Highgate Private Hospital tackles dementia on International Nurses Day
Staff at the hospital were trying to raise the profile of the condition, and how it can be tackled
The increased incidence of dementia in older populations was at the forefront of clinicians’ minds as staff at Highgate Private Hospital celebrating International Nurses Day supported patients suffering with Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Health chiefs say that the number of those living with dementia will increase from 850,000 in the UK today, as people live longer. The country’s ageing Jewish community has long known that it could be particularly affected.
“International Nurses Day is a great opportunity to help raise the profile of this condition that can touch any member of our society, how it can disrupt the individual’s daily living and the ripple effect created,” said Highgate Private Hospital’s director of nursing Christine Etherington.
Consultant Neurologist Dr. Dominic Mort stressed the value of early medical diagnosis, saying: “A dementia or Alzheimer’s patient should not be seen as a burden but more as someone who is carrying a huge burden.”
All hospital staff were encouraged to voluntarily sign up and become “Dementia Friends,” to learn about what it is like to live with dementia. The initiative was launched “to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding that means many people with the condition experience loneliness and social exclusion”.
Age-related health concerns are a particular concern to community policymakers conscious that there are 47,000 retired Jews living in the UK, with early diagnosis made more difficult by cultural factors.
“Jews are less likely to report poor general health than the general population for all groups aged 30 and above,” wrote Dr David Graham in a report for the Institute of Jewish Policy Research (JPR) in 2015.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
