Family and friends who care for their elderly loved ones are often concerned about them falling, being warm enough and eating properly. However, another issue which is often neglected in an older person is their oral health.

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Oral Health

There are many consequences of poor oral health in the elderly. Dental problems left undetected and untreated can have a negative impact on their mental health and well-being. Common problems such as an abscess, tooth decay, or a chipped or broken tooth can cause severe pain, especially when eating and drinking.

Well-being

The physical pain of oral health problems can make it difficult to sleep and may also affect their ability to talk and take food, liquids and medication. These things combined can lead to a rapid deterioration in overall well-being and affect a person’s mental health.

Moreover, a recent case study has highlighted the need for free dental care for cancer patients, after a patient had to undergo expensive dental treatment following chemotherapy.

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Dentures

Many elderly people have dentures, but this doesn’t mean that they are free from problems. If the dentures are misplaced or broken, an older person may have to wait for new ones to be made. During this time, they will find talking and eating very difficult and very distressing.

Thankfully, if an elderly person is suffering from dementia, having live in care for dementia carers can ensure there is always someone available. Live in Care for dementia carers is an option for those who want to stay in their home, but can’t live alone and offers the option of having trained staff live alongside them.

NHS Initiative

An NHS initiative across certain parts of the country, called ‘Mouth Care Matters’ has been launched to improve awareness of oral health amongst health and social care staff. This includes those working in care homes and live-in home carers.

Treatment

Accessing treatment when needed can be difficult, especially when a patient requires an urgent appointment. Pressure is being put on the Government and local authorities to offer better care in this area and improve access to services when needed.

Dental care is often not seen as a priority for the elderly. Ignoring symptoms and not getting treatment can have an adverse effect on a person’s quality of life and more needs to be done to highlight these issues.

People tend to think of asbestos as something found only in the ceilings of old, abandoned buildings. However, there are some unusual places that have tested positive for asbestos, which causes us to think: what other everyday objects could we potentially find asbestos?

1- Car Parts.

Because asbestos has the ability to retain heat, it was a material often used in automobile components to stop fires from occurring. Items such as brake pads, brakes, clutch linings and transmission plates are all prime examples of this, as well as many other high-friction car parts.

2- Household.

From crockpots to hair dryers, and from popcorn machines to cooker hoods, a variety of home appliances manufactured before 1988 are known to contain low levels of asbestos. Some stove parts and ironing board covers also contained small amounts so you could be putting yourself at risk if you are still using these older products from the 20th century in your home.

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3- Fuse box.

Before the ban on asbestos came into effect, boards containing asbestos were used for insulation at the back of fuse boxes in the home. Fortunately, the fuse box was only rarely accessed so this isn’t a major concern as asbestos fibres only cause a hazard when they are airborne as a result of an object being damaged or disturbed. Any damage around your fuse box should always be checked by a professional. For Asbestos Removal Essex, visit a site like https://www.sperion.co.uk/

4- Protective clothing.

Ironically, various protective clothing contained some amounts of asbestos in their manufacture. Items like gloves, aprons and trousers used commercially in the past were known to contain asbestos but, perhaps more surprisingly, so did face masks, dust masks and respirators! Disease caused by asbestos are from microfibres being released into the air. You can see why having asbestos in a helmet or mask was very dangerous.

5 – Toilets.

Yes, even the humble bathroom toilet might be harbouring some asbestos. Old style cisterns often had a tiny amount of asbestos in their materials to make them sturdy and able to cope with weight. Thanks to the sturdiness and negligible quantity of asbestos utilised, if the cistern remains in a solid condition, it should not pose too much of a risk.

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6 – Makeup.

Asbestos ended up in makeup products because of poor regulation surrounding one of its main ingredients: cosmetic-grade talc (ie powder). Talc and asbestos both naturally occur together. During commercial talc mining, there is a risk of the powder being mixed with the asbestos that occurs naturally beside it.

If you are worried that you may have asbestos in your home, office or work place, doing the right thing and consult with experts.

There is more to making concrete than meets the eye. Ever wonder what the curing process means? This is an important part of the process for making strong, durable concrete but what does it involve and why does it need to happen?

When you add water to cement, a chemical reaction called hydration begins. Over time, this process of hydration of cement and water transforms into a calcium silicate hydrate compound. This is a fancy name for the glue that makes the cement stick together. It becomes a binding agent, holding the aggregate together and forming a hard, solid substance which we rely for our roads, walkways and buildings. Other compounds are also formed during this hydration process, but they do not increase the strength as calcium silicate compound does.

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Curing is needed to keep this important process of hydration. It maintains moisture levels deep in the concrete to allow the hydration process to continue. You would not imagine so much happens after concrete has been laid! If moisture and hydrated cement are present in the concrete, it will continue to harden, stronger and more solid. In short, curing is a method of keeping the cast concrete moist, so that the hydration process can continue.

Concrete continues to hydrate and it becomes less porous as it gets stronger. The reason this is important is that newly laid concrete is much more porous than older concrete, which has had longer to hydrate. The higher porosity of new concrete, the more moisture evaporates from the surface. It lowers the level of humidity inside is so important for hydration to continue. If the concrete dries too quickly, it will not be strong. That’s why you shouldn’t cover freshly cast concrete.

