Crisis looms: Failure to develop publicly funded extended-care facilities for older people in urban areas is harming our growing population of older people and affecting general hospitals' efficiency, according to Prof Des O'Neill of the medical gerontology department at the Adelaide & Meath Hospital, in Tallaght.
Prof O'Neill suggests extended care is reaching a crisis, with more patients waiting longer for treatment, then staying much longer in hospital.
Mind over matter
Many of us are about to start a night class to stimulate our minds this autumn, or perhaps start going to the gym, yet we tend to neglect the emotional and spiritual sides of our lives. If you'd like to pay them more attention, you could try a six-week evening course following the positive thinking principles of Louise Hay. It begins
in Stillorgan, Co Dublin, on September 18th and costs 1150 (01-2854382).
Quit while you're ahead
US researchers estimate that smokers who quit at the age of 35 can extend their lives by about seven years. Those who wait until their 60s gain only two years or so.
Test yourself
Thousands of patients on anticoagulation therapy regularly visit their GP or hospital for blood tests. Now a charity is pushing for them to learn to test themselves, to relieve pressure on doctors. The founder of
AntiCoagulation Europe, Eve Knight, is due to host a public meeting at 7.30 p.m. next Monday at the Mont Clare Hotel in Dublin. You can find out more from www.anticoagulationeurope.org
Tackling violence
Violence and verbal abuse against medical staff must be tackled, according to a study by Cluain Mhuire psychiatric service in Blackrock, Co Dublin. It found that more than half of outpatient contact with duty psychiatric doctors was inappropriate. One in six involved verbal aggression; one case included physical violence.
- Compiled by Sylvia Thompson