Latest news with #MarieCurie
Sky News
9 hours ago
- General
- Sky News
'Breaking point' as people in last 12 months of life occupy 'almost a fifth of Welsh hospital beds'
People in the last 12 months of their life occupy "almost a fifth of Welsh hospital beds", according to a end of life care charity. Marie Curie Cymru says end of life care in Wales is "at breaking point" and is calling on the next Welsh government to ensure high-quality care. The charity says that, for many, support could be better provided at home or close to home, as it launched its manifesto for next year's Senedd election at Cardiff Bay's Norwegian Church on Tuesday. Gareth Miles died at home in Llanddarog, Carmarthenshire, in September 2023. Mr Miles, who had Parkinson's disease, had spent 10 weeks in hospital before his last week. His daughters, Branwen, Eiry and Elen, are calling for better care at home for those who have a palliative or end-of-life care condition. "Once [her father] was in hospital, even though he was better after 10 days, he couldn't be discharged because he lost the care package," she said. "He was being supported by carers twice a day because of his Parkinson's and his arthritis, and without the carers, we would have been unable to care for him ourselves. "So he spent a long time in hospital, waiting for a care package to be reinstated and, while he was there, his condition deteriorated." While calling for "better links" between health and social care, Mrs Miles said the support from Marie Curie was "invaluable". "Without their support, my father would have been stuck in hospital and his death would have been very painful for all of us, in quite a distressing environment," she added. 'Surrounded by his family' Remembering her father fondly, she said he was a "great person" with a "very fulfilling life". "He saw himself as a very lucky man because, as well as being able to do a job that he loved, he also had family and friends that loved him," she added. "So it was just very sad then that he spent the end of his life in those circumstances. "But luckily, we were able to bring him home and he had what he would call a good death in the end, surrounded by his family. "My intention through sharing this just to hopefully raise awareness of the issue and hopefully make sure that other people are aware of the support that they have." Natasha Davies, senior policy manager for Marie Curie Cymru, told Sky News the palliative and end of life care system in Wales was at "breaking point" and "under immense pressure". "The result of that is that too many people are not able to access the care and the support that they need, when they need it, where they need it," she said. "I think what those experiences show us is the profound impact that getting this right can have, not just on the person who's terminally ill, but also on those close to them." Ms Davies acknowledged hospital would be "the right and best place" for some people to receive their care. "But for others, we know that those hospital admissions, particularly via emergency department, could be reduced or avoided," she added. The Welsh government said: "Good palliative and end of life care can make a huge difference to those with life-limiting illness, helping them to die with dignity, and help the grieving process for those left behind. "We provide more than £16m a year to make sure everyone has access to the best possible end of life care. This includes setting national standards, boosting community services and ensuring people receive the support they need. "We are working with health boards and local authorities, supported by monthly discharge data, to improve the safe discharge of patients from hospital. This applies equally to people requiring end of life care."
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
People 'dying in pain due to end-of-life care gaps'
People are living their final days "isolated, in pain and struggling to make ends meet" due to gaps in end-of-life care, a leading charity has said. Marie Curie said one in five hospital beds in Wales were occupied by people in the last year of their lives and "bold, radical" action was needed for services which were at "breaking point". One family said they had to fight to ensure their 85-year-old father could die peacefully at home rather than in a hospital ward. The Welsh government said it provided more than £16m a year to ensure people had access to the best possible end-of-life care. Man fulfils dying wish accompanying daughter down aisle 'We cherish moment our mum's dying wish came true' While the charity said a hospital setting is the best possible place for many palliative care patients, many want to spend their final days at home or in the community. Gareth Miles, 85, spent 10 weeks on a ward his family felt did not meet the needs of an older man living with Parkinson's disease. His daughter Eiry Miles said: "There were very lovely staff working on the ward, they were very kind to us, but he [Mr Miles] was in the wrong place. "When we realised that Dad's life was coming to an end, we wanted conversations with him, quiet conversations. We wanted to express our feelings, express our love for him." Despite a "great" social worker also recognising home was the best place for Mr Miles, the family said a lack of carers in the community meant he was unable to return. "This situation clearly shows that there are not enough carers, that the profession is not funded sufficiently," added Ms Miles. With the help of Marie Curie , Mr Miles eventually returned to his family home in Carmarthenshire, which his family described as "priceless". Ms Miles added: "When Dad came home there was a change in him straight away, a peaceful feeling. "When he laid on the bed at home, he just said 'oh, dyma braf' – 'this is nice' in Welsh - because it was just quiet and peaceful, there was birdsong outside and people he knew around him." Mr Miles died four days later in his home, exactly where he wanted to be. Marie Curie said gaps in care meant "too many people are spending their final days isolated, in pain, and struggling to make ends meet". "End of life care in Wales is at breaking point," said Senior Policy Manager Natasha Davies. "Services and staff are struggling to deliver the care people need, when and where they need it. There is an urgent need for change." The charity recognised while hospital was the best place for many palliative care patients, better community and out-of-hours care would allow people to be cared for in their homes. "It also means having meaningful conversations with dying people about their care preferences, so their wishes are heard and respected," added Ms Davies. The Welsh government said good palliative and end-of-life care could make a "huge difference" to helping people die with dignity. It said it provided more than £16m a year to make sure people had access to the best possible end-of-life care, including setting national standards and boosting community services.
