I hope you found the meeting informative and interesting. Here is what we discussed this evening;
Derek’s video – regarding a petition he submitted to the House of Commons requiring the Laws to change so that council tax discounts are backdated and given to people living with dementia from the date of GP diagnosis.
This following video was recorded last year.
Monoclonal Antibody Infusion
One of the carers informed us about his experience with Covid and how he was taken by special ambulance to the Covid Antibody Infusion Clinic at University College Hospital where he was infused with a Monoclonal antibody designed to neutralise the Coronavirus. As a result of the infusion he felt better very quickly and appears to be nearly fully recovered.
Here is a link below for further information regarding this treatment which is available for anyone you qualifies and has no underlying health conditions
https://combatcovid.hhs.gov/what-are-monoclonal-antibodies
Karin – Shanty crew & a Big Thank You to the anonymous person who gave Karin a donation of £750 for her poetry to be published.
Karin and Stephen informed us about the ‘Unpaid Carers Shanty crew’ – please see attachment with songs
Lisa then asked Karin how she was doing with her poetry writing and if she found someone to publish her book. Karin informed us that she was delighted and surprised to receive an anonymous donation for £750 which will now help her to publish her book.
Video – Dr Sarah Myhill – Youtube link below
Lisa showed members a video introducing Dr Sarah Myhill talking about “ Why we should eat a Paleoketogenic Diet”
Lisa explained the reason for showing this video was not intending to encourage everyone to go on a Paleoketogenic Diet, it was simply to listen to some of the advice about making sure we eat the right foods to prevent us from catching various illnesses.
Dr Myhill talks about the 3 main killers in our society which is Dementia, cancer and heart disease. Sugar is to blame. In fact, dementia is now called Type 3 diabetes.
Lisa’s talk about healthy eating
Dementia Club UK want to promote and educate a healthier eating. Making sure that we have a balanced diet and exercise is important for our health, our bodies and our mind. Cancer thrives on sugar. Sugar leads to inflammation in the body and brain leading to memory problems. By simply cutting down on the amount of sugar, reading food labels and checking the amount of carbs would be a step in the right direction to live a healthier life.
We know that dementia is now the biggest killer. However diabetes is also increasing as more people are being diagnosed with diabetes type 2. GPs have been providing medications to treat the symptoms of diabetes but as more people every day are being diagnosed with diabetes it is costing more money for the NHS. The NHS have now introduced a pilot scheme which has been rolled out to a number of GP surgeries around the country. The pilot scheme promotes a special 3-month diet called the “NHS Soup & Shake diet for people with Diabetes type 2” which can help them go into remission. One of the criteria however is that you must have been diagnosed in the last 6 years. Please see some of the links below for more information.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/2022/01/nhs-soups-and-shakes-diet-helps-thousands-shed-the-pounds/
Lisa’s talk about Ooolong Tea
Here are 2 links about what is Oolong tea – What is Milk Oolong Tea?
https://redblossomtea.com/blogs/red-blossom-blog/what-is-milk-oolong-tea
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oolong-tea-benefits
Here is the link to buy Oolong Tea from Waitrose:
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/rare-tea-co-oolong-china-tea-loose-leaf/855327-689796-689797
Andrew also recommended Milk Oolong tea which can be purchased
https://www.birdandblendtea.com/products/milk-oolong-chai-tea?variant=37506732916897
Barnet Council are doing a FREE Community Health Screenings for anyone over the age of 40 who works or studies in Barnet
You do not need to be registered with a GP
Pop up events will take place at various locations across the borough
Healthcare practitioners will check you blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and height, weight and body mass index (BMI) They will also ask you about your lifestyle, including your diet, smoking and alcohol intake.
Please see the link below to find out the various locations for these events.
https://www.barnet.gov.uk/healthscreen
You can of course also buy self-testing kits to check your blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
Dr Angela Parker has provided the following information below and I have also included the link
Mike Rich – CEO of Barnet carers informed everyone about the Dementia Friendly Barnet & also asked for ideas for activities for people with dementia.
Mike mentioned the importance of making shops, retail, cafes dementia friendly by providing training to give them a better understanding about dementia. Derek had informed us earlier about a garden centre he had visited with his wife who is living with dementia and when they ordered something to eat, the café in the garden centre refused to serve his wife a child’s portion of food. This was a good example of the garden centre showing lack of understanding about dementia.
Mike also asked the group if anyone had any suggestions for any activities for people living with dementia. Lisa informed Mike that Krissie from the leisure centre at Barnet Copthall already asked the group whether Dementia swimming sessions would be of interest. This was discussed at the carers group meeting last week and was decided by the group that it was a very good idea. Mike said he would take that forward.
Andrew Wrensch (DCUK Trainer) informed the group that as a member of the Rotary Club of Golders Green he was invited to do a talk on Monday 25th July and he had chosen to talk about Dementia Club UK – thank you Andrew.
Looking after someone living with dementia can be very draining
A further discussion raised by the group was regarding the difficulties of looking after someone with dementia especially in the early stages of dementia. Trying to think of various activities throughout the day, monitoring what they are doing, keeping an eye on them at all times, is very exhausting, stressful and draining. There is no time for the carers to have quality respite and to do their own things. Most times the carers need to stay up late after their loved one has gone to bed to be able to try and catch up with their things.
Caring for someone you love is not easy.
If you recognise that you are feeling stressed and exhausted, this is the time you need to try and get some support and advice
Trying to get support either from family, friends or professional advice and support is the first step.
Here is some information regarding support form an Admiral Nurse:
https://www.dementiauk.org/get-support/what-is-an-admiral-nurse/
Next Dementia Club UK outing – Friday 26th August 2022 – KEW GARDENS
Please see flyer.