The future of adult social care in an ageing society

An ageing demographic highlights the increasing demand for a reform in adult social care

In an ageing society it seems appropriate to expect adequate funding and research to be put into finding new ways to deal with the pressures of looking after the welfare of the elderly. The reality of this however, is not so optimistic. With the population of elderly people growing, and within this the number of the very old increasing, a higher demand for care services and health research is becoming more and more prominent.

Neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Parkinson’s could also prove a more prominent figure as conditions which are age related in our future of an ageing society. The Projecting Older People Population Information System (POPPI) shows predictions of the increase of those with Dementia in 2030 to increase to 1 million in England. This is why more funding to provide more research and adequate care needs to be put in place, to avoid conditions such as these as much as possible.

The funding pressure on councils on adult social care has been a hot topic over the last few years. Adult social care is one of the largest spend areas for local authorities across the country, and the pressures to fund the ever increasing need for adult social care is intensifying as a result of the demographic predictions of an ageing population.

Since the Coalition in 2010, £1.3 billion was removed from councils annual spending on helping those aged 65 and over showing a decrease of 17 per cent, this was after Chancellor George Osborne had already promised £2 billion to councils to help care homes and provide help for the elderly. If you arrange these figures side-by-side with the number of the population in the UK aged 65 and over being 10 million, then the severity of spending cuts become alarmingly apparent. The cuts do not keep up with the demand for the need for more adult social care across the country.

A recent report showing research carried out by London Councils found that despite the potential savings from boroughs, the current funding gap in adult social care wouldn’t be resolved without the help of the government increasing borough funding allocations. The report found that by 2017/18 the estimated gap in adult social care is predicted to be at least £907 million. The report supported by Ernst and Young looked at finding an answer to these issues seeking to ‘explore whether councils could be doing more to enable them to work more efficiently and achieve additional savings from the adult social care budgets’. Though it continued to find that even if solutions were found and it was ‘possible to exploit the savings from each option to the full, there would still be a funding gap.’

Though the funding costs on adult social care are then only intensified by a growing population, but an ageing society, with the very old getting older. It is no secret that an ageing society is something that we as a population will have to get used to. Predictions made by the office for national statistics show an increase of those aged 65 and over will reach to 23 per cent by 2035. With these predictions being made, along with many others, plans need to be put in place to ensure that the welfare of the elderly is being looked after.

In 2000 there were more people over the age of 60 than there were under the age of 5. In Europe alone, 22 per cent of the population is aged 60 or over. The United Nations Population Fund has predicted that within 10 years time, the number of people aged 60 or over will pass 1 billion. This raises concerns for not only adult social care, but also for the increase of age related illnesses.  POPPI has predicted that the population of England in 2030 aged 65 and over will make up to 21.46%.

However despite these radical predictions, the focus couldn’t seem farther away from the older generations. More funding is being spent on research and treatment for illnesses such as Cancer, which does affect a huge majority if the population. General Practitioner Mike Baird raises the view that most people are more concerned with helping out illnesses Cancer related, as opposed to those which are age related. Are we living in what some might describe an ageist society where the old get weaker and the young get stronger? It is becoming more and more apparent that cases of dementia and other age related conditions are common place, and are part of growing old.

Doctor Baird is fairly pessimistic on the topic of age related illnesses, “everyone agrees something needs to be done with people living longer.” The idea of incurring a mental health condition later on in life is something that people would rather avoid thinking about suggests Doctor Baird. “It’s something people would rather hope would go away , perhaps even hope for an early death to avoid more serious mental issues later on – a lot of elderly ask their relatives to shoot them “if they ever got like that” – slightly jokingly but the thought is there , people do not want to be a burden.”

According to Doctor Baird few doctors or nurses go into mental health in the aged by choice – “they often drift in as a job is available, not a glamorous career choice for a 30 year old medic.” For a busy GP, an old person with mental health problems is very time consuming and usually unrewarding, “although targets and tick boxes are now attached so it has to be done.”

Jo Yelland, an independent hospital and health care professional, who says that: “The social care system needs a massive reform to sort out these differences.” The quality of care is a huge responsibility, time consuming and expensive. Many people, despite the recent shocks of the state of care homes, still perceive the homes as safe places, when in actual fact, many are badly neglected. There is a high risk of illnesses and for people to fall over. Care homes providing quality care are often alarmingly expensive, so for those who cannot afford this often do not receive the attention and care that they need.

Jo sees this as a complex situation, “It’s really important, if the government doesn’t make a decision, then the funding issue is a major time bomb, unless the government decides who is going to pay then there is going to be absolute chaos.”

Health care professional Jo highlights that the main issue is the rate in which the population is changing. The ageing society will mean that there will be more people living alone, single, and in need, “Where is all this informal care and support that these people need?” says Jo.

“It doesn’t seem to be having much of an impact; something about which government is really going to get a grip, the outlook isn’t looking great for the next 20 years.”

For those who cannot look after themselves and rely on the need of a carer, many of whom who cannot rely on family to help look after them, are facing the prospects of moving into a care home. This raises many issues. Currently, councils carry out tests to evaluate your income and assets. If you own assets worth more than £23,250, then you will need to pay the full amount of your care. This means many have to sell their homes in order to be looked after. However new rules have been proposed to increase the amount to £123,000, but not until April 2017.  The Government are proposing to pick up the really high costs, whilst the individual will cover the cost of the average care package.

Most recently, the government have tried to overhaul the current system on adult social care. Included in the Queen’s speech, by 2016 individuals long-term care costs will be capped at £72,000.

More strategic decisions need to be implemented to see as many positive changes as possible being made to the current adult social care system. Adult social care needs to be more efficient and the government need to recognise that help is needed to fill the funding gap, as the population is ageing, which puts more pressure on local authorities, the NHS and age related illnesses.

Local councils need to develop new ways to provide social care to older people, and changes such as these need to be made quickly as a result of the challenges of an ageing society.

Fowey Town parish set to close Polkerris only public toilet

The inhabitants of Polkerris and the local businesses have been shocked at the news that Cornwall council will be relinquishing their control of all public toilets within the Parish of Fowey.

The local town’s facilities were high up on a list for Cornwall Council to make cuts to save spending. To save the toilets, the local town council had little option other than to agree to take control over the toilets and their costs.