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
End-of-life care in Wales 'at breaking point', says Marie Curie
People are living their final days "isolated, in pain and struggling to make ends meet" due to gaps in end-of-life care, a leading charity has said. Marie Curie said one in five hospital beds in Wales were occupied by people in the last year of their lives and "bold, radical" action was needed for services which were at "breaking point". One family said they had to fight to ensure their 85-year-old father could die peacefully at home rather than in a hospital ward. The Welsh government said it provided more than £16m a year to ensure people had access to the best possible end-of-life care. While the charity said a hospital setting is the best possible place for many palliative care patients, many want to spend their final days at home or in the community. Gareth Miles, 85, spent 10 weeks on a ward his family felt did not meet the needs of an older man living with Parkinson's disease. His daughter Eiry Miles said: "There were very lovely staff working on the ward, they were very kind to us, but he [Mr Miles] was in the wrong place."When we realised that Dad's life was coming to an end, we wanted conversations with him, quiet conversations. We wanted to express our feelings, express our love for him."Despite a "great" social worker also recognising home was the best place for Mr Miles, the family said a lack of carers in the community meant he was unable to return. "This situation clearly shows that there are not enough carers, that the profession is not funded sufficiently," added Ms Miles. With the help of Marie Curie , Mr Miles eventually returned to his family home in Carmarthenshire, which his family described as "priceless". Ms Miles added: "When Dad came home there was a change in him straight away, a peaceful feeling."When he laid on the bed at home, he just said 'oh, dyma braf' – 'this is nice' in Welsh - because it was just quiet and peaceful, there was birdsong outside and people he knew around him."Mr Miles died four days later in his home, exactly where he wanted to be. Marie Curie said gaps in care meant "too many people are spending their final days isolated, in pain, and struggling to make ends meet". "End of life care in Wales is at breaking point," said Senior Policy Manager Natasha Davies."Services and staff are struggling to deliver the care people need, when and where they need it. There is an urgent need for change."The charity recognised while hospital was the best place for many palliative care patients, better community and out-of-hours care would allow people to be cared for in their homes."It also means having meaningful conversations with dying people about their care preferences, so their wishes are heard and respected," added Ms Davies. The Welsh government said good palliative and end-of-life care could make a "huge difference" to helping people die with dignity. It said it provided more than £16m a year to make sure people had access to the best possible end-of-life care, including setting national standards and boosting community services.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Space travel is queer': the unstoppable film-maker skewering Bezos and Musk's macho fantasies
'She's a great inspiration,' says Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, picking up a photo she keeps in her wildly decorated office of the scientist Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel prize and also the first person to win one twice. 'I pick people that really inspire me. Partners in crime. When a project is difficult, I think, 'What would Marie Curie have done? What would Hannah Arendt have done?' Hahaha.' She talks mile-a-minute, finishing sentences with a laugh as she speaks to me in her office, which could well be the best one in London: an old, graffiti-covered tube carriage plonked on top of the roof of a Shoreditch nightclub, with views over the city. Its interior is loud and colourful: posters and flyers plaster the walls, while the floor is a trippy swirl of purples and pinks. And, propped up on her desk, is that photo of Curie. Having done projects for Nasa, Porsche, Lego and Nike, Ben Hayoun-Stépanian's role is artist, activist and creative director all rolled into one. Not that she cares for labels: at a push, she will describe herself as a 'designer of experiences'. In March, she installed a 'cosmic playground' in London's West End, placing asteroid-shaped rocks in Piccadilly Circus as well as giant inflatable fluorescent cats (not any old cats, but Schrödinger's cats, for students of quantum physics). She has also sent heartbeats into space, bouncing them off the moon. Ben Hayoun-Stépanian is fascinated by space and in 2012 co-founded an orchestra of scientists at Nasa. The International Space Orchestra has performed with Sigur Rós, Beck and Damon Albarn. The idea behind it is typical of her mantra of 'challenging power structures' and inspiring people to think differently. 