Simon Wheeler
@simonwheeler.bsky.social
Health information specialist working for leading UK dementia charity | Loves good science and good policy that changes lives |
I only engage with real people on here with real names so please don’t be offended if I block you.
#dementia #alzheimers
I only engage with real people on here with real names so please don’t be offended if I block you.
#dementia #alzheimers
Just came across this assertion by GP in an advanced decision discussion and wondered if it was a widely held position?
"...medics regard quality of life as, 'can he eat, can he drink, can he sleep, is he in a safe place and if the answer to all this is yes then he has a quality of life"
#dementia
"...medics regard quality of life as, 'can he eat, can he drink, can he sleep, is he in a safe place and if the answer to all this is yes then he has a quality of life"
#dementia
January 27, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Just came across this assertion by GP in an advanced decision discussion and wondered if it was a widely held position?
"...medics regard quality of life as, 'can he eat, can he drink, can he sleep, is he in a safe place and if the answer to all this is yes then he has a quality of life"
#dementia
"...medics regard quality of life as, 'can he eat, can he drink, can he sleep, is he in a safe place and if the answer to all this is yes then he has a quality of life"
#dementia
Interesting finding of post-mortem evidence of CTE and vascular dementia with only likely exposure being professional football.
Heading football 'likely' to have contributed to death of former Man Utd star, coroner finds
The central defender, who won 30 international caps for Scotland, died at his home in North Yorkshire in 2023 aged 70.
news.sky.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Interesting finding of post-mortem evidence of CTE and vascular dementia with only likely exposure being professional football.
This is honestly really nice to see. Not my bag, of course, but UK politics has sorely missed people like this since the Brexit Wars.
Former Tory heavyweights launch new centre-right movement ft.trib.al/OdKoLhu
Former Tory heavyweights launch new centre-right movement
Prosper UK aims to pull Conservative party back to middle ground and counter rise of Reform UK
ft.trib.al
January 26, 2026 at 4:15 PM
This is honestly really nice to see. Not my bag, of course, but UK politics has sorely missed people like this since the Brexit Wars.
Reposted by Simon Wheeler
"A competent autocrat selects his enemies with skill. Trump’s Achilles Heel is that he gets worse at this with experience." Me on his administration's darkly comical and profoundly inept depiction of Pretti and Good as terrorists. Free to read. as.ft.com/r/60a0a558-2...
ICE and America’s flailing autocrat
[FREE TO READ] Easily discredited propaganda is undermining Trump’s assault on the constitution
as.ft.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:49 PM
"A competent autocrat selects his enemies with skill. Trump’s Achilles Heel is that he gets worse at this with experience." Me on his administration's darkly comical and profoundly inept depiction of Pretti and Good as terrorists. Free to read. as.ft.com/r/60a0a558-2...
Expanding this out to ask if there are any US veterans organisations that have PTSD support groups for people living with #dementia - and who might be willing to include veterans from other countries - e.g. those who fought in Vietnam.
Looking at VA website it doesn't look like it, but elsewhere?
Looking at VA website it doesn't look like it, but elsewhere?
Requesting information about MH support for UK veterans with #dementia who need treatment for PTSD.
Any services or resources?
OpCourage rejected referral due to dementia (early stage AD, still driving and taking themselves to the gym).
Signposted to OPMH, but access is not great.
Suggestions?
Any services or resources?
OpCourage rejected referral due to dementia (early stage AD, still driving and taking themselves to the gym).
Signposted to OPMH, but access is not great.
Suggestions?
January 26, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Expanding this out to ask if there are any US veterans organisations that have PTSD support groups for people living with #dementia - and who might be willing to include veterans from other countries - e.g. those who fought in Vietnam.
Looking at VA website it doesn't look like it, but elsewhere?
Looking at VA website it doesn't look like it, but elsewhere?
Reposted by Simon Wheeler
LOL THIS GUY GOT HIT IN HIS OWN FACE WITH KICKBACK FROM HIS LAUNCHER LOL
Minneapolis, MN (going backwards a bit. My camera isn’t frozen shut anymore yay!)
The FPS agent pointing a “less lethal” launcher that responded first had visible injuries; trying to look through my footage but blood visible in face and hand.
