing a large selection of services, regardless if within a care home or nearby in the community, is an critical component of ensuring that the elderly might experience fulfilling and interesting lives.

Services that specialize in elderly care can certainly make sure that the elderly have their physical and mental health and wellness needs fulfilled, whilst engaging with him or her to restrict all feelings of loneliness they happen to be going through.

The published information provided by Age UK found that those who have health care specifications who are not receiving any kind of support are nearly two-thirds more likely to have gone through feelings of loneliness in the past few days in comparison to somebody who is getting some level of care or support.

Charity director of Age UK Caroline Abrahams explained: "It’s bad enough to be having difficulties caused by a care need and going without any support, however it turns out that an appreciable number of senior citizens in this position are generally presented with a “double whammy” since they're persistently lonely at the same time."

She said it is much more likely that many of these types of elderly people live life by themselves and in very isolating circumstances, unable to contact family members, friends or even others who live nearby for support if and when they need it.

Ms Abrahams revealed that the "overriding objective" of social care is to satisfy somebody's needs however for senior citizens - that do not generally have the option or ability to leave their home - this kind of care is usually "extremely important" as it might be the sole interaction they have all day.

However, she asserted the system was unable to keep pace with the expanding numbers of older people, which results in numerous going without any sort of basic support. The research suggests that this is certainly exacerbating the substantial challenge of acute loneliness among elderly people too.

Based on the research, around 300,000 older individuals across the nation are struggling with loneliness as well as the added pressure of having care needs which aren't being fulfilled.

Research has shown that isolation itself could have a substantial effect on an individuals wellbeing and health, making them more prone to sickness. For this reason treating the issue would not only enhance the standard of living for older people but will also lessen the financial impact on the health care system.

Learning from those people who are dying: the key to wonderful palliative care social work

3 weeks into my social work training I started a placement in a hospice. In the 50 days that I worked there, just about everyone who I worked with passed away. I begun wanting to know what social work can supply to men and women that are dying. I concluded the position wishing each and every social worker got the chance to learn from folks confronting death. Their experience of loss and resilience, and the possibility to uncover methods to be alongside individuals in those circumstances, goes to the heart of what social work does well.

I have just been linked to an interesting working group that has developed a brand new resource for social workers: The role of social work in palliative, end of life and bereavement treatment. This resource goals to ensure individuals take advantage of great social work at the end of their life, and that family and friends close to them are supported during this period and into death.

Lived experience

The resource has been jointly generated by social workers and individuals with lived experience of end-of-life care. Throughout, it explains to you those experiences and these showcase the ways that social workers can easily make a difference when working alongside those who are dying or bereaved.

Here are a few of the key messages from the resource for social work practice, plus the voices of individuals with lived experience:

1. ‘I would like health workers to be optimistic and express what's going on in the right way without getting negative. I am really positive about my life.’ (Phone interview with woman who uses a drop in centre). Social workers can understand people’s desire for acknowledgement and for a person to listen to them. We can display confidence and sensitivity in obtaining the appropriate time to speak about death and dying, making sure that individuals can be in control, plan in advance and also accomplish what is important to them.

2. ‘It is going to be my wife who makes decisions for me, whenever I’m no longer able. Nevertheless I have it all written down, things of significance to me. It’s all down on paper.’ (Man in his eighties attending a hospice day centre). Social workers can help people to make decisions, advocate for, and challenge with and on behalf of folks. Where necessary, we are able to make use of the law to enable men and women to take control.

3. ‘Enabling individuals to live their life just as they want - it’s more than the medicine, it is something aside from treatment. Ease and comfort? Peacefulness?’ (Bereaved man in his 60's). Social workers can be sure that someone’s experience is at the centre of what transpires. We are able to make use of evidence, legislation and systems to allow folks to live the lifestyles they want.

4. ‘I don’t want sympathy, simply help and support. I don’t want people feeling remorseful for me. It’s some support, I suppose, practical help and support.’ (Woman attending a drop in centre, age unknown). Social workers can help folks to understand their own capabilities and mobilise their own resources, provide information and facts and also practical support, synchronize services and also negotiate solutions. Where necessary, we are able to deal with paperwork.

5. ‘I don't like it, whenever people who have not been sick say to you ‘Oh you are so brave!’ I hate that. I just want to be treated as me. Just see me as I was and forget cancer. It’s not all that I am.’ (Lady in her 60's/70's in a hospice day centre). Social workers can help folks to sustain their identity despite change. We can easily help individuals to accumulate memories and to leave memories behind.

6. ‘It continues to be hard to ask for help, I didn’t want to and I couldn’t ? The good news is I am coming round. Yes, it is terminal and I know I need assistance now.’ (Woman in her sixties/seventies inside a hospice day centre). Social workers may embrace diversified requirements and develop different ways of supporting people. We are able to explain how care works and assist people discover how to access emergency help and support.

7. ‘People need to learn how bloody hard this is likely to be. We shouldn’t guard men and women. This isn’t likely to be easy. It’s going to be bloody hard.’ (Bereaved husband in his sixties). Social workers can really help men and women close to someone that is passing away to discover the support they need. We can help people take care of practicalities soon after death and follow up with people who are bereaved in the way that works best for them.

Vision for palliative care social work

Our vision for social work in palliative, end-of-life and death care is: people will gain access to a palliative care social worker with the capabilities and resources to help them whenever they need it, and also all social workers should be able to assist people, their own families, and people close to them to realize the value of what they can do and give to each other at the end of their life and during bereavement, and also to obtain the help and support they need.


