Every parent knows getting children to eat their five a day is a task and a half. But a new smartphone game could help parents out in the age-old quest to make veggies more appealing to kids. The idea behind the app, called Vegetable Maths Masters, is to use 'simple psychology' to encourage youngsters to think about fruit and veg in a more positive light. It gets kids counting veg - so it's educational too (could this get ANY better?) To play the game, children must choose a character to feed vegetables too. When fed the character becomes happy and animated and gives positive feedback. GENIUS I hear you cry. Mirror Online reports it's designed to expose 3-7 year olds to vegetables through maths to stop kids rejecting vegetables on sight. The game was created by a team of psychologists at Aston University. Dr Claire Farrow of Aston University said: “We have developed an app which draws on psychological research to integrate different methods known to increase interest in … [Read more...] about New smartphone app trains kids to eat their greens
Health
Police called after autistic man refuses to leave leisure centre
The sister of a severely autistic man has called for increased awareness of the issue after police were called to Leicester Leys Leisure Centre when he refused to leave. Leah Hodges brother Jordan lives in a care home and has two carers with him at all times when he goes out. In order to go anywhere new, 17-year-old Leah explains, the carers and the family have to take small steps and build up to the visit so that the whole experience isn't too overwhelming for him. It takes a long time and plenty of patience for Leah, her family and Jordan's carers to build up Jordan's confidence for a trip out. Why did the family go to Leicester Leys? Prior to the visit to Leicester Leys, the family decided it would be lovely for Jordan to visit a water park. Leah explained "To build up to the visit to the water park, we have to take Jordan on short trips to get used to the environment. "If this doesn't happen, then the trip would not happen. "As a water park is so big and could cause a lot of … [Read more...] about Police called after autistic man refuses to leave leisure centre
How well does your doctors’ surgery rate in the GP Patient Survey?
New Ottershaw Surgery is the top doctors' practice in Surrey and one of the best in England, according to the latest GP Patient Survey findings. The 2018 findings have been released by NHS England. The survey is a huge poll involving more than a million people a year. It covers everything from the trust patients have in their doctor, to the attitude of reception staff and how easy it is to get an appointment. Surrey Live’s data team has crunched the numbers in seven key areas: how easy it is to get an appointment, whether opening times are convenient, whether people trust the GP, whether the GP listens to them, whether the GP treats them with care and concern, whether receptionists are helpful, and how patients rate their overall experience. Read More More news about GPs in Surrey It turns out the best surgery in Surrey, and one of the top 50 in England, is the New Ottershaw Surgery. Nearly 96% of patients said they were treated with care and concern, while 99% said the GP … [Read more...] about How well does your doctors’ surgery rate in the GP Patient Survey?
Plymouth care home in talks over possible closure
A Plymouth care home could possibly close following a 'recruitment crisis' of registered nurses. St Vincent's, a private nursing home in Plympton, provides care and accommodation for up to 25 older people, some of which need nursing care. But because they've not been able to secure the staff they need, the home has had to enter a consultation period. A statement from St Vincent's read: "Sadly, due to the unavailability of Registered Nurses (RNs) due to the current recruitment crisis within the health sector for RNs, we have had no option but to enter a 30 day consultation period to consider the future of St Vincent’s, with closure a possible outcome. "We have informed the local authority and health commissioners of the on-going consultation. We will continue to work with all relevant groups and teams to ensure that all avenues are considered throughout this period of consultation, and of course to ensure the on-going needs of our residents are met. "The management team, trustees … [Read more...] about Plymouth care home in talks over possible closure
‘Don’t let another child die like Sean’
Sean Hughes was only 15 when he suddenly lost consciousness while watching television with his mother as he was getting over a flu-like chest infection. Despite the efforts of his father and a team of ambulance paramedics to resuscitate him, he died in Temple Street Hospital. Sean's family is now calling for a nationwide awareness campaign about sepsis and its symptoms. They want the HSE and health professionals to include new protocols in their diagnosis procedures so that any cases of the killer condition can be picked up as early as possible. Around 3,000 people a year die from sepsis in Ireland. It claims more lives than heart attacks, breast cancer or lung cancer, and can kill a healthy person within 12 hours. Remembering the time leading up to Sean's collapse in his Finglas home on January 11, his parents Karen and Joe said their youngest child had been sick with flu-like symptoms which led to a chest infection. "He hadn't been well but he'd had colds and chest infections before … [Read more...] about ‘Don’t let another child die like Sean’