Australian Scientist Makes An Alzheimer's Breakthrough.

Professor Colin Masters, an Australian scientist who has been working on a cure for Alzheimer's for the last forty years has cracked the genetic code that causes the disease. It is believed that this discovery could halve the number of sufferers by the year 2020. Tonight in honour of his life's work, Professor Masters is to be awarded Victoria's most prestigious science award - the Victoria Prize.

Professor Masters said: "The whole field is moving to a point where we are guardedly optimistic that we have the chance to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease by a certain factor. That's a major achievement if in fact we can do that... that will have a major effect on the prevalence of this disease in our community."

Full Story HERE

Meanwhile back in the UK, the Alzheimer's Society and their fellow campaigners failed to win their High Court bid to have the NHS provide drugs to those people in the early stages of the disease. They are now planning to appeal the decision. Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "The drugs can cost as little as £2.50 a day per person and could make day-to-day life far more manageable for thousands of people."

Anyone that has had a loved one suffer from this disease will know what a cruel affliction it is. Let's hope that this is not the end of Alzheimer's Society's legal challenge.

The E-Petition is still running: It asks the Prime Minister not to deny people in the early and late stages of Alzheimer’s disease access to drug treatments.

Please click HERE to visit the Alzheimer's Society.

Alzheimer's Society Lose High Court Bid - For Now.

Back in June I wrote this hopeful Post:

Can you think of any medical complaint (that can seriously reduce the quality of life for you and your family) that you would expect a doctor to tell you to come back only when it gets worse? That's what thousands of people suffering from Alzheimer's are being told. NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), the government's health watchdog say the drugs available are not cost effective in the early stages of the disease.

Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said: "The reality is that, for Alzheimer's disease, drugs are only part of the care that needs to be offered. Non-drug interventions have an important part to play and the evidence indicates that drugs are simply not effective for some patients." I say what a load of rubbish. You would expect your doctor to give you every form of treatment available to treat your condition. The fact that the drugs are not effective for some patients should not preclude their use for those that can benefit, cost effectiveness should not be a qualifying factor. The drugs cost about £2.50 a day, which is peanuts when you work out how much you pay into the national health service throughout your working life.

The Alzheimer's Society, with support from drug firms Easai and Pfizer are to challenge the decision in the High Court. Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "People with Alzheimer's disease and their carers have fought long and hard for their day in court. These treatments have benefited so many families already - where is the justice in NICE's decision to snatch them away? We have to fight NICE's fatally flawed process, which has failed to recognise the benefits these treatments have for carers."

Unfortunately the Alzheimer's Society and their fellow campaigners failed to win their High Court bid. They are now planning to appeal the decision. Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "The drugs can cost as little as £2.50 a day per person and could make day-to-day life far more manageable for thousands of people."

Anyone that has had a loved one suffer from this disease will know what a cruel affliction it is. Let's hope that this is not the end of Alzheimer's Society's legal challenge.

The E-Petition is still running: It asks the Prime Minister not to deny people in the early and late stages of Alzheimer’s disease access to drug treatments.

Please click HERE to visit the Alzheimer's Society.

NICE Tell Alzheimer's patients to forget it.

Can you think of any medical complaint (that can seriously reduce the quality of life for you and your family) that you would expect a doctor to tell you to come back only when it gets worse? That's what thousands of people suffering from Alzheimer's are being told. NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), the government's health watchdog say the drugs available are not cost effective in the early stages of the disease.

Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said: "The reality is that, for Alzheimer's disease, drugs are only part of the care that needs to be offered. Non-drug interventions have an important part to play and the evidence indicates that drugs are simply not effective for some patients." I say what a load of rubbish. You would expect your doctor to give you every form of treatment available to treat your condition. The fact that the drugs are not effective for some patients should not preclude their use for those that can benefit, cost effectiveness should not be a qualifying factor. The drugs cost about £2.50 a day, which is peanuts when you work out how much you pay into the national health service throughout your working life.