The speed with which the decision has been made has left local inhabitants of Polkerris little opportunity to express their horror at such a decision. The impact of the loss of the only public convenience in Polkerris will potentially have a devastating effect on the three businesses and those living in Polkerris.

Landlady of the popular public house and restaurant The Rashleigh Inn, Mrs Samantha Spode said at the meeting of the Fowey Town Council: “why were we not told earlier about the decision? Does Cornwall County Council not realise the impact of loosing not only the public convenience in Polkerris but loosing public conveniences in many popular tourists’ destinations in Cornwall, such as Mevagissey and Padstow will have?”

It costs around £10,000 a year to maintain a set of toilets which includes cleaning, water, business rates and electricity. The charging units will be essential to try and cover some of these costs. Fowey Town Council precept tax is charged on 1700 families that live in Fowey Town Parish. This raises £42,000 a year. The cost of the five toilets will be £46,000 per year.

Local restaurateur Sam Sixton said the local businesses are prepared to come to an agreement about some of the running costs of the upkeep of the public convenience in Polkerris.

Manager at Sam’s on the Beach, Sam Turner has highlighted his concerns over the possibility of the toilet closing. He said: “the beach is heavy in the summer months, for those who are not customers to continuingly use our bathroom with sandy feet will be a huge inconvenience and disturbance for those who are paying money and trying to enjoy a meal in which they have reserved a table for.”

Fowey Town Council has agreed to keep Polkerris open in the short term while they investigate various options from a local cooperative of Polkerris about cleaning and maintaining the toilets with support from Fowey Town Council.

Concerns over the closure of the public toilet surround baby changing facilities, disabled facilities, concerns over an increase of waste. Landlady of The Rashleigh Inn Samantha Spode: “we maintain our facilities to a high standard for the benefit of our customers who will not want to queue to share them with wet, sandy beach visitors and may be put off returning.”

Cornwall Council is looking to install charging units within the toilets. Polkerris toilets are leased from the Rashleigh estate to Cornwall Council, Sir Richard Rashleigh has indicated that he will be willing to work with Fowey Town Council to try and keep the toilets open for the benefit of Polkerris.

Time for a change

An enthusiastic young couple are about to take over a family-run traditional Cornish butchers

Jo Greenway and Phil Dennis, like many, have always dreamed of owning their own restaurant. After working for different establishments over the years, having their fair share of set-backs, the ambitious couple have aimed high, and have set their sights on a budding new business.

Kittow’s, situated in the heart of Fowey is a family-run fifth generation butchers with bundles of character positively beaming out of its perfectly painted shop fronted windows. As if plucked from a quaint French town, Kittow’s has undeniable charm, and is out to win you over. Resting on the window sills in wicker baskets sits an array of fresh fruit and vegetables, but before you can even finish looking at your five-a-day, the luring smell of homemade pasties, pies, quiches and pastries have set their gluttonous hands on your senses.

Walking inside Kittow’s is just like walking into a familiar family kitchen. From the tiled floors, to the unpretentious decor, the unassuming delicatessen and butchers is a breath of fresh air, greeting each customer like an old friend every time.

What’s really special about Kittow’s is its produce. All the meat is locally sourced through the family’s own farm, which Richard Kittow, the current owner butchers, and creates delicious combinations such as his beef, orange and ginger sausages or his infamous award-winning Pen n Tinny Porker sausage.

Sadly the time has come for Richard to retire, and taking his place, eagerly, are Jo and Phil. Currently working alongside Richard and his wife, Jane, the couple are learning the ropes, and are slowly adapting to taking over the entire business.

Richard is still busy up at Kilhallon farm, and will eventually leave the butchers, but for the foreseeable future will still be involved. As Phil says, “he can’t leave it alone.”

After Richard’s departure, thinking long-term, Phil would love to have a business with the longevity that Richard has had saying: “I want to be in here the same amount of time that Richard has been here, that’s forty years this August, whether or not I will last that long we will have to see.”

The couple are not strangers to challenges, or to owning their own business, and so taking over at Kittow’s will be another string to add to Jo and Phil’s bow. Currently the pair owns their own food van ‘Phat Phils’ which has proved a great hit all over Cornwall, however it hasn’t all been easy.

A rusty old trailer may not seem like a future business model, but keen-eyed Jo, saw the potential in the neon orange dejected trailer. The plan was to rescue, rejuvenate, and reinvent the trailer into the couples own establishment and provide locally sourced produce and great food to go.

Providing great homemade burgers and a variety of fresh fish and shellfish the couple create an array of delectable dishes which you wouldn’t expect from a typical roadside van.

The struggles of keeping a business open hasn’t dampened the couple’s determination, Phil keeps an open mind, he said: “It’s been difficult, there isn’t a massive amount of work to go round, so you have to make hay while the sun shines.”

Playing it safe, they opened the van as and when they could, with the thinking that “If you’re doing the right thing and the right people see then you’re off to a good start.” ‘Phat Phils’ visits various campsites and festivals all over Cornwall and currently has got a lot of bookings. The couple are in the position where they are turning down more than they accept, especially with a brand new business under way. Starting small with ‘Phat Phil’s’ this has given the couple the confidence to take on the established business that is Kittow’s.

Jo and Phil are bringing their quirky style to the traditional butchers, bringing a welcome change, but still want to preserve the essence of the popular traditional Cornish butchers. The couple have decided that they will keep the name Kittow’s of Fowey, keeping the fifth-generation family run butchers still at heart.

Planning to mix things around at Kittow’s, Phil says: “I want to up the level of the shop, make it a bit more chef in deli makes great food and sells it.” Planning to create different specials every day, just as with ‘Phat Phils’, the couple want to create really good food to go.

Plans for a Deep South hog roast, shredded pulled pork, homemade BBQ sauce with shredded Asian coleslaw certainly is paving the way for a change in Kittows. Phil and Jo also are only the second couple in Cornwall to make their own frankfurters. Made up at Kilhallon farm, using locally sourced meat from the farm, casing from a continental food supplier, they certainly are doing things differently.

Phat Phils is still going strong, and will remain a constant feature in the couple’s new plans. “Everything that I make in the shop, will be Phat Phil branded, I want to do more Phat Phils, but it’s difficult to get out and dedicate my time. Kittow’s will eventually become a shop front for Phat Phil’s in years to come,” says Phil.

