Lockdown has prevented Kevin Jones from being with his partner, who has Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies, in her care home. Here, he shares his story.
“When this horrible, horrible condition started, our lives changed basically overnight.”
They are the heartbreaking words of Kevin Jones, whose partner Jean has dementia with Lewy bodies.
Jean now lives in a care home that has been locked down during the pandemic, with Kevin only able to see her through a bedroom window.
‘I’d give anything to be able to sit by her side, hold her hand and give her a kiss,’ he says.
Families are being enabled to regain their voice in the care and rehabilitation of their loved ones through the creation of a new forum at a specialist Cambridgeshire community.
An ‘Ask the Therapist’ forum has been introduced by Askham Rehab, part of Askham Village Community, to help bridge the gap created by lockdown between relatives and therapists.
Through monthly video calls, families of Askham residents with complex brain injuries can receive support and advice from the community’s multidisciplinary team, alongside updates on their loved one’s treatment and pathway.
The potential for a drug to slow down the progression of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is to be explored after trials secured funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The development of M102, a drug candidate for the treatment of MND, has been given a £1.6 million grant, with researchers from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), in partnership with Aclipse Therapeutics, looking to advance its potential.
Case management is seeing a surge in recruitment, amidst increasing demand for specialists to manage complex cases alongside growing recognition of the importance of the profession.
Businesses nationally are expanding, several also widening their geographical reach, and are taking on new case managers to add to the size and capability of their teams.
In the past few weeks, case management companies across the UK have announced new recruits, or advertised vacancies, as they build their service offering to clients and their families further.
One of the country’s only specialist case management recruiters, Jessica Remnant, reports ongoing expansion even during the pandemic.
A leader in rehabilitation technology has formed a new research partnership to help advance its work in world-leading robotics further still.
Fourier Intelligence has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Engineering to research and develop neurorehabilitation robotics.
The partnership marks another milestone in Fourier Intelligence’s ongoing efforts to promote accessibility and adoption of rehabilitation technology in patient care and therapy, while also signalling NUS’ continued commitment to ramp up progress in the field with cutting-edge research.
Being overweight may exacerbate Alzheimer’s disease, new research has revealed.
Researchers found that obesity may contribute toward neural tissue vulnerability, which can make the effects of the disease worse.
The study also said that maintaining a healthy weight could help preserve brain structure in people who are already experiencing mild effects of Alzheimer’s.
“Sat on elephant. Swam on turtle. Dancing in Tardis.”
While this may sound like something from a particularly crazy dream, for stroke survivors, this is a reality - or rather virtual reality - which is delivering measurable benefits to their recovery.
Through accessing EVA Park, the world’s first multi-user online world, people with aphasia across the globe are being given unique opportunities to re-learn and practice their speech, while also developing social connections and confidence.
So while social interactions and venturing out to the shops may seem a daunting prospect in everyday life, in EVA Park, users can enjoy a carefree trip to the hairdresser, bar or disco, or even go dancing in the Tardis, should they wish.
Vision in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) could be improved through the use of medication, a new study has found.
A mice study investigated the effect of indazole chloride (IndCl) on the pathology and function of the afferent visual pathway for the first time, which includes the eyes, optic nerve, and all brain structures responsible for receiving, transmitting, and processing visual information.
"IndCl has been previously shown in mice to reduce motor disability, increase myelination, and neuroprotection in the spinal cord and corpus callosum," says Seema Tiwari-Woodruff, a professor of biomedical sciences at the UC Riverside School of Medicine and the study's lead author.
Aware that many people with Parkinson’s wanted to be more challenged with their physical activity, Neuro Heroes was created to do just that. Here, co-founder Laura Douglas tells NR Times about why their service is badly needed and warmly welcomed.
While the benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson’s are well known, that exercise usually comes in the form of yoga or tai chi, something which is certainly active but at the more relaxing end of the scale.
But for Neuro Heroes, their definition of exercise for people with Parkinson’s is different.
“We have a group of people who want to be challenged and pushed, as well as building their fitness,” says Laura Douglas, co-founder of the group.
Two pioneering robotics companies have formed a global partnership to develop new digital rehabilitation solutions.
HumanXR and Fourier Intelligence will work together to accelerate digitisation for advanced rehabilitation, integrating immersive virtual experiences in state-of-the-art rehabilitation robotics. The venture comes as the role technology can play in rehabilitation is more widely recognised than ever before, through the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in a significant shift to the use of telerehab and digital.
