‘Government launches National carers’ strategy plan for Ireland
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny with Minister for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People Kathleen Lynch at the launch of National Carers’ Strategy at Government Buildings.
Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch has said she hopes carers will be “recognised, supported and empowered” as a result of the newly-published National Carer’s Strategy.
The strategy sets out a series of goals, including the need to recognise the needs of carers through the provision of income supports.
Ms Lynch said the presence of Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore at the launch was evidence of the importance Government placed on the strategy.
“The publication of this strategy sends a strong message to carers that Government recognises and values their selfless hard work and compassion which enhances the health and quality of life of thousands on a daily basis,” she said.
The strategy says the value and contribution of carers should be recognised and their inclusion in decisions relating to the person they are caring for should be promoted.
Carers should be supported to in managing their physical, mental and emotional health and well-being, the strategy adds. Carers should be supported to “care with confidence” through the provision of adequate information, training and services and should be empowered to participate as fully as possible in economic and social life.
Mr Kenny said it was time for Ireland to formally acknowledge and to care for carers, who deserved public protection and recognition.
“It is that inestimable element of quite simply love in our carers extraordinary work that seems them go that extra mile every single time.”
He said men, women and often children who were carers were often “at the very limits of their coping”. It was important to recognise the authority of carers, he added.
Home-based care by family members was preferred by the vast majority of people. “That care is not just the exhausting mechanics of washing, cleaning, dressing and exercise. It is also the cups of tea and the news brought home from work and school by children and grandchildren,” he said.
The Cabinet sub-committee on social policy, which is chaired by Mr Kenny, will monitor the progress of the strategy.
Mr Gilmore said Government Departments and agencies that deal with carers must take their lead from the strategy, which he described as “the first of its kind in Ireland”.
“I think it is important to recognise that far and away it is carers who know and understand the condition of the person that they are caring for,” he said. Carers often felt their expertise was not taken into account when decisions were being made by authorities.
The strategy was welcomed by the Carers Association of Ireland. The strategy noted that carers were predominantly the spouse of the person being cared for, and four in 10 carers were the sole carer for the person they looked after.
Census 2011 found that of the 187,112 people who identified themselves as carers, 73,999 were men. The strategy stated children and young people with caring responsibilities should be protected from “the adverse impacts of caring”.
Irish local authorities face cuts over Household Charge compliance
Local authorities are being notified that their budgets may be cut for a number of reasons, including the level of compliance achieved with the Household Charge to date.
The final quarter payment will be revisited in light of the Household Charge compliance level at that time
The Department of the Environment said letters have been sent to all county managers stating that funding may be restricted in the third quarter.
It also said consideration would be given to the financial position of individual local authorities as well as grants for a reasonable provision of services in communities.
In a statement, the department said that the final quarter payment will be revisited in light of the Household Charge compliance level at that time.
Fianna Fáil Senator Paschal Mooney has said it is shameful that the Government is penalising local government because people are not paying the Household Charge.
He said he is astonished that the department is imposing more cuts on councils.
Yesterday, hundreds of people attended a demonstration outside Leinster House against the charge.
The protest, organised by the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes, was timed to take place ahead of the start of the Dáil summer recess.
Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins was among those who addressed the demonstration.
Age Action Ireland threatens protests against proposed medical card cuts
Age Action Ireland has today warned that its members will stage protests if the Government cuts back on medical cards for the over-70s.
Yesterday, the IMF’s mission chief for Ireland said the cards should be means-tested.
Age Action Ireland director of advocacy and communications Eamon Timmins said that pensioners would take to the streets if these proposals are introduced.
“If that was to happen it would represent an unprecedented attack on Ireland’s older people,” he said.
“Certainly we as Age Action would vigorously oppose it, and I’m sure we would not be alone
“I think the scenes we saw in 2008 would be repeated and, I think, on a much greater scale.”
Lack of Physical activity kills some 5.3 million a year globally
Fitness instructor Michelle Epstein leads a class at Flirty Girl Fitness in Toronto. New research says people need to be told about the dangers of inactivity, rather than just the benefits of exercise.
Lack of physical activity could be causing as many deaths worldwide as smoking and obesity do, say researchers who are calling on people to take at least a 15-minute brisk walk each day.
This week’s issue of the medical journal The Lancet includes a series of studies leading up to the London Olympics to highlight how little physical activity most people worldwide actually get and how dire the health consequences are.
Researchers want adults worldwide to sit less and move more to gain health benefits.
I-Min Lee from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and her co-authors estimated that worldwide, physical inactivity causes six per cent of the burden of disease from coronary heart disease, seven per cent of Type 2 diabetes, 10 per cent of breast cancer, and 10 per cent of colon cancer.
What’s more, physical inactivity was blamed for nine per cent of premature mortality — more than 5.3 million deaths of the 57 million deaths globally in 2008.
Eliminating physical inactivity could increase life expectancy by 0.68 years. That may seem small, they said, but the gains are for the whole population, not just inactive people who start moving more.
Canadian health authorities recommend that adults get 2½ hours of physical activity a week.
Tanya Berry holds a Canada Research Chair in physical activity promotion at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Berry said her research suggests half of Canadians think they’re moving enough, but they’re mistaken.
“If you actually put a little accelerometer or pedometer on people, something that actually objectively measures how active they are, it’s closer to 15 per cent are actually active and 85 per cent of Canadians are not active enough to achieve health benefits.”
The Lancet researchers said people need to be told about the dangers of being sedentary, rather than just the benefits of exercise. They urged governments to find ways to make physical activity more convenient, affordable and safer.
“This series emphasizes the need to focus on population physical activity levels as an outcome, not just decreasing obesity,” Harold Kohl, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas and one of the Lancet authors, said in a release.
