Today is World Diabetes Day. It's a global campaign led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) with activity taking place around the world to raise awareness of how serious the disease is.  This means knowing, for example that in the UK diabetes:

- kills 65 people every single day.

- causes blindness and kidney disease.

- that every week it causes:
1400 cases of heart failure
540 strokes
140 lower limb amputations

19,240. Study that figure for a moment. That’s the number of soldiers killed on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. That is not the final death toll. This is just a single day. The first day.

Since 1815 the balance of power in Europe had been maintained by a series of treaties. In 1888 Wilhelm II was crowned ‘German Emperor and King of Prussia’ and moved from a policy of maintaining the status quo to a more aggressive position.  These actions greatly concerned Germany’s neighbours, who quickly forged new treaties and alliances in the event of war. 

Did you know that people living with dementia have, on average 4.6 other long-term serious health conditions, such as stroke, diabetes and sight problems?

Researchers in the University of Hertfordshire’s have been looking at ways to improve the organisation and delivery of health care services for people with dementia who also have other medical conditions.

The findings - from the CoDem study - suggest that people living with dementia may have poorer access to health services than those without dementia. The report’s authors have made a number of recommendations for ways in which the organisation and delivery of health care services for people living with dementia can be improved.

Findings from the study have informed a recent All Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia and Comorbidity - and led to further research around the management of diabetes in people with dementia.

Just in case you haven’t seen Will’s amazing video – Stop Segregating Disabled People – we wanted to share a link to it so that you can see what a remarkable person he is.   He was paralysed from the waist down during the terror attacks in Mumbai on a one-night stopover when on holiday in 2008, and has started a petition on change.org because too many shops and restaurants are effectively off limits to wheelchair users.

The history of the world is intertwined with the impact that infectious diseases
have had on populations. Evidence of smallpox has been found in 3000-year-old Egyptian mummies and Egyptian papyrus paintings depict infectious diseases such as poliomyelitis. Hippocrates wrote about the spread of disease by means of airs, water, and places, and made an association between climate, diet, and living conditions. And the Black Death of the 14^th century had been the deadliest disease in history – until only recently being overtaken by AIDS.

In 1962 control and prevention measures, including the use of antibiotics and the development of vaccines, had decreased the incidence of many infectious diseases.  It therefore seemed entirely logical for the Nobel prize winner Sir Macfarlane Burnet to state ‘By the end of the Second World War it was possible to say that almost all of the major practical problems of dealing with infectious disease had been solved.’

We’re florid – are you?  If you’re not, get yourself down to the Florid website and check it out. It’s amazing! Florid is an informative and accessible website – developed by Mental Health service users and carers, for Mental Health service users and carers to share views and information.

What is Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a worldwide annual campaign involving thousands of organisations, to highlight the importance of breast awareness, education and research.

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, its aim is to get as many people as possible involved in raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research. This is done through campaigning, collecting, an array of various events across the UK and of course wearing pink!

Continuing  our month of poems to express solidarity with everyone touched by breast cancer:

Looking Back.....

How did I get through all that crap?
Where is SHE now? Who was I then?
The choices we made remembering them...
I think back to those dark times Wondering how I got through it "Don't know how you did what you did" It's a case of having to isn't it?
There's an inner strength lurking there, you don't know you've got it You're in that dark hole having an outer body experience Is this really happening to ME? Perhaps I will wake up soon, and find it's a dream!
The choices you had... Were they choices at all?
I lost a year

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day

The 8th October is  World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world.  For example 'Voices for Hospices' is a wave of concerts taking place on every other 8th October.  This year's theme is 'Living and Dying in Pain: it doesn't have to happen'.

From personal experience all the people I've met who've worked in palliative care have been exceptional; caring, kind and very special.  This blog is just a small thank you for the amazing work done day in, day out that has contributed to the acceptance of palliative care as an important discipline in its own right. And that is building a body of specialist knowledge that we will all need one day.  So thank goodness it's there for us - and growing as a result of the work being done in palliative care around the world.

The benefits of smiling!

It's World Smile Day - and did you know that smiling can be better for you than you realise?  Smiling, laughing, and positive thinking have been shown to have a huge number of health benefits to both mind and body. Research suggests that all we need to do is smile, so for more information on how a simple facial expression can help lighten your mood follow the link to find out more about the benefits of smiling:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/wellbeing/a10633/benefits-of-smiling/