This innovated couple are continually on the lookout for creative food combinations, searching for the best of local produce, and so the challenge of taking over one of the most prominent shops in Fowey is a fitting business option for the couple who dare to be different.

PR and Intercultural Communications

As part of the PR module one half  is assessed on a group presentation. We have been asked to arrange ourselves into groups in order to promote a product, service, issue or person to a designated target audience.

Below is a timeline of events showing the process of the presentation and the ideas and framework behind the campaign.

Post 1-Thursday 28th February 2013

Today we have arranged which group we are going to be in for our group presentation, and what we are going to focus on for our campaign. There are six of us in our group and today we made the first major decision of what we are going to base our campaign around,  skin cancer. We decided that we wanted to promote the education of skin cancer as a service to those who may not have the knowledge about the dangers of skin cancer. We have chosen to focus on young adults in a foreign country, possible Spain. This decision was based around the idea that those living in a hotter country may not have the same education about the dangers of skin cancer as they have become accustomed to the weather.

Post 2-Tuesday 5th March 2013

We met up as group today to finalise the idea of our campaign. We have decided that we are definitely going to promote the education of skin cancer to those living Spain. We want to target those aged between 14-18 as we feel that this age group will be the most beneficial to our campaign. We have chosen area’s of research that we need to explore, so that we can start our planning for the campaign with the best background knowledge possible so that we use our time most effectively. Below is a list of area’s that we need to research, and how this has been divided between us as a group;

Demographic-Harriet

Viewing Figures of Mass media in Spain-Will

Health Education in schools in Spain-This is what I will be researching

Health System-Amy

Skin Cancer-Emily

Science behind sun-cream-Alex

World Health Organization– We will all be researching this.

Post 3- Monday 11th March 2013

For the past few days I have been researching the World Health Organization as well as researching the health education in schools in Spain.

                                            World Health Organization

http://www.who.int/uv/faq/skincancer/en/index1.html– This is the link to the page I was looking at which gave me a background to skin cancer and some useful statistics.

Last week we decided that we would pitch our campaign to the World Health Organization (WHO). Who is the directing and and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. They are responsible for providing leadership on global matters, shaping the health research agenda, monitoring and assessing health trends and much more.  The role of WHO in public health focuses on its core functions, those which are relevant to this campaign are listed below;

• Providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed
• Setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation
• Monitoring the health system and assessing health trends 

I think choosing WHO as a organization to pitch our idea to, and to chose them to front our campaign is a great choice. Each year on the 4th February WHO team up with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to support Union for International Cancer (UICC) to promote ways to each the global burden of Cancer.

Health education in schools in Spain

I haven’t been able to find a great deal on the health education in Spanish schools. What I did manage to find was a company called Solsano who produced a skin healthcare programme to target sun safety in elementary school ages. This was the first Spanish health education programme for sun safety. Their objective was to evaluate Solsano’s effects on students knowledge, attitude and practices about sun safety. Their main message is that there are both benefits and dangers associated with sun exposure.

What was interesting to find out was that public health advisor’s recommend that the routine practise of sun protection behaviours is best started in childhood. For our campaign we decided to focus on 14-18 year olds, however the study found that younger children are more receptive than adolescents to practise sun protective behaviours and are more amenable to the instructions of parents and other adults.

Post 4- 12th March 2013

We have just had our second meeting as a group to discuss the progress of our campaign and to go over the details of our separate research. We have decided that we are a skin cancer charity, the specifics of the charity will be discussed over the next few weeks. We are looking to pitch to the World Health Organization to get funding to promote our campaign, which is a skincare education directed at 14-18 year olds in schools.

We discussed numerous ways in which we could advertise and promote the education, but we came up with the final idea of using sports as our unique selling point, as sports, especially football is very popular in Spain. We will produce unique sports days at schools around Spain, in which we will incorporate the use of suncream and the education of skincare. We are looking to also pitch to suncream brands such as Ambre Solaire and Nivea for free testers, using the idea of free advertising to promote their sales in Spain, and give these out to the school children. We are also looking to attract a celebrity, hopefully a famous sports person that would help attract the children, and help to associate promoting healthy skincare and the education with that famous person. We would like to idealy attract someone who knows, or has had skin cancer themselves, or a skin cancer scare, so that they would be more inclined to help raise the awareness of our campaign.

Over the next few weeks we are looking to research skin cancer more in depth, and the ways in which we can help those living in Spain to reduce the risks of skin cancer. We also need to look at the most effective ways to get the children to listen to our campaign, and come up with exciting ideas to include in our sports days.

Post 5- 6th April 2013

We have decided on further research for each member of our group to study. The different area’s that we each have to research have been divided equally so we each get an equal amount of work to research. Below is the list of who will be looking at what;

Emily Apps: Demographics
Amy Hesford: Logistics (sponsorships, locations)
Mitch Syrett: Online presence
Harriet Emily Alden: research existing events (pool parties, festivals etc)
Alexandra Jones: research young skin cancer patients in spain. real life stories.
Laura Finlay: investigate existing skin cancer campaigns (i.e. slip,slap,slop)
William Whittaker: legal, finances

Post 6- 10th April 2013

My current role in the group is to research existing skin cancer campaigns. This can provide background research for our campaign, I will be looking at campaigns which have been successful and the methods that were used within these campaigns that made them work. I will also be looking at those campaigns which were unsuccessful and how we can learn from their mistakes.

One campaign titled ‘Slip Slop Slap’ which was an Australian health campaign launched in the 1980’s is a good foundation for our current campaign aimed at teenagers in Spain. http://www.sunsmart.com.au/news_and_media/media_campaigns/slip-slop-slap/ This is the link to the Sun Smart website which campaigned ‘Slip Slop Slap’.

Slip Slop Slap 

• One of the most successful health campaigns in Australia’s history launched in 1981‘Slip, Slop, Slap!
• A TV advertisement featured a seagull dressed in board shorts and sang the song 

‘Slip, Slop, Slap!
It sounds like a breeze when you say it like that
Slip, Slop, Slap!
In the sun we always say ‘Slip, Slop, Slap!’

Slip, Slop, Slap!
Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat
Slip, Slop, Slap!
You can stop skin cancer – say: ‘Slip, Slop, Slap!’

