There are an estimated 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK at the moment. Another 225,000 will develop it this year – that’s one every three minutes.

A recent Government survey of more than 4,000 adults revealed many people are still confused about what are, and what are not, signs of dementia.

Though Broomgrove isn’t a registered dementia home we have a lot of knowledge. We regularly get enquiries for respite care from older people who look after relatives with dementia and need a break. We often give them advice as to what help is out there for them.

An early diagnosis is imperative as this opens the door to future care and treatment. It helps people to plan ahead while they are still capable of making important decisions regarding their care and support needs. They are also in a far better position to make decisions on future financial and legal matters.

They are also able – along with their families –  to digest practical information, advice and guidance as they start to face new challenges.

I know how important an early diagnosis is. The symptoms displayed by my own mother-in-law were spotted early so the family encouraged my father in law to take her to the GP. She was diagnosed with dementia and put on medication straight away which has kept her stable.

She was also referred to the memory clinic, which has been a big support for my father in law.

The signs to look out for are:

1. struggling to remember recent events, although you can easily recall things that happened in the past
2. finding it hard to follow conversations or programmes on TV
3. forgetting the names of friends or everyday objects
4. not being able to recall things you have heard, seen or read
5. Losing the thread of what you are saying, having problems thinking and reasoning, feeling anxious, depressed or angry.
6. Feeling confused even when in a familiar environment or getting lost on familiar journeys and finding that other people start to notice or comment on your memory loss.

There is strong evidence that an early diagnosis helps someone with dementia to continue to live independently in their own home for longer. This helps to avoid early or unnecessary admission to a care home or hospital, enhancing the quality of life for people with dementia and carers alike.

More help and information can be found at www.ageuk.org.uk and www.alzheimers.org.uk

The elderly are being blamed as one of the biggest culprits in the current NHS ‘bed blocking’ crisis

Yes, they are more prone to hospital admissions due to their higher risk of falls, infections and general deterioration in medical conditions.

But no elderly person wants to be in hospital in a strange environment. They often can’t hear, see or understand the staff. All they want is to get better and go home!

Department of Health statistics show more than 680,000 elderly people are admitted to acute hospitals each year. They regularly languish on wards even though they are well enough to be looked after in a care home or at home with support.

The Government have promised a £300 million ‘rescue’ package to allow Social Services to buy care, but this is only a drop in the ocean.

50,000 care home beds have been lost over the last 5 years and care homes are closing at the rate of 4 per week. This is mainly because they are unable to meet the standards of care required by the CQC. Neither the NHS or Social Services pay care homes enough to be able to provide the high standards of care that the elderly deserve or CQC requries.

More intermediate care beds would help the situation but this comes at a time when community hospitals like Bakewell and Bolsover are due to close. These hospitals provide care whilst the elderly wait for either a care home bed or for a care package at home.

It costs £400 per day for a hospital bed. Is it just me or is the answer to bed blocking to use this money and save our community hospitals and pay more money towards care home beds and care at home?

NHS, I think you have the answer to the bed blocking crisis.

Donna Pierpoint is the manager of Sheffield’s renowned Broomgrove Nursing Home. She has 20 years experience in the sector, a decade of those as care home manager.

Crime Commissioner Alan Billings recently came to talk to our residents about how to tackle the growing problem of scam phone calls.

Quite a few of our residents have their own landlines and have received junk phone calls in the past. They have now all registered with the phone preference service to stop the marketing calls and they know what to watch out for. But they are, sadly, in a minority.

We have a growing elderly population, they are vulnerable and need to be alert to possible scams, especially ones made over the phone. Fraudsters target the elderly and even have to guts to pretend to be the Police, Council or Bank. They are convincing, conniving and are likely to come armed with information that makes them seem tototally genuine.

A 65-year old gentleman was scammed out of £12,000 recently. The fraudster purchased an 0845 number and stated he was from their bank. He left the number with the victim which, when dialled, was diverted to the scammer’s mobile phone. During the conversation the scammer managed to get the victim to divulge bank details, security information and PIN. The scammer then persuaded the victim that their account was at risk and a courier would be arranged to collect his bank card.

You may have read that and wondered why the gentleman didn’t suspect any harm, but these scammers can be very clever and so convincing that an elderly person could easily think it was genuine.

What can we do to help stop these con men and women robbing our elderly relatives?

They can sign up with the Telephone Preference Service to prevent marketing phone calls. Contact 0845 070 0707, or go to www.tpsonline.org.uk.

We must also ensure they never give out personal details over the phone; never send money to anyone they don’t know; don’t open the door to someone they don’t know; always ask who they are speaking to and verify the information by calling a company’s head office.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers are clever, they will do their homework and will often know huge amounts of information about the people they are targeting.

For more information, contact South Yorkshire Police and ask for ‘The Little Book of Big Scams’. This booklet has invaluable information on all kinds of scams and how to avoid them.