The homecare sector is struggling right now and so is the industry of private nursing. What’s interesting to know though is that some new research has been released and this has shown that those who sit and watch television for long periods of time are not only at risk of mental health issues, but also dementia. If you offer bespoke care packages or if you find that you work with social workers quite a lot then you may know that a lot of people who do this, do so because they are not able to do anything else. Researchers from a Californian university have come out to say that what people do when they are sat down, truly does matter. Passive activities, which can include sitting down to watch television really does increase your risk of developing a mental health issue. This is significantly higher than you would experience if you were sitting down reading or if you were sat at a computer.

Everyone knows from a lot of past studies that simply watching TV uses a very low level of muscle activity and it also uses less energy as well. Basic research has shown that reduced activity is actually linked to low levels of blood flow in the brain and this is very bad to say the least. Researchers are using a lot of self-reported data and they are also taking note of 500,000 people who are in the UK. They are trying to look at any possible correlations between sedentary leisure activity and dementia, especially when you look at older adults. Who knows what this research is going to mean in the future but at the end of the day, it looks like more has to be done to ensure that people are given the support that they need.