Pills for blood pressure cut dementia risk
LOCKED UP Disgraced banker has open prison perks withdrawn over coronavirus fears at facility The only people coming in & out are suppliers
TAKING blood pressure medication reduces the risk of developing dementia by 7%, researchers have found.
NUI Galway boffins carried out the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Author Dr Conor Judge said: “When you consider how common dementia is in the population, effective treatment and control of hypertension would have a major impact on preventing dementia.
“Our findings emphasise the need for more effective screening, prevention, and treatment of hypertension, which remains suboptimal in Ireland.”
DISGRACED Anglo banker David Drumm is adjusting to his own lockdown – extended periods of time cooped up in his prison cell.
The multi-billion euro fraudster was enjoying up to five visits a week in an open jail before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Drumm, who was given a six-year sentence in June 2018 for conspiracy to defraud, was transferred from Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison to Loughan House in Co Cavan 16 months ago.
A source said: “The benefits have been halted, as have the limits to travel, the limits on education, the limits on job opportunities [ for prisoners].
“Anybody that is doing college courses like Drumm, they’re getting whatever supports are available, but it’s only online.
“They can’t go to college, there’s no tutors coming in and they won’t be sitting exams.
“There’s no moving around, there’s no visits, there’s no nothing since the week of the lockdown.” Drumm had previously enjoyed a far more relaxed regime at Loughan House – one of only two open prisons in the country.
Lags had keys to their own rooms and freedom of movement within the confines of the outer facility walls before the virus struck.
Loughan House overlooks a lake and is surrounded by trees and mountain views.
Before the outbreak of the coronavirus, inmates could look forward to daily visits from 10.30am to 4.30pm.
However, they are now few and far between and the 53-year-old is spending his time studying remotely, having been separated from family for more than two months.
The source, who said the crooked banker is spending most of his time in his cell, said: “For the first week or two people weren’t happy and they were saying, ‘I need my visits’.
“There is a Facetime facility and they’re allowed an electronic visit once a week for 15 minutes instead of the regular visits now.
“There’s an area set up with networked phones that is almost like a video-conferencing facility.
“Those devices are available if they want to use them and they get clearance.” Loughan House had 150 inmates earlier this year, but that has now been reduced to around 115 prisoners.
The source, who said no prison officers or inmates had contracted the disease, added: “The school closed and the only people coming in and out now are suppliers and staff.
“That’s the people who send the milk, the bread, the postman, that’s it.” Drumm, from Skerries, North Dublin, was found guilty of authorising a €7.2billion conspiracy to defraud and of false accounting at Anglo between March and September 2008.
The taxpayer had to pay more than €30billion to bail out Anglo.
Drumm conspired with former Irish Life and Permanent chief Denis Casey in a deal to save the bank. Ex-senior Anglo staff Willie Mcateer and John Bowe were also jailed for their role in the scam.
SOURCE YESTERDAY