Health & Wellbeing

With Christmas just around the corner and concerns about the cost of living and affordability of the festive season being a worry for many, the rituals associated with Christmas can still provide psychological comfort and joy, says the British Psychological Society.

From decorating the tree, to attending a carol service or listening to Christmas songs, the activities and milestones we associate with the festive period can help lift spirits and provide solace when times are tough.

With prices rising and temperatures plunging, people affected by dementia are facing especially challenging times over the festive season and beyond.

Alzheimer’s Society has warned that, as the scale of the cost-of-living crisis widens, there is growing evidence that the over 84,000 people with dementia in the West Midlands, are being hit hard.

Warwickshire treated a brave youngster to a VIP day at Edgbaston Stadium after teaming up with Birmingham Children’s Hospital to lay on a Christmas treat.

Little Elliott McNaughton was guest of honour and given a behind-the-scenes tour with his family by players Jake Lintott and Olly Hannon-Dalby. They also laid on a fun cricket session at our indoor centre and handed over Bears goodies, including shirts for Elliott and cousin Jay signed by Chris Woakes.

A much-loved former City of Wolverhampton councillor is to have a new centre supporting the city’s vulnerable people named in his memory. The vacant Council-owned city centre building, Bond House, in Bond Street, will become known as Peter Bilson House - and is set to open its doors in spring 2023.

As the holiday season approaches, for many families their celebrations could be looking very different this year due to the cost-of-living crisis, increasing fuel bills and squeezes on household budgets. Educational and Child Psychologists from the British Psychological Society (BPS) have offered their expert advice to manage children’s expectations this festive season, and how to focus on the smaller things that can mean a lot.

Always renowned to being the most noble of professions, nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are on strike today, in the largest action of its kind in NHS history, all though, as they say, they will continue to provide "life-preserving" and some urgent care. Routine surgery, however, and other planned treatment is likely to be disrupted.

A dedicated and passionate pilot, who spent 18 years flying the lifesaving aircrew of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity to some of the most critical incidents across the region, has won a prestigious national award.

Captain Matt Wood from Stafford was nominated, shortlisted and named winner for the Pilot of the Year Award at this year’s Air Ambulances UK (AAUK) Awards of Excellence.

Responding to the latest Emergency Department performance figures published by NHS England for November 2022, Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The Emergency Care crisis remains incredibly challenging. As we head into winter, we know things will get worse before they get better, but making things better requires the political will to drive change and improvement. Patients continue to face dangerously long waits which are harmful to them and are distressing for staff doing their best in difficult conditions.

Family members of three tourists who died while staying at an Airbnb in Mexico City, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning, urged the short-term rental company Thursday to require detectors in properties it lists to prevent future tragedies.

“Our main goal is to try to get the word out to those planning to use short-term rentals like Airbnb,” said Jennifer Marshall, whose son, Jordan Marshall, was one of the travellers.

Parents and guardians in Wolverhampton are being urged to be aware of the signs and symptoms of Strep A and scarlet fever. The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that Group A strep cases are higher than normal.  

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common bacteria. Lots of people carry it in their throats and on their skin and it doesn’t always result in illness. However, GAS does cause a number of infections, some mild and some more serious, including strep throat, impetigo and scarlet fever.

As temperatures continue to reach minus figures this week, people are being urged check in on loved ones, friends and neighbours living with dementia. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for severe cold weather and icy conditions across much of England, from today (7 December) through to Monday 12 December.

For people living with dementia across the West Midlands, Alzheimer’s Society says the cold spell coupled with the cost-of-living crisis, may bring added anxiety and challenges.

Birmingham’s Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has been named the most inclusive NHS employer for the second year in a row, taking 7th place in the Top 50 list at the Inclusive Awards. Compiled by Inclusive Companies, the list acknowledges and ranks businesses which are most consistent throughout the whole tenure of their organisations and encompass all types of diversity.

Volunteering can play a vital role in improving both the working and living environment for staff and residents in care homes, claims a new report by Royal Voluntary Service. The report, Reimagining Social Care – The Role of Active Citizenship, authored by Dr Julie MacInnes, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Kent and Dr Allison Smith, Head of Research & Insight at Royal Voluntary Service in partnership with Anchor – sets out to explore the contribution of volunteering to social care.

Mencap, the UK’s learning disability charity, has launched its new ‘easy read’ GP Learning Disability Register resources which are designed to support people with a learning disability from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. 

The GP Learning Disability Register is an essential document for the health and wellbeing of the 1.2 million people with a learning disability in England.

The first drug to slow the destruction of the brain in Alzheimer's has been heralded as momentous. The research breakthrough ends decades of failure and shows a new era of drugs to treat Alzheimer's - the most common form of dementia - is possible.

Yet the medicine, lecanemab, has only a small effect and its impact on people's daily lives is debated.

More than 10,000 ambulance workers have voted to strike in nine trusts across England and Wales. Paramedics, Emergency Care Assistants, call handlers and other staff are now set to walk out in the following trusts: