How Many Of Scotland’s Old Folk Are Being Neglected?
ALARM bells should have been ringing as soon as Bucksburn Nursing Home told Emma Wyness they had a place for her frail grandfather, she said.
Read MoreALARM bells should have been ringing as soon as Bucksburn Nursing Home told Emma Wyness they had a place for her frail grandfather, she said.
Read MoreMinisters vowed yesterday to remove the hold-ups in the planning system that are fuelling a housing crisis across Scotland.
Read MoreInspirational Scots Olivia Giles and Jamie Andrew have joined forces to create a new charity. Giles and Andrew – both quadruple amputees – have teamed up to launch 500 Miles, an organisation dedicated to providing prosthetic limbs to people in developing nations.
Read MoreThe number of abuse complaints upheld against old people’s care homes in Scotland rose by two-thirds last year, it emerged last night.
Read MoreAnnual report of progress prepared by the National Implementation Group for the Chief Nursing Officer.
Read MorePeople on low incomes have similar diets to the rest of the population, a government report has said. The Food Standards Agency found that contrary to popular belief, nutrition, access to food and cooking skills are not much different in poorer families.
{mosimage}However, the agency pointed out that the whole population was not eating as healthily as it should be. There had been concern that diets among those on the lowest incomes in the country were extremely poor and they faced more barriers to healthy eating. It is widely accepted that poor diets can lead to chronic disease, such as heart disease and cancer, and contribute to obesity.
But a survey of 3,500 people on low incomes found that the food they were eating, although not particularly healthy, was similar to the general population. Also 80% said they shopped mainly at a large supermarket and most had good cooking and food storage facilities at home. Around 91% of women and 64% of men in the study claimed to be able to “cook from basic ingredients”.
Areas of the diet that were slightly worse in the survey, which covered the poorest sixth of the population, were consumption of fruit and vegetables and intake of sugar, particularly sugary drinks.
Levels of obesity were found to be very high – 62% of men, 63% of women, 35% of boys and 34% of girls were overweight or obese – but the FSA said this also mirrors the high levels within the general UK population. The survey found higher levels of smoking and alcohol consumption, together with lower levels of activity, than the general population.
Rosemary Hignett, head of nutrition at the FSA said: “The encouraging news from this research is that the gap between the diets of people on low incomes and those of the rest of the population is not as big as some feared. It is also positive that most people in this group say they feel confident about their cooking skills, have reasonable kitchen facilities and access to large supermarkets.
“However, the bad news is that this group – like the general population – are not eating as healthily as they could be. Small changes to diet can make a big difference to health so we urge everyone to think about the food that they and their family are eating.”
Dr Alan Maryon Davis, president of the Faculty of Public Health said the results were surprising and experts had always thought the gap was bigger. Although he added that if the results were compared with those in the most affluent sixth of the population there would probably be a greater difference.
Read MoreA new product claimed to revolutionise testing procedures for a number of illnesses has been launched by a County Antrim company. The product, from Randox Laboratories, involves the use of biochips.
Read MoreFor the first time, as part of the Daily Mirror`s Pride of Britain Awards, UTV will highlight and reward the work of the nation`s caring community, honouring those unsung heroes whose work often goes unnoticed.
Read MorePatients losing their sight have said they are being denied access to a drug which could stop them from going blind. Injections of the drug Lucentis are only being made available by a few Local Health Boards in Wales while clinical guidelines are prepared.
Read MoreSex offenders are entering the UK after borders to migrants from eastern Europe were opened, a police chief has warned. Terry Grange, the Dyfed-Powys chief constable and Association of Chief Police Officers’ spokesman on child protection, said people may be at risk.
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