You probably remember that earlier this year, Norfolk County Council achieved the dubious distinction of being the first local authority to be challenged legally over "systemic failings" in their duties under the Care Act 2014. Equal Lives referred them to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for investigation.

If you thought, as I did, that this would result in the Commission probing their adult social care activities, you would be wrong. It is for the Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt, to authorise an investigation, and he hasn't done so. You can read more of the saga, and what sort of inspection the council will be subjected to, here.

If you have an issue with a local authority, there is an easier way of raising your concerns, which is little talked about. Every council has a Monitoring Officer whose brief is to look out for incidents of alleged unlawfulness within the council. They should be your first port of call if you believe that the LA has acted unlawfully. You can read more about their statutory duties here, as well as accessing a contact list put together by Belinda Schwehr, leading expert in adult social care law.

We have probably all taken on board the idea that we can make lifestyle choices that will reduce the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes or cancer. How great an effect the knowledge has on our behaviour is another matter!

But when it comes to dementia, three quarters of us think that there is nothing to be done. The good news is that although there is currently no cure for the disease, there are things we can do to reduce the chance of developing it: dementia is not an inevitable consequence of growing older.

You can read more about the findings from Alzheimer's Research UK, here.

 

Actually, the philanthropic arm of the search giant is being positively beneficial, channelling $20 million into projects designed to make life easier for people with disabilities.

29 not-for-profit organisations have won backing for open-source technology projects ranging from 3-D printed prosthetics for children and postural support devices for wheelchair users, to mobile apps for mapping accessible locations, or navigating cities accurately without sight.

The projects chosen by the Google Impact Challenge reflect the ethos of the organisation – clever application of technology can solve most problems.

You can carry on reading here

 

If I asked you to guess the biggest cause of hospital admissions for primary school children, you might come up with – asthma? Allergies? Maybe food poisoning? Actually, and shockingly, it is rotten teeth.

Nearly 26,000 operations to remove decayed teeth from children's mouths were carried out in hospitals, in the last year we have statistics for – apparently because the decay was so widespread it was beyond the scope of a session in the dentist's chair.

I still remember clinging on to a lamppost outside the dentist, in the vain hope that I could avoid going inside. My own son loved his visits – smiley stickers and not a single childhood filling. How sad that we have apparently gone full circle, back to children fearing the dentist, because terrible eating habits are rotting their teeth.

Carry on reading here

 

The latest Independent Living product round-up has just gone out, looking at some interesting new developments in beds and bedroom accessories, including new paediatric solutions, safety and comfort, community beds and fully functioned assistive beds. Shown here is Sidhil's new Bradshaw Junior care bed, one of the featured products.

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Being the parent of a child with a life-limiting condition is inevitably traumatic, and can be very lonely.

The charity Together for Short Lives has produced three films to highlight the support that they can provide to families. See more here.

Coming up next week – and by popular request – an engaging article about the therapeutic work of animals. Pets as Therapy is a charity whose volunteers take their pets to visit establishments such as care homes and hospices, with some powerful and positive results. One such volunteer is our own nutrition expert, Mary Farmer, who has written a piece informed by some of her experiences.

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Until next time, all good wishes,

Frances