A Camping for Residents with Dementia Helps Them Get Through the Summer
For many elderly people with dementia, a vacation is no longer an option. Employees at the Brinkhoef care center came up with a solution, writes RTV Utrecht. This week, employees set up a ‘camping at home’ in French style, complete with tents, badminton rackets, and baguettes.
Employees hope to provide residents with a pleasant summer. Memories of old vacations are evoked, people dance to Aux Champs-Elysée, and there is a pub quiz with images such as the Eiffel Tower.
Although it is a bit of a “fake camping” according to one resident – there is not really a swimming pool around the corner, as indicated on signs – it does the elderly good. “Every time I see that tent, I have to think of camping in my youth,” says a resident. In addition, residents do not have to sleep on mats, but can simply go to their own “soft bed” at night.
Last week Germany was central. The next imaginary trip is to Austria.
Tiny Gecko Species Makes a Comeback on Galapagos Islands
Scientists confirm that a tiny gecko species has returned to the Galapagos Islands. Until now, experts only knew of the existence of the eight-centimeter-long animal through thousands of years of old fossils.
In 2011, a nature restoration project started on the archipelago. Part of this was the distribution of poisoned bait to combat rats, which originally did not belong on the islands. These rats preyed on vulnerable animals and disrupted the ecosystem. The project was a success and in 2012 a photo was taken where the gecko was supposedly standing, but it was lost. Research has now shown that the Phyllodactylus has actually made its return.
“The return of the gecko illustrates the enormous power of nature to heal itself,” says program manager Paula Castaño of the conservation team. “If you restore the balance in the ecosystem, it can spring back quickly.”
East Timor Declared Malaria-Free
East Timor has been officially declared free of malaria by the World Health Organization (WHO). This makes it the 48th country to receive that status and only the third in Southeast Asia.
Since the country became independent from Indonesia in 2002, it has focused on combating the disease. In 2006, there was still a peak in the country with more than 200,000 cases of malaria. No patients have been registered since 2021.
“East Timor’s success shows that malaria can be stopped if sufficient political will, smart measures and sustained commitment are provided,” said WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Never-Before-Seen Images of Ocean Filmed
Chinese researchers have filmed never-before-seen parts of the ocean. At a depth of 9 kilometers, they discovered fields full of sea life.
The researchers found beds of shellfish, carpets of bacteria and fields of tube worms, according to the BBC. They call the abundance of animals they saw through the windows of their submarine “astonishing”.
At that depth, no sunlight reaches ocean life. It is fed by chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide and methane, which are released through cracks and fissures in the earth’s crust.
Previously, researchers did not reach deeper than 8.3 kilometers.