Health & Wellbeing

People in the West Midlands are invited to join Parkinson’s UK at Sutton Park, Birmingham on Saturday 22 July 2023 for a fundraising walk to help fund vital research to find better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s. 

There are 145,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK. Every hour, two more people in the UK are diagnosed. Walk for Parkinson's is the charity's national community fundraising series, and everyone is encouraged to get involved to get active, meet new people, and help fund life-changing research.

Dr Elle Boag, Associate Professor in Applied Social Psychology at Birmingham City University, explains why the world was consumed with the search for the Titanic submersible, and why grieving for others – even persons unknown to us - is a natural human response.

Dr Boag says: “There are a myriad simple and complex reasons why we were hyper-focussing on the fate of the five crew members onboard the missing OceanGate underwater vessel.

A new food and music festival is coming to Solihull – and you won’t believe where it’s taking place. On Friday 30^th June, from 10am-4pm, Care UK’s Blossomfield Grange, on Worcester Way, is set to hit the right note by setting mouths watering as it opens its doors to local people to visit a brand-new food and music festival – Blossfest.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has started the $150m expansion and modernisation of the Jamaica Hospital Medical Centre Emergency Department in the US. The project will create a Level One trauma centre and two critical care units with 22 beds each, as well as an advanced emergency department.

Governor Hochul said: “For too long, underserved communities like the ones Jamaica Hospital tends to were neglected, and the State failed to deliver the resources and support they need. As Governor, my administration is committed to righting the wrongs of the past, prioritising health equity and working to strengthen health care systems across the state.

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AbbVie Biopharmaceutical and M42 to elevate collaborative efforts in tailoring personalised medicine and genomics in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). M42 is a first-of-its-kind, tech-enabled, integrated healthcare company created through the coming together of G42 Healthcare and Mubadala Health.

Gray Healthcare, was celebrating following industry recognition at the prestigious Health Investor Awards 2023, where they were announced as winner of the 'Complex Care Provider of the Year' Award.  Held at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, Jonathan Gray, Founder and CEO, Neil Berrington, Clinical Director and Rachael Robertson, Director of Operations accepted the award from Sue Perkins, TV presenter and comedian, on behalf of the Gray Healthcare team.

The findings from collaborative work between a University of Wolverhampton academic and a Midlands based charity has resulted in exciting new menopause initiatives for Deaf and hard of hearing people. 

During 2018, Sarah Bown, Senior Lecturer in Interpreting and Deaf Studies, approached BID Services Birmingham, a regional and national charity for Deaf people to propose a pilot study to ascertain the experiences and needs of Deaf sign language users and hard of hearing individuals during the menopause.  

In November 2018 two pilot workshops were conducted by Sarah in partnership with BID Services, focusing on the menopause as experienced by Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in Birmingham and Solihull.

Leading health and wellbeing charity, Royal Voluntary Service is offering free support to local people living with dementia, and their carers. The charity runs impactful dementia cafés and groups across Great Britain, including in Birmingham and Solihull, to help those who live with dementia to maintain a healthy, active, social and stimulating lifestyle.

This summer (27-30 July 2023) thousands of transplant recipients, live donors, supporters and donor families will be coming together in Coventry for the Westfield Health British Transplant Games, the flagship event of Transplant Sport, and the biggest celebration of organ donation. 

A total of 20 organisations, from across the UK have come together to show their support of the Games and the gift of life, which has generated a total of over £250,000. The Games would not be possible without the generosity from the supporters which provide a financial, physical and emotional commitment to help raise awareness of the Games and champion the importance of organ donation.

Sports fans in the Midlands who are living with dementia will benefit from a new landmark guide from Alzheimer’s Society.

Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friendly Sports Clubs and Venues guide was created by Alzheimer’s Society’s Sport United Against Dementia Board, which funded a dedicated role at the start of last year, including contributions from the Premier League and other sporting stakeholders.

Residents are being encouraged to ‘lift someone out of loneliness’ during Loneliness Awareness Week which runs from Monday 12 to Friday 17 June.

Loneliness Awareness week is a national campaign run by the Marmalade Trust dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness and reducing the stigma that surrounds it. Sometimes admitting we feel lonely can be hard but it’s important to remember that you really are not alone; many others experience feelings of loneliness too, and that this feeling can pass.

Fundraisers are being invited to lace up their walking shoes, don their safari fancy dress and fundraise with a difference, by taking part in St Giles’s annual Solstice Walk on Saturday, 17th June.

This unforgettable 10k adventure around Lichfield welcomes everyone - families, friends, and children are invited to come together to celebrate.

With temperatures expected to soar in parts of the UK this week, Alzheimer’s Society is providing advice to help the over 84,000 people estimated to be living with dementia across the West Midlands and the UK stay safe and hydrated during the hot spell. 

Dehydration is a common challenge for people living with dementia and memory problems mean they can easily forget to drink enough water. During the hot weather, the charity suggests families and carers can help by; leaving glasses or jugs of water within easy reach, sharing a drink with the person, leaving reminders to drink and providing high water content foods.  

Dear Editor,

During this year’s Dementia Action Week, Alzheimer’s Society highlighted the widespread confusion between the symptoms of dementia and the normal signs of ageing in Birmingham.

This causes many people to avoid mentioning the ‘d word’ – with one in three who noticed symptoms in themselves or a loved one waiting more than a month before voicing their concerns.

Failing mental health services that do not improve, whether run by private firms or the NHS, could be shut, a Care Quality Commission chief has said. It follows the watchdog judging as "inadequate" three child wards at the Priory Group's biggest hospital.

The wards at Cheadle Royal, near Manchester, "did not always provide safe care", the CQC found. Priory Group has disputed the CQC's finding, saying it does not accurately reflect the quality of the service.

With over 3,500 volunteers involved in Parkinson's UK, these generous and devoted people really are at the centre of everything they do. They couldn’t function in the way they do without volunteers, and Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) is the perfect time to let them know how much they are valued.

It was a volunteer called Mali Jenkins who founded Parkinson’s UK, then known as the Parkinson’s Disease Society, in 1969. They are now the UK’s leading charity supporting people affected by the condition, and volunteers are essential to helping us transform the lives of people with Parkinson’s.