'The orchestra created a counterculture in Nasa. You have the head of Nasa playing the gong and a new astronaut playing percussion. They can speak about what went wrong in the space programme. Suddenly, they are having a conversation about why we are doing what we are doing.' And don't get her started on the education system. In 2017, frustrated with the status quo, she set up the University of the Underground. It's a non-tuition-fee-paying university run from the basements of nightclubs (past lecturers include Pussy Riot and Noam Chomsky). She has also directed five feature films – the latest, Doppelgängers³, is being shown next week as part of the London incarnation of the SXSW (South by Southwest) festival. It may be difficult to pin down exactly what she does, but she does a lot. Films do loom large, though. Ben Hayoun-Stépanian's tube carriage is also an Aladdin's cave of props from her films and projects. There's a giant foam strawberry on one shelf, a comedy oversized telephone on another. And is that Barbie above the desk? 'Yeah! That is me!' The Barbie is indeed a mini Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, wearing her trademark boilersuit and red lipstick. The toy manufacturer Mattel made her the doll after she consulted on its I Can Be range of Barbies which gave the toys proper jobs. 'This was way before Barbie was considered cool, way before the Barbie film. These big companies – sometimes it's hard for them to agitate from within. So they invite people like me. My whole work is also about representation, making sure voices are being heard.' Ben Hayoun-Stépanian is entertaining company. But we are meant to be talking about Doppelgängers³, which explores the future of space. After working in the space industry, she has come to believe that we have learned nothing from history, that humans may be doomed to repeat the mistakes we made on Earth in space: the same old western exploitation, the same old colonialism. Take the billionaire space race. Elon Musk's mission is to populate Mars with a human colony, while Jeff Bezos wants to move heavy polluting industries to space. 'These two, their visions are getting the most media space. But I find they are problematic. And I find they are lacking originality.' If space exploration is now the preserve of the 1%, Doppelgängers³ imagines a new vision: less heteronormative, less patriarchal. It's a film pinging with so many ideas, I don't know where to start, I say. She nods vigorously. 'It's polyphonic. That's really the way my brain functions. It's the way I do things. The idea that you could compartmentalise knowledge just doesn't make sense to me. You can't dissociate biology from physics or from literature or culture. All are parts of the same ecosystem, which is the cosmos!' She adds: 'Space, to me, is not a luxury. It's not entertainment. It is a critical experiment – the ultimate test of what kinds of societies we are capable of imagining.' Her film is very funny, funnier than it sounds on paper. Ben Hayoun-Stépanian travels the world talking to experts: she interviews pioneering astronomer Jill Tarter, a neurogeneticist, an economist, a transgender activist and a quantum physicist. Some conversations reach Louis Theroux heights of randomness. When she visits the political theorist Uday Singh Mehta, he rolls her up like a burrito in a massive rug on the floor. Nothing is scripted. 'I don't want to come with a preconceived idea of how things are going to go,' she explains. Besides, she can always tell when it's time to leave: 'I know when someone is going to throw me out.' The film gets its name from the two doppelgangers Ben Hayoun-Stépanian hires to accompany her on an 'analogue mission', a practice run for space travel here on Earth. Her doppelgangers are Lucia, an Armenian, and Myriam, an Algerian. The three women travel to a cave in Spain to take part in a simulation of a space mission. Wearing cumbersome astronaut suits, gripping a rope handrail, they descend into the cave. The whole thing looks terrifying. 