Your Care Questions Answered by Angela Gifford - ARTICLE No.45"My uncle is housebound and I have noticed over the past few months that his teeth are getting loose and this is affecting the food he is able to eat. He cannot remember where or when he last went to see a dentist and is of the opinion that because his newspaper tells him that NHS dentists are in short supply, he will not be able to obtain treatment. Will this be the case?" Answer : The Community Dental Service is in place to provide dental treatment, on an NHS basis for people who require dental care yet are unable to access the service. People who are housebound are eligible. The address and telephone number of your local contact can be found by ringing NHS Direct 0845 606 46 47 or by telephoning your local Primary Care Trust (PCT) number which you can find in your local telephone directory. "My Mother lives about a hundred miles from me and I see her about once a month. She has the beginnings of dementia and appropriate services have been alerted to monitor her progress and provide care. Discussing the situation with a friend she mentioned that there are special nurses that can provide specialised help for people with dementia. Do you have any information about this service?" Answer : I think you may be referring to Admiral Nurses. These are NHS nurses who specialise in caring for people who have dementia. Admiral Nurses provide information, advice, guidance and long term emotional support throughout a person's illness, both to the patient and their carers and are also there to provide counselling, if needed, after the person has died. They also, as part of their role, provide information and help with claiming benefits e.g. Attendance Allowance, Council Tax Exemption. Admiral Nurses support other services coming into the person's home as well as giving help to people in a residential care setting. "My husband has an illness which makes him unsteady on his legs. We have decided to move downstairs and turn our dining room into a Bedroom. Luckily we have a downstairs toilet but no shower room or bathroom. We have a utility room which is quite large and have been thinking about turning this into a shower room. However, I have been told recently that there is a new shower closet or cubicle that one can buy that will fit into any room of the house and the disruption is minimal. I have tried to find out more information about this product but no one seems to have any idea where I might find out where they are sold. Can you help?" Answer : I think it is possible you are referring to a company called "Practical bathing" which is based in Egham in Surrey. They sell an Independence Shower which can be installed in any room of a house or building, not just an existing bathroom. The shower has a self supporting chassis, does not rely on wall fixings, no need for tiling, wide choice of enclosures, seat and arm removed in seconds and it has simple above floor plumbing.* *Taken from Practical bathing's information leaflet.The price is approx. £4500/5000. If you would like further details visit their website www.practicalbathing.co.uk or telephone 01784 472934. "I have recently been diagnosed with Diabetes and although I was listening to what the nurse was telling me, I was quite shocked and did not take it all in. I understand that I have to take very good care of my feet and that I should have regular check ups, is there anything else I have missed that is important.?" Answer : I am assuming that you do not wish to contact your GP's surgery although I am sure they would be happy to go through all the information again. Instead you may wish to contact Diabetes UK which is the UK charity for people with diabetes. They have approx. 170,000 members, support groups throughout the country and one of their aims is to improve the lives of people with the condition. They have a website (which is visited over 4000 times a day) which you could take a look at: www.diabetes,org.uk The association also provides a magazine, has books and leaflets covering all aspects of the disease. You can either telephone them on 020 7424 1000 or you can write to: Diabetes UK Central Office Macleod House, 10 Parkway, London NW1 7AA.
home | about us | contact us | care FAQ | terms & conditions | privacy policy | care links service-user-access-form.pdf | litigation services | second hand store Able Community Care Opening Hours: 9:00am - 4:00pm GMT, Monday to Friday Tel: +44 (0)1603 764567 | Fax: +44 (0)1603 761655 | Email: ablemg@aol.com © Able Community Care | VAT number 552696317 | Proprietor: Angela Gifford |