Health & Wellbeing

More than 30 people a week are signing up for a service which helps them remain independent for longer. The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Telecare service supports people to live in their own homes by providing a range of assistive technology, from emergency alarms and fall detectors to smoke and flood sensors and automated pill dispensers. Last year, the council announced plans to give 3,000 additional customers the chance to use Telecare by 2019 – and already over 800 more packages have been installed in residents’ homes since April 2016.

With nearly two thirds of people making it their New Year’s resolution to get fit, residents in Wolverhampton are being offered a helping hand to improve their health and wellbeing in 2017. The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Healthy Lifestyles Team provides free support to people who want to become fitter and more active, lose weight, eat more healthily, stop smoking or drink less alcohol.

Public Health England’s new campaign is encouraging parents in the West Midlands region to ‘Be Food Smart’ and take control of their children’s diets. This follows findings that children consume half the daily recommended sugar intake before the morning school bell rings. Children in England consume more than 11g of sugar at breakfast time alone, almost 3 sugar cubes. The recommended daily maximum is no more than 5 cubes of sugar for 4- to 6-year-olds and no more than 6 cubes for 7- to 10-year-olds per day. 

Public Health England (PHE) has launched a campaign to highlight the damaging effect smoking has on the heart, as it is revealed that 45 people a day die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) caused by smoking – over 16,500 a year in England. In the West Midlands, nearly 16% of adults still smoke. CVD includes all diseases of the heart and circulation – including heart attacks and strokes. The disease is one of the main causes of death and disability in the country and quitting has been identified as the single best thing a smoker can do to protect their heart.

Public health chiefs are urging people to stay warm and stay well over the winter period to help prevent colds, flu or more serious health conditions. The chances of becoming ill due to winter-related illnesses are higher among people aged 65 and over or those with a disability or long term health condition such as heart, lung or kidney disease.

If you’re struggling to find the motivation to budge the extra Christmas bulge, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) is offering advice on how pet owners can get fit with their dog, after 62% of companion animal vets said pet obesity is one of their top concerns in a recent BVA survey. Now BVA is offering advice on how to avoid expanding waistlines for pets and owners with some top tips on how owners can combine caring for their dog with their own fitness campaign.

Eight out of 10 of the middle aged either weigh too much, drink too much or don’t exercise enough, as new analysis from Public Health England out today shows modern life taking its toll on health. PHE’s One You campaign is reaching out to the 83% of 40 to 60 year olds (87% of men and 79% of women) who are either overweight or obese, exceed the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) alcohol guidelines or are physically inactive, to provide free support and tools to help them live more healthily in 2017 and beyond.

At this time of New Year’s resolutions, active holiday expert Neilson has released the results of a 2016 survey which reveals that the average UK adult hasn’t tried a new active hobby in five and a half years, despite 80% feeling positive effects on their wellbeing when they do. Adults said they felt excited (38%), proud (24%) and more confident (18%) when they tried a new activity. Yet, as adults age, the frequency with which they try something new decreases.

With coughs typically peaking the week after Christmas, Dr Sarah Jarvis offers her top tips to avoid spreading bugs and to limit your chance of catching a cough this festive season. Dr Sarah Jarvis says “Most people tend to think that the cold weather increases your chance of getting sick during the winter, however there are plenty of germs around at all times of year. Though temperatures may not have dropped to below freezing just yet, it’s certainly cold enough for us to have the central heating on – and the dry environment this creates can increase the spread of viruses.

Sandwell residents are being challenged to have a break from the booze and stop drinking alcohol during Dry January. Adopting a healthier lifestyle, saving money and losing weight are just three of the benefits of taking part in the Alcohol Concern and Public Health England-backed campaign. The drive encourages people to give their body a break from drinking for a month and the Healthy Sandwell team is urging residents to bid the booze goodbye in January.

The Oral Health Foundation is backing the use of children’s storybooks with dental narratives following a new study which has shown they can be a highly effective way of helping prepare children with autism for a visit to the dentist. The research, published in Special Care in Dentistry, found that almost two thirds (64%) of caregivers felt that dental stories were a useful tool for both themselves and their child in preparing them for a visit to the dentist.

A nationwide campaign to help parents spot the symptoms of sepsis to protect young children and saves lives has been launched today by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The campaign is principally aimed at parents and carers of young children aged 0-4 and will include a new film featuring mother and campaigner Melissa Mead, who lost her baby son William to sepsis in December 2014. The UK Sepsis Trust estimates that there are more than 120,000 cases of sepsis and around 37,000 deaths each year in England.

New research by Alzheimer’s Society has uncovered that over half of people affected by dementia (51%) find Christmas to be the most isolating time of the year, with many stating they are dreading the festivities. 54% of those surveyed said they see their friends and family less often over the Christmas period than they did before their dementia diagnosis.

Who is your Heart Hero? The medical research charity is encouraging locals to open their heart and nominate the people they believe deserve a Heart Hero Award from the British Heart Foundation. The charity’s Heart Hero Awards recognise and celebrate the exceptional contribution of individuals and groups who are fighting for every heartbeat, such as heart patients, fundraisers, campaigners, scientists and health professionals.

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice is calling for walkers from across Birmingham to join in with the annual Dorridge & Knowle Lions Festive Walk which takes place on Tuesday 27^th December at Baddesley Clinton National Trust House. Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has been chosen as one of 3 charities to benefit from proceeds raised by this event and other activities throughout 2017.