The Alzheimer's Society, with support from drug firms Easai and Pfizer are to challenge the decision in the High Court. Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "People with Alzheimer's disease and their carers have fought long and hard for their day in court. These treatments have benefited so many families already - where is the justice in NICE's decision to snatch them away? We have to fight NICE's fatally flawed process, which has failed to recognise the benefits these treatments have for carers."

Anyone that has had a loved one suffer from this disease will know what a cruel affliction it is. Let's hope that the Alzheimer's Society's legal challenge is successful.

There is an E-Petition asking the Prime Minister not to deny people in the early and late stages of Alzheimer’s disease access to drug treatments.

Please click HERE to visit the Alzheimer's Society.

Private care home owners want to evict an 83 year old woman with Alzheimer's disease

Law Lords are to hear a case which will decide whether an 83-year-old woman (known as YL) with Alzheimer's disease is to be evicted from her private care home. YL’s lawyers say their client is not protected by Human Rights Act because she lives in a private care home rather than a council run home. Closing this loophole in the law could protect YL and 300,000 other residents from being forced out of private care homes if they have made a complaint about the running of a home. In YL’s case, Southern Cross Health Care Ltd, the owners of the home are trying to evict her because of a breakdown in the relationship between her family and the care home management. However Southern Cross Health Care Ltd wish to evict YL even though they accept that they are on good terms with her personally and are able to provide the care she needs.

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern England, said: "We hope that this test case will close this loophole in the law so that vulnerable older people are equally protected by the Human Rights Act. Sadly, examples of abuses include being fed breakfast while sitting on the toilet and death from dehydration. There is no justification for the current 'two tier' approach to basic human rights."

Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty, said: "Decent care homes that have been properly, ethically run have nothing to be afraid of and that's why it's so worrying that some of them resist it. It will just require that they treat individual elderly people with dignity and respect; they really shouldn't run away from that at all."

However the National Care Association Chief executive, Sheila Scott, said: "Human rights legislation is intended to protect people from abuse by the state either at a local or national level. We have always believed that it is for local government to arrange services to be provided for people in need of care in the independent sector and that there is already significant, robust and pertinent legislation in place within the Care Standards Act to protect people living in care homes from abuse and neglect. Small private businesses should not be expected to take on the responsibility of the state."

YL’s solicitor Yogi Amin of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, said: "It is difficult to understand why care home owners are concerned about accepting that their residents should be afforded the protection of the Human Rights Act in circumstances where decisions are being made which affect their care and residence."

Over 91% of care homes in England and Wales owned and run by the private and voluntary sector.

Q. Should residents of private care homes be afforded the protection of the Human Rights Act?

Click: HERE to view the results.

(The results are archived by the British Library)

£10 - NICE one?

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has suggested drug addicts receiving treatment should be given shopping vouchers to encourage them to kick their habit. Evidence from international trials has shown the use of shopping vouchers can cut drug abuse by hardened addicts.
It is proposed to give £10 vouchers out at NHS treatment programmes to addicts who are tested clear of drugs.
Clinical psychologist Mr Stephen Pilling from University College London, has estimated 50,000 addicts in England and Wales could recieve the vouchers.
Mr Pilling said: "I think the group, having thought it through carefully, have firmly come to the view that it provides a much better and positive way to relate to drug users than sometimes we have done in the past."

Following some public unease about how NHS money should be spent in recent years. NICE are to be legally challenged by groups angry about restrictions on drugs for Alzheimer's Disease.

Mike Trace, chief executive of the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust said: "If you just rely on rewards for abstinence and you're not treating people's complex problems, you're not going to change the behaviour."

The Mother of a long term crack cocaine user said: "I'd rather money was spent on drug treatment centres, where people could be helped immediately. That's where the money should go - not giving them vouchers for food, clothes or shopping."

Q. Should the NHS start handing out shopping vouchers to drug addicts as an incentive to keep clean?

To view the results go to:

http://dailyreferendum.co.uk/