• Cancer Council believes its Slip! Slop! Slap! campaign has played a key role in the dramatic shift in sun protection attitudes and behaviour over the past two decades.
  

Though we don’t have the budget to come up with a TV advertisement, a jingle or a catchy phrase could be one of the ways to help promote our campaign, at the very least a catchy title.

Post 7- 26th March 2013

I am still looking at previous campaigns to get an idea of successful PR techniques that we can use to help promote our campaign.

http://www.bad.org.uk/site/715/default.aspx This is a link to  Sun Awareness Campaign which included some useful techniques in their campaign. The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) run a campaign each year around skin cancer, called Sun Awareness. Each year they have a national Sun Awareness week in May. They include pop-up tents where you can have moles checked, which I think will be a great feature to include in our own campaign.

Post 8- 1st May 2013

Our campaign has changed slightly at our most recent group meeting. Instead of using sports days at various schools across Spain, we have decided to create a pool party tour. The idea is that we will host parties across Spain in the eight weeks leading up to the end of the school term. By advertising the party using local radio stations and social media we hope to gain attention leading up to a grand finale pool party in Barcelona in which students can have the chance to win tickets to be able to attend. The parties will include a pop-up tent in which they can have their moles checked, and also find out their skin type.  The pool parties will be a fun interactive way of showing the students the importance of using sun protection. The demographic has been narrowed down to 16-18 years. This age group is the most independent age, and also if we use a wider age group it will be harder to appeal to everyone.

Post 9- 8th May 2013

This week in our group meeting, we started writing up the brief for the campaign. We also issued out specific area’s of interest for people to focus on for the next couple of days, the area’s of interest included;

• Media
• Venue’s
• Health professional
• Graphics
• Promotion

As one of the journalists in the group I have decided to focus on the media. As organisers of the campaign, we need to attract attention from local media in the form of local radio stations, newspapers and magazines. These organizations will help promote our campaign, which will gain attention and help our campaign reach the maximum coverage.

We want and need the local media on our side. We are aiming to send press releases to the newspapers and magazines, catered specifically to their style. We are also hoping to work with the local radio stations in the area’s that we are holding the pool parties. We need to let the media know that the pool parties are a great way of interacting with young adults about the benefits of healthy skin regimes and skin protection. We want to promote the health advantages of a healthy attitude towards sun safety, our campaign makes for a great health story for the benefit of the nation. We are aiming to work with the media, to help them get a great feel good story, in our return for advertising and notoriety.

We also discussed the tactics of our campaign. One of the main questions that we needed to answer was;

‘How are we going to make the pool parties successful?’

We need to tackle the issue that although we are aiming to raise the awareness and change the attitudes of young people on the benefits of sun safety, we also need to make sure that the parties that are held are fun and something that people want to attend. To do this we are going to;

• Use the local radio station to hold a live radio show throughout the party, this provides great music, and also a chance for those attending to be live on air
• Include a promotional video
• Pool volley ball gamesPool basketball game
• Swim races for prizes
• Non-alcoholic cocktails
• buffet

Post 10-12th  May 2013

Our campaign is coming together really nicely and is visually starting to look professional. We have a logo for our campaign, Piel Sesiones;

We also have our Facebook page which will be an active social media page when the target audience can interact with the campaign, and also by liking and sharing our page can have a chance to win tickets to the finale party in Barcelona. https://www.facebook.com/PielSesiones

Mitch has been very creatve and has come up with a promotional video which will be on our campaign website and also on Facebook, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2zUK8L9e2Y

We also have a live website which is how you can get tickets for the pool parties. To do this there is a questionnaire on the site. The page also tells the user about Piel Sesiones and our aims and objectives about the campaign, sponsors of the campaign, a live social networking stream and a page where photographs can be uploaded from each event which users can tag themselves in.

Post 11- 15th May-2013

This is the final week before the presentation, and so we have been fine-tuning our campaign, and practising our presentation. Each of us chose a sector of the presentation to pitch, and as I have researched the media, this will then be what I present to the panel. I have done further research into different media channels in Spain, and have finalised the list of national and regional magazines and newspapers, as well as a radio station that we will be targeting.

 Magazines- long leads

o Superpop

o Spanish Glamour

o revista los 40

o Loka Magazine

o Revista Vale

o Bravo

o Spanish Cosmopolitan o Tentaciones o Todo Internet

 

Newspapers- short leads

o Que

o El Pais

o El Correo

o El Periodico

o Diario de Sevilla

o La Razon

o ABC

o El Dia

o Ara

o The Times on Earth

o Heraldo de Aragon

Radio Station

o KISS FM

The main newspaper which I have chosen to target is called Que. It is a free daily newspaper, published in Madrid but is distributed all over Spain. As it is free, hopefully this will mean a lot of people will come in contact with the publication, through public transport for example.

Sueperpop and Spanish Glamour are two mainstream Spanish magazines which both are aimed at our demographic. By sending out press releases to these publications, hopefully we will gain much needed print space to raise the profile of Piel Sesions and advertise the pool parties as fun and exciting events that students don’t want to miss.

The final and main media channel is KISS FM. It is a national radio station with over a million listeners. By using KISS FM as a sponsor of our event it creates a perfect partnership between us and them. We get extensive coverage of a wide Spanish audience through the station advertising our events on the radio, whilst KISS FM will get the chance to get involved with a brand new and exciting campaign that is aiming to change the attitude young people have towards sun safety and sun protection.

Our website, social media and promotional video is all coming together, and the group as a whole seem really pleased with the level of standard that of our campaign. The next few days will be allocated to sorting out our pitch documents and printing out all the relevant documents needed for when we present, and of course much needed practise!

Post 12-20th May 2013

Today we had our presentation which we are all really pleased with. I had to try and combat last minute nerves at the thought of pitching to a panel, but it went well, and it was great to see our final campaign being presented to an active audience. I think our group displayed a clear and thorough presentation, and we creative an interactive campaign for a worthwhile cause.

“It will rob you of your personality, your speech and your dignity”

-Laura Finlay speaks to Sarah Speakman on PSP, the neurological condition that is hoping for a word in edgeways

By Laura Finlay

For many people around the UK and the rest of the world the term PSP may be misunderstood and thought to be a computer consol or something alike. This couldn’t be further from the reality. The term is actually an abbreviation for progressive supranuclear palsy, a terminal brain degenerative disease.