'I'm so glad you could see that! I genuinely thought that was the most dangerous thing I've done in my life.' The idea behind hiring doppelgangers was partly inspired by Ben Hayoun-Stépanian's fascination with quantum physics. She is also interested in intergenerational trauma – how emotional pain can be transmitted from parent to child. Ben Hayoun-Stépanian is French, of Armenian and Algerian heritage; both countries have painful colonial histories. Her project resulted in the first academic paper on intergenerational trauma and decolonial futures in space. Ben Hayoun-Stépanian grew up in Valence in south-eastern France. Her grandfather was a member of the committee of French Armenians who lobbied the French government to formally recognise the Armenian genocide of 1915-16. 'I was maybe 13 or 14. I remember [the campaign] quite well.' It was only in recent years that she thought of her grandfather as an activist. She wonders if she was politicised by him. Growing up, the family had a textile business and her first degree (among many) was in textile design. She then moved to Tokyo, designing kimonos and making jewellery (a hit with Yakuza gangsters). In Ben Hayoun-Stépanian's mind, space exploration forces us to reimagine everything. 'It's queer. It's decolonial. It's pluralistic.' We need to let go of the binaries and borders, she says. Since her film premiered at Sundance last year, Donald Trump ordered Nasa to close its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 'It's devastating. You can't just think of people as minorities. Actually, there is a direct value in bringing them into the room because, in space mission design, they bring a different way of functioning and thinking. I am making a case, which is a scientific case, for it.' Pussy Riot contributed music to the film, and Ben Hayoun-Stépanian is friends with the band's co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova. They met when they were both speaking at a conference. 'These diplomat dudes were running after Nadya, like, 'Oh my god, we want to take your picture.' I was sitting next to her in my big black bomber jacket. They all thought I was her security. Nadya is a force to be reckoned with. For me, she is the definition of courage. Me, I risk power structures. I annoy them. But I never get to a point where I'm going to go in jail. I always work with lawyers. I know what I can do, what I cannot do. Nadya has been put in jail. It's another level. I wouldn't go that far, you know?' I ask Ben Hayoun-Stépanian if she gets resistance walking into institutions such as Nasa looking as she does? 'Always!' she says cheerily. 'There is always a moment where when I arrive in the room and people are like, 'What is this?'' Her look today is head-to-toe snakeskin print, huge hoop earrings and neon green nails. Is she comfortable with conflict? A nod. 'There is always conflict, but conflict is part of the process. Conflict is never a state that remains.' I ask her if there's anything else I should ask. 'I am turning 40 on 27 May. Haha. My mom told me to tell you this.' OK. And what about your next film? 'Ha! My next film is even more mad.' Doppelgängers³ screens on 2 and 7 June at Rich Mix, London, as part of SXSW.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Trusted courier' jailed over Londonderry cannabis haul
A man described in court as a "trusted courier" has been jailed for two years after being found with more than four kilos of cannabis in his Chan, 38, from Creswick Avenue, Essex, pleaded guilty at Londonderry Crown Court on discovered eight vacuum bags of cannabis in his car when it was stopped on the Culmore Road in Derry on 4 August Judge Neil Rafferty said: "It is quite clear he was acting in the role of a trusted courier making deliveries to known people throughout the island of Ireland." The court was told police also found four handwritten lists of addresses in Northern Ireland and in Galway and Dublin, in the Republic of judge also ordered that £300 found inside the car should be donated to the local branch of Marie Curie. 'No previous convictions' Judge Rafferty said Chan, who has been in custody since his arrest, had previously lived in Ballymena, County Antrim, and Holywood in County court was told Chan had previously worked on oil rigs and who opened a shop when he moved to became involved in supplying drugs after he was forced to close his shop due to the economic Rafferty said the defendant had become a delivery driver for drugs gangs."He had no drugs issues himself and never used drugs and had no previous convictions until he pleaded guilty to this criminality," the judge added.