Kohl recommended prioritizing physical activity across sectors including health, transportation, sports, education and business.
Min-Lee and her co-authors acknowledged that not everyone is capable of being physically active.
“This summer, we will admire the breathtaking feats of athletes competing in the 2012 Olympic Games,” the researchers concluded.
“Although only the smallest fraction of the population will attain these heights, the overwhelming majority of us are able to be physically active at very modest levels — 15 to 30 minutes a day of brisk walking — which bring substantial health benefits.”
Health Issues Ireland:
Ireland’s Diabetes patients need
‘regular Blood Pressure & kidney checks’
The rates of stroke and kidney failure among people with diabetes have now reached record levels in Ireland, according to the advocacy group Diabetes Ireland.
Thus highlights the importance of people with diabetes having their blood pressure and kidney function checked every year, according to Dr Anna Clarke, Health Promotion Manager with Diabetes Ireland.
The group points out that latest figures show rates of inpatient treatment for stroke and kidney failure were significantly higher in 2010 than in 2006.
There has been a 36% increase in strokes since 2006 among those with diabetes, and a 62% rise in kidney failure among the same patient cohort.
Dr Clarke said people with diabetes should have blood pressure and kidney checks as part of their annual full physical review.
She pointed out that stroke, kidney failure and other complications of diabetes can be prevented if diabetes is diagnosed early and people are given good support and healthcare.
The increased levels of stroke and kidney failure among people with diabetes in Ireland suggest a failure in preventative care in this area, according to Dr Clarke.
Diabetes in pregnancy going undiagnosed and untreated in Ireland
HSE figures show a significant increase in recorded diagnoses of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) between 2005-10, but because only a selective group of high-risk women are screened, many cases are going undiagnosed and untreated.
There will be an estimated 70,000 deliveries in Ireland this year. A recent HRB funded study on GDM conducted in NUI Galway shows that the prevalence of GDM is 12.4% in expectant mothers in Ireland when adopting a universal screening approach.
Screening for GDM should be part of standard GP anti-natal care for Ireland
Despite this evidence, screening for GDM continues to be offered inconsistently and diagnostic criteria vary from one part of the country to another. At present screening for GDM does not even form part of the HSE’s “Maternity and Infant Care Scheme”, which all expectant mothers are entitled to receive free from their GPs.
Diabetes Action wants standardised screening for GDM to be available to expectant mothers from their GPs. It says this will increase diagnosis and treatment levels, but also to protect the long-term health of mothers and babies.
“GDM is the most common medical problem among pregnant women. Among the risk factors are age, being overweight and physically inactive. Overweight and obesity in pregnancy is a growing problem contributing to GDM and affecting 58% of women. Additionally and irrespective of the association of GDM, it is also a causing independent health problems for mother and infant”, explains Prof. Fidelma Dunne, NUI Galway.
The School of Medicine at NUI Galway launched (Friday 25th May) a special results supplement of the Irish Medical Journal on the unique study into GDM called “Atlantic-DIP” (Diabetes in Pregnancy), whose principle investigator is Prof. Dunne.
“The risk of complications during birth is also much higher for women with uncontrolled GDM and the condition is associated with premature births, caesarean deliveries, large babies, and three-times higher likelihood of neo-natal ICU admission” she said.
“Women who develop GDM run a seven times greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes after their pregnancy: an ongoing follow up study to Atlantic-DIP has identified that 30% of women have developed type 2 diabetes within five years of the index pregnancy”.
Diabetes Ireland says that the first step towards tackling the problem would involve national standardisation of screening and diagnosis of GDM before ensuring that diagnosed women would be referred to see a multi-disciplinary team in an anti-natal or diabetes clinic within two weeks of being diagnosed with GDM.
“It makes sense for GPs to screen at-risk expectant mothers for GDM as part of the “Maternity and Infant Care Scheme”, says Dr. Anna Clarke from Diabetes Ireland. “We know from Atlantic-DIP that hospitals are not the appropriate site for screening, as ease of access was a key factor the uptake of screening. This is why we are calling on the HSE to incorporate GDM screening into the standard maternity care at GP level”.
A baby’s short and long-term health outcome is linked with the mother’s health. In the long-term babies born to mothers with GDM have an increased risk of obesity in adolescence and early adult life, adolescent metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high cardiac risk, and abdominal fat leading to insulin resistance) and type 2 diabetes in adulthood.
“GDM can be treated successfully but it is essential for mother and baby to be diagnosed at the appropriate time (usually 24-28 weeks gestation) in the pregnancy. In addition it identifies a group of women at high risk of future diabetes, who can expect to benefit in the long term from risk-reducing interventions”, according to Mary Coffey, an advanced midwife practitioner specialising in GDM at Holles Street.
New protocol after death of Irish boy Rory Sexton aged 12 in New York
Rory Staunton taking his first flying lesson in 2011.
Nearly four months after the death of 12-year-old Irish boy Rory Staunton, and a week after the New York Times published an in-depth investigation into the misdiagnosis that led to his death, the New York hospital where he died has announced changes in procedures intended to prevent a recurrence of such medical errors.
From now on physicians and nurses at the New York University Langone Medical Center will “immediately be notified of certain lab results suggestive of serious infection, such as elevated band counts”, a statement from the hospital said yesterday.
As a direct response to the death of Rory on April 1st, a new checklist had been established, said a spokeswoman. Patients would not be discharged before “a final review of all critical lab results and patient vital signs”.
“We have won a small measure of justice in Rory’s name,” said publisher Niall O’Dowd, an uncle of the dead boy. Rory was the son of immigrants Ciarán and Orlaith Staunton. He died from septic shock four days after cutting his elbow while playing basketball.
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