The very act of misunderstanding the term PSP is possibly one of the downfalls for the charity behind the condition, the PSP Association.  The condition is rare, and the cause is unknown, neurologists believe that the number of those living with PSP in the UK is around 10,000. Because of this, there is a lack of awareness and a lack of education about the disease.

Sarah Speakman’s father was diagnosed with PSP at the age of 67. For two years his neurologist was unable to tell him whether he had Parkinson’s or PSP. “I was absolutely devastated by my father’s diagnosis… my wonderful dad would never get better and worse still, the progression of this cruel disease would little by little rob him of his personality, speech and dignity.”

The PSP Association, the hardworking charity behind the condition, work together with medical and health and social care professionals raising awareness and providing education of this rare condition. Raising awareness is one of the main aims of the charity as sadly there is no effective treatment or cure for the disease. Raising the charities profile and getting as much funding as possible is the best way that they can help this condition, by researching to try and find a cure for this devastating disease.

Progressive supranuclear palsy is associated with an over production of a protein called Tau in certain areas of the brain, this forms into neurofibrillary tangles which are believed to damage nerve cells. This leads to difficulty with balance, movement, speech and swallowing, and can cause rigidity, depression and memory difficulties.

PSP gets progressively worse over time, for the last 2 years of life; the patient is usually wheelchair or bed bound, and completely reliant on 24-hour care. The patient relies on being tube fed, and is unable to communicate with the rest of the world. Though the cause of death isn’t actually PSP on its own, the disease means that it increases the risk of pneumonia, choking from swallowing and recurrent falls.

Sarah’s father has become reliant on his wife, who is disabled and to whom he used to care for. As the roles reversed, this soon became too much for her mother and as Sarah’s father experienced recurrent falls, the subsequent injuries became more significant. Now they have a live-in carer as well as additional carers for support throughout the day.

There are currently no simple tests to diagnose PSP.  Often in the early stages symptoms may be misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease, a stroke or a brain tumour, and sadly in the very elderly PSP often goes undiagnosed especially for those living in care homes. The average age of symptoms is 63, though there has been known cases in patients as young as 40. The average life expectancy is around 7 years from onset.

Though there are no effective treatments for PSP, and nothing that can be done to halt the disease, treatment is based around support and symptom relief.  The PSP association provides a range of services to make sure that those living with PSP have as much access to information and care and support as possible.

A diagnosis for PSP is something that GPs would see once in three working lifetimes, according to GP Mike Baird. “Usually if a condition such as PSP were suspected there would be a generic referral to neurology-I doubt it if many GPs would diagnose it in their surgery.”

Doctor Baird highlights a prime concern surrounding PSP and other mental health issues and funding, “would you rather research money went to cancer or illnesses such as PSP or dementia?” Combining all types of cancer, 325,000 people were diagnosed in the UK in 2010 according to Cancer Research. Though this number is overwhelmingly larger than those diagnosed with PSP, it creates less funding from those who have chosen to support charities such as Cancer Research, and makes the gap for low profile charities harder to reach the public attention. This is something that Sarah feels little can be done about, “because there is no cure for PSP, there are no survivors to campaign vociferously as there are in cases of cancer.  There is nothing we can do about this, of course, but it’s one of the reasons why we know so little about it.”

There isn’t much that can be done to combat this issue. Each charity, large or low profile is each as important as each other. The only solution to try and get more funding is to raise the awareness of PSP. High profile cases such as Lord Coe’s mother, Nigel Dempster and Dudley Moore has helped raise the charities profile.

Dudley Moore the English born Hollywood actor, comedian and musician was diagnosed with PSP in 1998, and died in 2002. Before he died, Moore went public with his disease and wanted to make a video in order to reach out to others who also had PSP. Moore started to experience symptoms in 1994, and became depressed at not being able to obtain a diagnosis; it took four years to discover what was wrong. Moore describes in the video how he misses playing the piano the   most, “I love it, I miss it very much.” Moore wanted to tell his story because some people may be suffering without knowing what is wrong just as he did. His video has received over 86,000 hits.

Nigel Dempster, The British Daily Mail columnist tragically died in 2007 aged 65, after his diagnosis four years before. Dempster produced a YouTube video, ‘Life with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy’ where he describes what it is like living with PSP and the impact that it was having on his body, “It’s taken hold of me over the last year..I miss my freedom and my friends, I miss being able to laugh” The video has had over 10,000 hits.  

The most recent high profile case of PSP is surrounding Lord Sebastian Coe’s mother, Angela Coe who died with PSP in 2005, aged 75. Since then Lord Coe, the former champion runner and Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games organised his first fundraising event in 2012 and raised over £200,000 for the PSP Association. In a Daily Main interview, Lord Coe described his experience of his mothers illness “It was a big burden on my family and on my father, who was a lot older than her and having to deal with his own frailties as well as become a full-time carer”. Lord Coe has supported the ‘Million to beat PSP’ campaign in 2012.

The PSP Association was registered as a charity in 1994 and was established by Mickael Koe and his wife Sara after she was diagnosed with PSP. The Koe family were shocked and upset by the lack of support, awareness and information available about PSP, and the lack of interest within the medical profession. After finding no organisation that specifically supported those who have PSP and the afflicted families, the PSPA was set up, and since has invested over £2 million in research.

Recent predictions show the population of elderly people growing and within this the number of the very old increasing. This creates a higher demand for care services, and health research is becoming more and more prominent. The Projecting Older People Population Information System (POPPI) has predicted that the population of England in 2030 aged 65 and over will make up to 21.46%. This could be yet another issue facing conditions such as PSP in the nearby future. As PSP is a condition most common within this age bracket this causes concerns for the number of patients with PSP to rise.

Though the PSPA are using social media affectively, Sarah Speakman thinks that the best way to raise awareness and raise the charities profile is to launch a campaign that is combined with other neurological conditions. “ If we combined PSP with Parkinson’s and other diseases that we are all familiar with, they would have greater media collateral, a more readily available media platform, better media coverage and therefore, hopefully increased awareness.”