Concrete is not fully cured until the majority of the cement has been hydrated. It really can take months, or even years! Normally, concrete is cured just long enough for it to achieve the desired strength. Therefore, the time to cure depends on the concrete purpose. Temperature, mix design and strength needed are all factors that must be decided when starting development with concrete. For Kent Ready Mix Concrete, visit a site like VMC Ltd, leading suppliers of Kent Ready Mix Concrete

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Concrete that is needed more quickly will have a design mix adjusted to reflect this requirement. After all, the customer will not want to wait for months! Mix design can be adjusted to have a high initial strength, allowing the concrete to be cast, cured, processed and delivered within days. The construction grade concrete is designed to achieve a very high level of strength in less than a month. More sophisticated mixes can achieve the desired strength in just a few hours if necessary.

Temperature also has a significant impact on the cure time. Cold temperatures reach desired strength levels in a longer time than in warm conditions. Strength is very important in concrete as it is used to build some of our most important infrastructure. Weak concrete is dangerous because it can crack, soften or chip leaving structures vulnerable.

Purchasing a home can be a stressful and complex business, so let’s look at this with some useful tips on how to place a bid and become the winner.

Before you make an offer

During the initial meeting with the estate agent you choose, be clear and unequivocal about the amount you are prepared to spend and make it a little less than what you really can afford. Estate agents will often present at the top end of the budget, so this will put you into a good position from the beginning when it comes to negotiations. Continue reading Putting in an offer on the property →

Are you having building work done and the need scaffolding? The decision whether scaffolding is needed falls to the traders you employ, who can assess the risks and provide the relevant equipment. Much depends on the type of work being done and what level of risk is present.

All traders need to ensure that their workplace is safe, for them as well as homeowners. Should the need arise to work at height, they should lower the risk of falls by utilizing existing safe areas or installing scaffolding. An example of a trader who may need to use scaffolding includes roofers. Continue reading Rules about scaffolding on property →

Even though summer seems like such a long time away, it will be here before we know it. A pressure washer should be on your summer must-have list this year, as they are so good at helping you stay clean and tidy. Here is a look at the major benefits you could get by investing in a pressure washer in 2020. Continue reading Why a pressure washer should be your summer 2020 must-have →

Abandoned supermarket trolleys are a particular problem in rural areas, with lazy shoppers often not bothering to return them. This really is a scourge on our society, as abandoned trolleys can have a detrimental impact on the environment and be a hazard for pedestrians, drivers and wildlife. Thankfully, there are ways to tackle this growing problem. Continue reading How to resolve the problem of abandoned supermarket trolleys →

When we pack our children off to school in the morning, we assume that they will be safe. We should be able to go about our daily lives, not worrying whether our children are at risk. We trust that they are safe in the care of the school they attend. We trust that the headteacher, or the proprietor if the school is independent, have the measures in place to ensure that an adequate health and safety protocol is efficiently controlled.

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Keeping Our Children Safe

When we are thinking about protective surveillance London is one place that might well spring to mind. In recent times, the spike in knife crimes in Greater London has caught the attention of the local media and seems to be more in the news than out of it. A lot of these stories are involving children and teenagers. Safeguarding in schools is more important now than ever before.

The Government website details that an intrinsic part of the schooling experience is the safety and well-being of the children who attend the facility. The website clearly states that security must be maintained at all times. This not only keeps the attendees safe, but the staff, too. Measures must be maintained and periodically reviewed.

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Protective Surveillance

Surveillance cameras within classrooms have been used increasingly more in recent decades. This is not just for the safeguarding of children and teachers, but also for training purposes. The presence of these cameras has been shown to decrease bullying and even more serious crimes in schools.

For people who need protective surveillance in London, cameras may be a welcome addition in classrooms. They are an excellent tool to both deter criminal activity and record the people who vandalise our schools. Increasing the level of security may be a necessary measure some schools have to take in order to keep pupils safe. We hear stories of students being robbed and atrocious acts being carried out in the schools.

The Governing body Ofsted changed the way in which they inspect schools in September of 2019. In addition to focusing more on how the curriculum is taught, they are looking at safeguarding a lot more closely. How our children are kept safe has taken a much greater priority, and rightly so.

The aromatherapy market is more popular than ever. The popularity of using oils as part of a beauty regime has found its way to royalty, with the Duchess of Cambridge using a 100 percent natural face oil. Continue reading Are essential oils suitable for using on your face? →

The changing shape of “Formula one can be made safer, but it can never be made safe”. These are the words of Murray Walker a veteran of Formula one commentary who saw his fair share of incredible driving skills but also terrible accidents and incidents. The death of Aryton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger plus a horrendous crash at the start of the race which almost saw the very serious injury of Pedro Lamy and the severe injury to a spectator from a flying wheel following the incident, in one fateful weekend at Imola in 1993 brought back into sharp focus the inherent dangers in Formula one. They may have had to visit an Alloy Wheel Repair Bradford company afterward found on sites like  https://www.phat-wheels.co.uk/ Up to that point there had been no fatalities in the sport for over a decade. Just as the Formula One world starts to breathe a little easier something comes along to remind us what can happen. A new case in point is the very sad death of young French driver Max Biancchi. His spin off into a crane causing him fatal head injuries ushered in the new Halo system to protect the drivers. Continue reading The Formula one car keeps changing →