Here is exactly what a few of the social workers we spoke said about their role:

‘Tom had an impact on the entire staff team and I arranged a reflective space the next week for employees to share memories and ideas of their work with him and also the family. It was well attended and allowed us all to state our feelings. Rest In Peace Tom.’ (End-of-life care social worker). Palliative care social workers are a source of expertise and support for some other professions and agencies. They could boost awareness, mentor and still provide advice to other people. They can perform investigation and get together evidence of precisely what allows for a good passing.

‘We work holistically, combining emotional and practical expertise, to permit people to achieve what matters most to them. We are active in improving things, we're flexible and adaptive, and we're at our best as enablers when we're least conspicuous.’ (Resource working team). All social workers need to be prepared to support those who are dying, going through loss or bereaved.

The social work contribution

We hope that the resource will be made use of by palliative care social workers to enhance understanding of their function and the involvement they can make, and by those people who are dying and those close to them to request social work support. We hope that social workers will make use of the resource to examine their practice, and also to identify the support they need to develop their knowledge and skills.

Business employers, leaders, commissioners, funders, colleagues from alternative professions and educators may use this resource to discover the contribution that social workers could make, also to detect how to support and develop this area of practice.

Above all, we hope that the accounts of people’s ordeals will make it possible for social workers to improve our ability to support folks at this challenging and greatly human moment.

Dementia carers fighting panic and anxiety attributable to a shortage of support

Britain's largest study trial produced to aid carers of patients suffering from dementia has been launched.

The trial will check Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and provide carers help and support at the time they feel under pressure looking out for a close relative afflicted by dementia.

Upwards of 700,000 men and women in the UK are offering care for another person living alongside dementia, most are unpaid and jointly save the UK financial state £11.6bn a year. Since the human population has aged not to mention increased, a lot of people have found themselves carrying out a caring role, and admission to online help support could possibly have a very important effect on their well-being.

Dr Doug Brown, director of development and research at Alzheimer’s Society, explained: “Within this country, unpaid dementia carers support our health and social care model. This soundless army of partners, wives, children dedicate 1.3bn hours in a year's time delivering health care. This tends to take an enormous toll on their mental health and well-being.

A silent army offering care

“Carers inform us that even though they have taken that confusing preliminary and gone to seek advice from their Doctor, being able to access any kind of face-to-face treatment offers a whole new difficulty - from acquiring the time to attend and also health care cover to the particularly long waiting times facing many for such treatment options. Being able to sign on at your home to promptly get access to proven help support and also coping approaches has the chance to remodel the lifestyles of hundreds of thousands of carers.

“Basic research towards health care provision both for people who have dementia and carers has become overlooked for too long. Alzheimer’s Society has fully committed £100m towards researching into new developments in dementia health care, therapy, in addition to prevention throughout the upcoming decade.”

A report executed by Alzheimer’s Society has shown that 90 % of individuals who care for a person with dementia feel emotions of anxiety and stress many times per week, whilst 80 per cent of individuals struggle to discuss the mental effect their task as a carer has on their very own well-being.

To assist take care of this, Alzheimer’s Society and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust have announced Caring For Me and You - an investigation trial designed to check modified online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and guidance designed to assist carers discover options for handling the pressures of their position.

Inner thoughts of guilt also tiredness

Michelle Pierce is thirty three years old and resides in Leeds. She provides round-the-clock care for her father Dennis who was diagnosed with young onset dementia in 2012. She claimed: “Dad used to reside by himself and would likely get in touch with me if there was anything wrong - night or day. In case he couldn’t get hold of me he'd immediately phone the police. I ended up permanently on edge, awaiting the telephone to ring, and I would often find myself getting up throughout the night simply because I imagined I had heard the telephone.

“I was physically and emotionally depleted - I stopped seeing my friends and I couldn’t sleep. I was desperate for help, but kept delaying going to the general practitioner because I just didn’t have time. If it had been as simple as logging on from home to get assistance it might have made a big difference.” Regularly carers will find it complicated to gain access to the assistance and support they really need, with roughly 40 per cent of carers surveyed offering round-the-clock care and attention and struggling to find time to have a break from their caring responsibilities.

Providing care for a family member or friend with dementia is not like providing care for a person with any other condition or impairment due to the unforeseen, complex and intensifying nature of the condition.

Alzheimer’s Society studies have shown that carers find it difficult to show exactly how their role as a carer makes them feel, with nearly 60 % stated emotions of guilt when looking for aid as they felt they were placing their very own needs ahead of the individual they were caring for. Other study participants mentioned they felt tired caused by problems with sleeping and had been neglecting their own health and wellbeing and stopped socialising with close friends.

The investigation further highlighted that when they do find time to acquire support and help, they face waiting times of approximately a year to obtain talking therapies, making online therapies a far more instant solution.

Chief executive of Carers UK, Heléna Herklots, commented: “From our exploration with carers, we know that taking care of a disabled, seriously-ill or maybe older cherished one can have a huge influence on a carer’s both mental and physical well-being. Indeed, more or less nine out of ten carers taking good care of somebody with dementia said to us they have felt far more distressed because of their caring position, with fifty percent expressing they have encountered depression.

“The strain of tending to a family member or friend can be extremely distancing. Caring may take up so much effort and time that there’s very little left over for yourself; this can certainly make it hard to care for your personal health and well-being, sustain friendships, and get a break from caring. What’s more, these demands can be amplified when a carer doesn’t know where to turn for support.

“In spite of being part of everyday life, caring can also be extremely personal and challenging to speak about. We welcome any motivation that may help carers better handle and conquer the contests that looking after anyone with dementia may bring and we look forward to the outcome of this trial.”

Paving the way for nationwide, accessible support

Caring For Me and You has been developed to check whether online access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapies or accessibility to personalised information may help the mental health and wellbeing of carers.

CBT is an founded treatment method employed for anxiety and depression and assists individuals to develop coping strategies by dealing with their emotions, ideas and approaches to specific situations and it is available on the internet via some NHS services.