As with many other hardworking charities, the PSP Association is determined to find a solution and to be able to eventually cure, and if not treat this devastating disease. Their research relies purely on donations, and for the public to merely understand the term PSP, is a step in the right direction.  

News and Magazine Portfolio

Post 1 -29/03/12

I have just finished my first feature, based on internet dating. At first I had completed a local based feature on the Perran Foundry, but struggled to make it sound interesting, and an easy read. I decided I wanted to write about lifestyle more and stumbled across internet dating whilst watching TV. For a few days I played around with the idea, and worked on how I could make a feature on online dating interesting and worth writing about without having a particular angle. This was harder than I had imagined. I gathered as much research as I could surrounding the world of online dating. Statistics from the UK and other countries, different sites and which were more popular, and which sites created the most revenue. Collecting all this data was difficult, especially as data for 2012 is not yet accessible. I got in contact with the head of PR of Courtland Brooks, a company which specialise in online dating. After initial contact I still haven’t heard back from Mark Brooks, whom I sent questions regarding my feature. Instead I relied on quotes from those who use online dating. I managed to find two people who were willing to be named, and happy to answer any questions I asked. Whilst I am aware that my feature has no particular angle, I think I have summed up the big issues surrounding online dating, including the pros, cons, statistics and real life answers from those who have experienced online dating first hand. I have tried to keep my work upbeat, but at the same time informal.

Post 2- 30/03/12

I have decided to start my review. There are so many films out at the moment that I wanted to review such as the two films based on snow white, and it would have been interesting to compare and contrast the two, also Titanic 3D is hitting the big screens to mark the 100^th anniversary of the ships sinking. I am planning to see the film, and again it will be interesting to compare and contrast how 3d has changed, or not changed the feel of one of the most classic and sought after films of my generation. Instead, I have chosen to review David Hockney’s, A bigger picture RA exhibition held at The Royal Academy of Arts in London. I have tickets for the exhibition as I studied art in college and still draw and paint. In college I studied a lot of David Hockney’s work, and know a lot about his life and working career, and so the exhibition is very special. It is a very important and highly recognised exhibition, due to the amount of work, and the scale of the work included. It will be very interesting to see all of his new idea’s and contemporary work. I feel review the exhibition will produce a stronger piece of work as it is something that can be interpreted completely different by different people. I feel like I have a personal connection what I am choosing to write and review, and I feel that this will show in my writing.

Post 3-12/04/12

For my second feature I have decided to look at the Daphne du Maurier festival which is held in my local town of Fowey each year. Daphne du Maurier lived in Fowey, and remains a famous figure not only nationally but is a big part of the local town. The festival brings a lot of tourism into Fowey, as well as a lot of famous faces. I haven’t quite decided on the angle of which I am going to use for this feature, but I think there is a lot that can be said about the goings on of this year’s festival, and the impact that it has on the locals.  The idea’s that I have thought about, to use as an angle are both focusing on just the festival, and producing a light hearted feature of the goings on, dates and times etc. Looking at how the festival commemorates Daphne du Maurier, and the history behind who she was and what she did, or bringing both ideas together. Despite which angle I chose I have already found who I want to interview, both the director of the Daphne du Maurier festival, and Bryher Scudamore, the Editor-in-cheif for BBC online, who is giving a talk at the festival. Bryher lives locally, and hopefully will be willingly to give an interview.

Post 4- 08/05/12

Amongst writing my features and reviews, I haven’t had time to think about a news story. This was until a fire broke out in one of Falmouth’s largest hotels. Luckily I was notified by a friend of the commotion over so many fire brigades and traffic issues and I was able to attend the scene within an hour of the fire breaking out. Standing almost opposite to the hotel I was able to see the destruction and damage that the fire was causing, and also the weather conditions that helped the fire escalate. I took a notepad and my phone for photographs with me, however I felt I was unable to ask too many questions and there was such a commotion, and the fire was attracting a lot of attention, not to mention the emergency services were far too busy. Although it has already been a week since the fire, I feel that I took great photographs and videos and have been able to speak to a fire fighter who attended the fire and was able to give me some really good information. I feel that this news story is brilliant local news, and is a topic that has caused concern from all over the country. Although it’s incredibly sad, I feel it is a good piece to write as the fire has also highlight the strength and the compassion from the locals of Falmouth. The trouble that I am finding, however is how I can give my story an angle that makes it different from all the other news stories based on the fire. It’s difficult as it is such a sensitive subject, and I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes and upset anyone who was involved, whom I may want to contact and quote.

Post 5-29/05/12

I have completed my portfolio now. I had to change a few things , as I came across new ideas which I thought would be more interesting.

I decided to not add my Daphne du Maurier feature as I was unable to get the quotes from the right people, and overall the piece didn’t feel strong enough, which was a shame as it was very current and I had a lot of background information.

Instead I wrote a piece based on the Fal River Festival, which will take place in a few weeks time. I wrote this feature whilst at work experience at Cornwall Today magazine, and was able to get brilliant quotes, and I’m much happier with this than the previous piece.

I also decided to write a different news story. Originally I had wanted to write about the fire in Falmouth Beach resort and hotel as I had great photos and information from the fire brigade. Unfortunately I was unable to write the story quick enough, and it soon became old news. I tried to come up with a different angle, but I had trouble finding people who were willing to talk to me, and eventually I had to give up.

I have written about the Cornwall Triathlon Series 2012, as I have been asked to write the press releases for the upcoming events. It’s a really interesting new project that will be great considering we are in an Olympic Year, the event has gathered a lot of interest and I think it makes a great local news story.

Cornwall Today posts

01/05/12

Today has been my first day at Cornwall Today magazine. Already I have felt intimidated as I was unaware that Cornwall Today was also in the same building and shared offices with Cornish Guardian, West Britton and the Cornishman. After querying this I learnt that all publications were owned by Northcliffe Media, and thus share a common workplace.

It was definitely exciting to be involved with such a thriving work environment, and although today I have felt under enormous pressure, I feel that it has helped me a lot.

The biggest surprise for me today, however was how small Cornwall Today’s team actually is. The magazine itself fairly large with 170 plus pages each month, and I imagined a strong team to be the backbone for the magazine. What I found was that actually the Editor and the Deputy Editor made up the bulk of the work. A few freelance journalists write in each month and asides from those who help with advertising and graphic design that’s about it.

