If death is a topic we like to avoid – six out of ten people have not made a will – the thought of becoming incapable of running our own lives is even more taboo. Fewer than one in ten adults in England and Wales have taken steps to appoint someone they trust to step in and look after their affairs if they become incapacitated. Yet the prospect of living out old age in ill health and mental confusion is...Read more

The University of Glasgow has released a damning report on the potential harm Grandparents pose to children's health. Researchers from the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, published the results of the review – which looked at 56 studies with data from 18 countries, concerning the care provided by grandparents who are not the primary carer of their grandchildren – today in the journal PLOS ONE. Until now research has largely focused on the potential role...Read more

The Scottish Chiropractic Association’s Good-back Gardening Guide At this time of year, Scottish chiropractors experience a seasonal influx of patients with back and neck strain caused by over-zealous gardening. Dr Ross McDonald, SCA President, comments: “The arrival of spring brings out the gardener in all of us, regardless of how fit or physically active we have been during the winter. As a result, we see an increase in gardening-related spinal injury and pain. Looking after your back properly before, during...Read more

Loneliness among older men a growing problem in our society - especially for those with poor health Almost a third of older men who have long-term health problems – that’s around half a million (550,000) men over the age of 65 in England – are lonely, according to new analysis revealed by Age UK. Age UK is warning that in the coming years, demographic change will see many more older men living alone – the number is set to rise...Read more

The death rate soars to the highest rate for nearly 50 years The ONS have published their latest (preliminary) mortality reports citing the annual death rate is the highest for 48 years with as total of 528,340 registered deaths a rise of 5.4% equating to nearly 27,000 on the previous year. The release of the data has led to experts warning of a crisis in care for the elderly. Though the reports over the years have been of dramatically falling...Read more

More than half of the UK’s over 50s are not confident that they will get the care they will need Marie Curie calls for Government action More than half (53%) of the UK’s over 50s – that equates to 12.4 million people – are not confident that they will get the care they need towards the end of their life, according to a new survey commissioned by Marie Curie. Only 5% of people over 50 surveyed by YouGov felt ‘very...Read more

Over 50s struggle to see their GP Recently Jeremy Hunt said the National Health Service makes people feel proud to be British but the over 50s - the biggest users of the NHS - are struggling to use it, according to research by Saga Health Insurance*. Half of over 50s say it is difficult to book an appointment to see their GP the same day they fall ill and almost one in three struggle to book a doctors’ appointment in...Read more

MOVE OR MO. SAVE A BRO. JOIN THE MOVEMENT THIS MOVEMBER Movember, the month formerly known as ‘November’, launches its 2015 campaign to Mo Bros and Mo Sistas across the nation, encouraging men and women to sign up and grow a mo or commit to MOVE to raise awareness and funds for men’s health. As Mo Bros unite and clean shave on the 1st of the month, they become walking, talking billboards helping to generate awareness and raise vital funds...Read more

New findings released on World Osteoporosis Day by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) show that 89% of those who used the new IOF Calcium Calculator - which is based on Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations* - were calcium deficient. The free online tool helps people calculate their approximate daily calcium intake based on their typical weekly diet. Calcium is a major building-block of our bone tissue, with 99% of the body's calcium stored in the skeleton. Along with vitamin D,...Read more

The Corpus Clock has joined forces with some of the nation’s finest pieces of architecture last night (Wednesday 21st October) to light up pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month’s leading fundraising campaign, wear it pink. The Corpus Clock is one of 19 landmarks across the UK to turn pink to help raise awareness of wear it pink, which raises vital funds for the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, Breast Cancer Now. A mixture of the nation’s beautiful historic and more...Read more