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

Festive cheer abandons nearly three million older people this year Gogglebox stars join campaign to tackle loneliness A quarter of all over-65s – nearly three million people [i] – are not looking forward to Christmas this year, with around 550,000 of those saying it’s because the festive season brings back too many memories of loved ones who have passed away, according to new polling for Age UK. The research, part of the Charity’s No one should have no one at...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

Brain training improves memory and performance of everyday tasks in people over 50 New research funded by the Alzheimer’s Society is the largest trial to date of information involving an online brain training package, the previous tests (to a much smaller scale) though indicating potential for brain training remain inconclusive, the new trial involves almost 7000 over 50 year olds and will illustrate how brain training can impact on how well people perform daily activities. Researchers at the Institute of...Read more

NICE issues first guideline on menopause to stop women suffering in silence More than a million women could benefit from the first NICE clinical guideline on diagnosing and managing menopause. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published wide-ranging recommendations for the NHS on the support, information and treatments needed to address the often debilitating symptoms that women suffer. The guideline covers determining if menopause has started, the drug and non-drug treatment options that help with physical...Read more

For busy women at the menopause, a local pharmacy can be the ideal first port of call for health advice. You don’t need to make an appointment, and most pharmacies are just a short walk or ride away. Not only can a pharmacist recommend over-the-counter products to ease common health problems, but they may also be able to answer your questions about taking prescription medicines. In the Autumn 2015 issue of The Menopause Exchange newsletter, independent community pharmacist Lila Thakerar...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

Scientists have come closer to understanding the genetic puzzle of lupus after identifying 43 different areas of DNA that contain genetic risk factors which increase the chance of developing the disease. A research paper, published in Nature Genetics, concludes that it will be very unlikely that any single drug will be completely effective in treating all individuals with lupus; rather a combination of treatments will be required depending on specific cases. It suggests that in future, genetic tests should play...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