What’s more is that my work experience happened to fall right at the beginning of the month, meaning I was smack bang in the middle of going to print-not a good idea. Everyone was rushed and had a lot for me to be getting on with, which has been brilliant, if a little exhausting. Currently I have had no time to even think about my case study and the research question that I need to research, however I am sure in the following two weeks, I will be able to find out more.

02/05/12

Today being my second day at the magazine has helped me be more confident. I have my own desk, for the time being, anyway, my own phone, my own computer and a pile or articles which all have to be written by the end of the day. Finding all of this out was a lot to take in five minutes after arrival; however I get the impression that the Editor is not one to wait around answering questions, especially in this busy week.

The articles that I have been given to write are local features and about local events. I spent most of the day chasing up people to interview and working under pressure to make sure that the work is given in on time. Already I have learnt that Cornwall Today writes local features and events in order to appeal to readers who are both Cornish or are visiting Cornwall on holiday.

03/05/12

Today is the hand in date in which I have to give all my work to the Editor to check over and make sure everything is how she wants it to be. I’m really nervous as I have never had to do something like this before, and really hope that my work is what she wants.

After a few hours, I have been given my work back, however this time it has been edited and now looks like something that should be in a magazine. Thankfully the Editor was happy enough with what I had done, and now I have even more work to do!

I have already spoken to the Editor, Kirstie Newton, and the Deputy Editor Viki Wilson about Cornwall Today and how it targets a particular audience. I have found out that although Viki Wilson is very new to the magazine, she has been a fan for a long time, and has always loved the content of the magazine, especially the photography.

The Editor tells me that the magazine prides itself on fine photography, and images that truly reflect Cornwall in all its glory.

07/05/12

This week the magazine is coming together. The atmosphere is completely different to last week, as everyone is not as stressed. Both the Editor and Deputy Editor mention that this is the part that they enjoy most. Most of the deadlines are out of the way and they can concentrate on pulling the magazine together and choosing which bits go where.

I’m really lucky in that the Editor is keen to involve me in almost every stage. She has had me helping out with planning out the pages, and we are scheduled for a meeting tomorrow to decide on the front cover.

Cornwall Today has a few well paid photographers which are given a brief and produce brilliant photographs each month. I feel that this is the magazines signature, and makes the magazine stand out on the shelves, especially when compared to other magazines.

I have already started writing my questionnaires to find out from the public what they think, and what they want from Cornwall Today. I am going to produce an online questionnaire as well as a hand out questionnaire and see if I can detect any varying in results.

I have also emailed both the Editor and the Deputy Editor, and sent over an email interview, as both had said that this would be easier for them, given their busy schedules. This wasn’t what I had wanted, as I wanted to conduct a face-to-face interview, to give the conversation a chance to change paths, depending on the answers, however this will mean that both of them will be able to give  a well thought out response.

08/05/12

Today we chose the front cover for the June edition for Cornwall Today magazine. There were around six different cover photographs to chose from, and we had to decide which was going to appeal to customers most.

Most of June’s issue is about Dogs, so that helped up narrow it down, but also there were a few landscape photographs which also had faint pictures of dogs in, that the Editor liked.

The photograph that we went with is a abstract yellow and black beach scene with a walker and their dogs. The cover would be easy to show by-lines and be eye catching.

This observation has helped me see ways in which Cornwall Today target their audience, one of the reasons that they didn’t pick the photograph of just the dog, was because some people may get confused with what the magazine resembles.

09/05/12

Today was my last day at work experience. There wasn’t a lot to do as everyone was starting to think about next month’s edition.

I have started  my case study. Viki Wilson, the Deputy Editor has emailed me back, and I have her interview which I have started analysing. At the moment not many people have filled out my online questionnaire, but I’m hoping they will!

I think that my time at Cornwall Today really helped me get a brilliant insight to how the magazine is produced and run. I have learnt a great deal both about writing for magazines, and also for my case study.

This work experience has been invaluable to me, and will help me with writing my case study. Alongside my questionnaires and further research, I am confident I will be able to answer my research question.

Log on to find love

 

 

 

Online dating: nearly 5 million Brits are logging on to find love.  It seems that Pride and Prejudice has been replaced by plenty of fish, and a bareback Mr Darcy is no longer favoured, than for a thirty something builder on uniform dating.com. What has become of old fashioned romance, candlelit dinners, and starry-eyed first sights?

 

In the UK alone, more than 1,400 dating sites are looking for new users to sign up and find the love of their life, and by 2014, the UK industry is estimated to be worth around £150 million. So what makes internet dating so popular? Many sites tempt users claiming they will meet their perfect match, and advertise with slogans such as “Make love happen today” used by Match.com, currently the UKs leading dating site with over 3 million users. Their slogan accompanies the popular advert ‘girl on the platform smiles’, which incidentally shows a couple meeting by chance, in real life, and not over the internet.

 

Other adverts are more distinct, and are quick to sell their unique sites. Uniformdating.com is the UKs number one dating site for those looking to date a policeman, who would have thought. The site is aimed at those who have unique circumstances surrounding their professional lives, and the restrictions that a job such as being a Police Officer can have on a relationship. Free for anyone, and accessible to those who don’t even wear a uniform, this site screams fancy dress shop and frock horrors.

 

Catchy slogans, hopelessly romantic adverts seem to do the trick for the teary eyed individuals home alone.  Especially heartbroken Heathcliff’s who just want to find their Cathy.

 

Stephanie Taylor, 21, found herself in a non-too similar situation not long after her relationship ended. Her chosen dating site was Plenty of Fish, simply because it came up first in a search engine.  “Guys talk to you, and say what they think you want to hear, just to get you interested.” Plenty of Fish claims that their site is responsible for more dates and relationships than any other dating website.

 

The site works by receiving all your personal information, interests and likes, and suggesting people who you may be compatible with, based on similar answers. Many other dating websites use a similar formula to this to gain the best results, however according to Stephanie, this rarely works. “Girls and guys alike, judge potential dates solely on image, rather than personality. The fact that you can browse through profiles and choose from hundreds of people makes you more picky and shallow than you would be in real life, simply because the opportunity is there.”

Online dating offers many individuals a chance who don’t simply have the time to meet people outside of their busy schedules to engage in interaction with those of their choosing.

