Leading way in care of dementia patients
Wishaw General Hospital is once again at the forefront of helping people with dementia.
The hospital in Netherton Road have launched‘Theatre Buddy’.
This is where relatives and carers are able to go with patients who have dementia to the operating theatre and stay with them until they have had their anaesthetic and gone to sleep.
Maureen Dobbin, senior nurse for surgical critical care and theatres, said staff feel passionately about doing more for our patients with dementia.
She said:“Going for surgery can be scary for any patient and a worrying time for their loved ones. When the person who is having the surgery also has dementia this can be even more traumatic.
“Now, at whatever stage in their journey through our hospital, patients with dementia do not have to feel confused, upset or alone.”
Yvonne Jeffery, from Netherton, was one of the first relatives to become a ‘Theatre Buddy’after her mum, Mary Devanney, needed surgery on a fractured hip.
Mary, 88, who sustained her injury after a fall, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2009.
Yvonne said:“I was so glad I could be there for my mum thanks to this wonderful initiative. My experience of being a theatre buddy was excellent and I would recommend this.” treating them. Smear testing prevents around eight out of 10 cervical cancers from developing in the first place. It is thought to save around 5000 lives a year in the UK.
“Cervical cancer most commonly affects women, in their 30s and 40s, but it can affect women of any age, so older women should still take part when invited.”
Women aged between 25 and 64 receive a cervical screening invite every three to five years. But less than 80 per cent of them have taken up the offer in Lanarkshire in the past five years.
While screening is the best protection against cervical cancer it is important to visit your doctor if you spot any symptoms.
Symptoms include lower back pain, pain during sex, bleeding during or after sex or in between periods, postmenopausal bleeding and unusual vaginal discharge
Je n n i f e r s t res s e d : “Please don’t miss the opportunity when you get your invitation. Make that appointment.”
Dr Jennifer Darnborough