‘This isn’t a threat – it’s an opportunity for revolutionary change’
Writing for HT World, Brian O’Shea, continuing healthcare advisor at the Spinal Injuries Association, urges commissioners to embrace change for the good of the patient.
Dementia detection ‘pen’ gets funding boost
Innovate UK has allocated £600,000 towards the validation of a handheld device used to screen dementia and cognitive impairment.
The innovation agency has awarded grant funding to Manus Neurodynamica, which develops and markets products and technologies for neuromotor assessment. The funds will help to optimise and validate the NeuroMotor Pen (NMP) for screening of dementias and cognitive impairment, over a two-year project. Only around 68 per cent of over 65s, estimated to have dementia have been diagnosed.
New UK operator plans expansion
A new entrant to the UK’s neurological care field is planning continuing expansion after acquiring its first four sites.
Renovo Care was formed late last year through the purchases of two specialist neuro care centres - Glenside Hospital, near Salisbury, and Hollanden Park Hospital in Hildenborough, Kent - alongside two residential services, Victoria House in Farnborough and Swanborough House in Brighton. Now, with the appointment of chief executive Peter Kinsey, the group is looking at further additions to its specialist portfolio, as well as investing in its current sites and offering.
Processed meat linked to dementia
Eating processed meat has been linked with an increased risk of developing dementia - although unprocessed red meat could be protective against the disease.
In a new study of 500,000 people, it was found that consuming a 25g serving of processed meat a day, the equivalent to one rasher of bacon, is associated with a 44 per cent increased risk of dementia. But the findings also showed that eating some unprocessed red meat, such as beef, pork or veal, could be protective, as people who consumed 50g a day were 19 per cent less likely to develop dementia.
Leading public health figures to share COVID insights with rehab community
Rehab professionals will next week have an opportunity to learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on public health and the importance of partnership working in the current climate.
Disability charity Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People (QEF) is hosting a virtual event featuring insights from Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, and Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director and director of health protection for Public Health England. They will be joined by QEF’s chief executive, Karen Deacon, and director of operations, Rita Asamoah.
Neuropsychological testing in the COVID-19 age
NR Times reports from the side-lines of an Irwin Mitchell event which explores the case for tele-neuropsychology.
COVID-19 has presented major challenges to those delivering neuropsychological assessments. Perhaps in the early days of the pandemic, deferring assessments may have been an initial consideration. But as it became clear that the crisis would be around for months, rather than weeks, other solutions were quickly sought. Such assessments are crucial in ensuring the seriously injured are given a level playing field in their journey to secure compensation and support for care.
Making sense of smell loss after brain injury
Making sense of smell loss after brain injury An in-depth [...]
Tackling the self-report shortfall
How new technology could revolutionise the way patients self-report their symptoms - improving outcomes and research capabilities in neuro-rehab and other fields.
‘Patient-centred’ has become a well-worn phrase in neuro-rehab in recent years. In fact, so often is it mentioned by care and therapy providers, that it is starting to mean different things to different people, running the risk of becoming meaningless.
Of course, in healthcare the patient should, indeed, be at the heart of everything. If self-report mechanisms are flawed, however, can we really say that this is the case?
Holistic activation of the senses
Soothing sounds and relaxing vibrations are incorporated into the innovative inmu sound cushion, activating the senses of people with brain injuries.
The human body responds to music. What feels like a healing sound to some can be unbearable noise to others. After suffering brain injuries or a stroke, music and sounds can put tremendous strain on patients. In such cases, even something as subtle as a birdsong can become intolerable.
Inspiring a brighter future for residents
A neuro-rehab provider which opened its first facility in Worcester shortly before the first lockdown has succeeded against the odds – and now has plans to expand in 2021, as NR Times reports.
Inspire Neurocare provides support for people with a variety of neurological conditions, offering rehabilitation, respite and palliative care.
The firm opened its first specialist care centre in Worcester in February 2020, and this will be followed by further facilities in Basingstoke and Southampton in 2021/22. Inspire prides itself on a novel model of care that has “no limitations on the possibility of recovery,” all led by director of clinical excellence Michelle Kudhail.
A key element of the centre’s approach is the team’s commitment to understanding that every patient, and the circumstances that led them there, is different.