 

Ben Yelland, 27, gave in to online dating after pressures from friends. After broken down relationships, commitment issues and a lack of trust from those of the opposite sex enough became enough. “Online dating isn’t something that I would normally agree with, I don’t like the idea of it, but as long as you are safe and remain grounded about the whole thing, you can’t really loose.”

Ben suffers from confidence issues, and has found that compliments online has helped him, and given him the boost he needed. “I am under no illusions when it comes to online dating, that people are just saying what you want to hear, but I can see from my point of view and from others that when you engage with others, especially if you are out of practise helps a lot.”

 

Cheesy one liners, compliments after compliments, may be the remedy for confidence issues, but what happens when things get a bit more serious. It’s no secret that there are risks involved with talking to a stranger on the internet, but most sites warn about these issues, and issue guidelines about personal information, and as for common sense, it goes a long way.

 

Being sensible and responsible on the internet is one thing, but how many of you can actually trust the one you are talking to? Both men and women tend to lie about their physical appearance. A recent US survey on online dating showed that 81% of online dating users lie about their height, weight or age, something that won’t occur when dating in real life. 

 

The issues raised are something that everyone has to take into consideration when taking into account online dating. Most users know that talking to a computer screen, and relying on nothing more than a picture and an over exaggerated self description isn’t as reliable as real life, but is something than merely comes with the territory.

 

The main issues involved with online dating revolve around the actual individuals needs. Many users focus on short term satisfaction rather than long term, and fail to take into account how partners grow and change. However the sites are to blame as many lend the expectation that a relationship should be perfect from day one, which is far from the truth. By the looks of the online dating market, it seems business is booming, and here to stay. Old fashioned romance is set to take a back seat.

 

David Hockney-A bigger picture

This year the Royal Academy of Arts is presenting the first major exhibition of new work from David Hockney. From January 21^st until April 19^th the Royal Academy has filled its vast walls and fields of space with the much anticipated work from one of the most influential artists from the twentieth century.

Branded with already highly praised adoration from previous work which spans over many decades, showcasing the likes of iconic pool paintings through Hockney’s time in Los Angeles, to his photomontages which spelled out a new era to art and photography. David Hockney is out to amaze and inspire his fans in what is the biggest moment of his career, and he hasn’t disappointed. 

With never seen before work that dates back to 2005, A bigger picture demonstrates Hockney’s fascination with his beloved Yorkshire landscapes.

Paintings scaling up to almost twelve metres embraced the Royal Academy, and engaged with onlookers it’s as though you had been there in Yorkshire with him. Travelling through the seasons, an overwhelming presence of time enthrals you as you move from painting to painting.

It’s clear the passion David Hockney has for the countryside, as each painting carries such significance and so much detail that can only be present with something truly cherished. Hockney’s attention to detail highlights his interest and affection for his subject.

The crowd pleasers were easily found. Vast oil clad canvases, six to be exact, each two metres by four metres made up an entire landscape in an enormous scale. A ‘Closer winter tunnel’, from February-March 2006 engages the viewer in a sense of travel as the eye follows the country path. All six paintings were painted from memory. Rich colours and key landmarks bring this magnificent piece of work to life.

What was interesting and exciting to see, was Hockney’s technical work produced on his Ipad and Iphone. An artist who clearly displays an overwhelming amount of talent, who then shows his versatility, and involvement in modern technology is refreshing and admirable.

It’s no secret that Hockney is a man of many talents, and isn’t one to shy away from trying new things, some of his best and most imaginative work is produced from a Polaroid camera, such as ‘Pearl blossom highway’.

In an interview surrounding ‘A bigger picture’ David Hockney said, “A lot of the work in the show wouldn’t have existed unless the Royal Academy had asked me.” It is indeed an exceptionally special and magnificent exhibition that truly expresses an incredible artist at his very best.

Celebrate Mothers day in style

Sunday March 18^th.

No matter what your budget may be, help make her day extra special, and show her just how much you appreciate her.

It’s that time of year again, when we take time out of our busy schedules to reflect and appreciate the main woman in our lives. If not a constant, in one way or another we have all relied on our mothers. Those luckily enough, consider her to be a best friend, a shoulder to cry on, your own personal shrink, someone whose love for you in irreplaceable. Once a year, Mothers day is undeniably worth celebrating.

 Whether you wish to spoil her rotten with lavish gifts, or undeniably perfect pamper packages, or think that quality time is worth more than money, there is no denying that you can make her day a perfect one.

It’s difficult to decide exactly what to do and where, especially if you are on a tight budget. But luckily, over Mothers Day there is a lot of competition for prices, so it’s not too difficult to find a great deal that won’t break the bank.

For those who are on a tight budget, but still want to make mothers feel special old time favourites still go down a treat.

Chocolates

Hotel Chocolat, in Drake Circus, Plymouth will come up trumps for fancy favourites from as little as £4.50 for luxurious truffles, or if you wish to stretch the budget a little more, opt for ‘All about mum’ selection box for £12.00.

Flowers

Blooming lovely, Plymouth, 01752 361232

For a hand tied seasonal bouquet or if a traditional style would be better suited, then this local florists will do the trick. For no more than £25, you will be able to give her a beautiful bouquet, even tailored to her favourite flowers.

Lunch

Many hotels will offer Mothers day lunchtime menus for set prices. Why not try the Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth. Lunch will cost you £20 per person for three courses, and offers a mouth watering selection of fine meat and fish selections.  To see the full menu visit www.thedukeofcorwall.co.uk.  

If money is no object when it comes to treating mothers, then these ideas with be more than perfect. After all, she’s worth every penny.

Spa retreats

The St. Mellion hotel and spa is only a short drive from Plymouth, which is worth if for their amazing offer of a one night break which includes dinner, bed and breakfast with either a skin specific facial or a back, neck and shoulder massage for £89 per person. www.st-mellion.co.uk.

Hot air balloon ride

Soar into the sky with mum by your side with Virgin Balloon flights. For £119 per person you can set off from Ivybridge, and take in the best of Devon’s breathtaking views. This will guarantee to be a day to remember, as long she isn’t afraid of heights. Visit www.virginballoonflights.co.uk for more details.

With these offers, you can’t go wrong, simple and stunning, or extravagant and extreme, whatever suits you mother, so you can’t ensure you make her day extra special.