The FPS agent pointing a “less lethal” launcher that responded first had visible injuries; trying to look through my footage but blood visible in face and hand.
January 26, 2026 at 12:07 PM
LOL THIS GUY GOT HIT IN HIS OWN FACE WITH KICKBACK FROM HIS LAUNCHER LOL
Reposted by Simon Wheeler
They weren't kidding when they chose the name Reform were they?
January 26, 2026 at 12:21 PM
They weren't kidding when they chose the name Reform were they?
I don't say this very often, but the Daily Mail's YouTube channel has done a really nice video on cognitive reserve, with my boss Tim Beanland as special guest.
18 minutes long with a really high reading age level. Hopefully viewers won't switch over after 4 minutes!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDYx...
18 minutes long with a really high reading age level. Hopefully viewers won't switch over after 4 minutes!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDYx...
ChatGPT has cooked your brain. Here's how you fix it.
YouTube video by Daily Mail Lifestyle
www.youtube.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:25 AM
I don't say this very often, but the Daily Mail's YouTube channel has done a really nice video on cognitive reserve, with my boss Tim Beanland as special guest.
18 minutes long with a really high reading age level. Hopefully viewers won't switch over after 4 minutes!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDYx...
18 minutes long with a really high reading age level. Hopefully viewers won't switch over after 4 minutes!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDYx...
@skynewsrss.bsky.social is so much better than BBC News these days. Like the @ftedit.ft.com and other decent news sources, they report factually without opinion or hyperbole but they don’t lead with federal talking points! It is possible, even in 2026.
news.sky.com/video/share-...
news.sky.com/video/share-...
'Informal investigation' at scene of fatal ICE shooting
'What people can see and what the federal government is saying do not match.'
news.sky.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:45 AM
@skynewsrss.bsky.social is so much better than BBC News these days. Like the @ftedit.ft.com and other decent news sources, they report factually without opinion or hyperbole but they don’t lead with federal talking points! It is possible, even in 2026.
news.sky.com/video/share-...
news.sky.com/video/share-...
Mate, seriously. Don’t lead with health outcomes comparisons. It will not end well for you. Also, medical bankruptcy is not a thing in Greenland.
Waltz: "Denmark has ignored Greenland from a defense standpoint and they have ignored the Greenlandic native iniut people ... if you get a cancer diagnosis in Greenland right now, it's darn near a death sentence. Denmark has not invested in the way it should've over the years."
January 25, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Mate, seriously. Don’t lead with health outcomes comparisons. It will not end well for you. Also, medical bankruptcy is not a thing in Greenland.
If anyone is thinking that non-apology was somehow a gesture of respect for UK armed forces, it was clearly all about Trump wanting to play Kings and Castles. Utterly pathetic and if he does come he should be booed back to the other side of the Atlantic. National interest be damned.
I don’t think Trump’s hasty “correcting of the record” on the bravery of British troops in Afghanistan is enough to allow the King’s visit to the US to go ahead. This message needs to get to both our government and the Palace.
January 25, 2026 at 9:03 AM
If anyone is thinking that non-apology was somehow a gesture of respect for UK armed forces, it was clearly all about Trump wanting to play Kings and Castles. Utterly pathetic and if he does come he should be booed back to the other side of the Atlantic. National interest be damned.
Reposted by Simon Wheeler
Just so we're clear, and so a tiny handful of wankers online don't create the wrong impression, the vast majority of your European friends are incredibly impressed by Minnesotans' courage against both the ice and ICE.
January 24, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Just so we're clear, and so a tiny handful of wankers online don't create the wrong impression, the vast majority of your European friends are incredibly impressed by Minnesotans' courage against both the ice and ICE.
Reposted by Simon Wheeler
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests
Exclusive: German research into responses to health queries raises fresh questions about summaries seen by 2bn people a month
• How the ‘confident authority’ of AI Overviews is putting public health at risk
Google’s search feature AI Overviews cites YouTube more than any medical website when answering queries about health conditions, according to research that raises fresh questions about a tool seen by 2 billion people each month.
The company has said its AI summaries, which appear at the top of search results and use generative AI to answer questions from users, are “reliable” and cite reputable medical sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mayo Clinic. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests
Apologies, it was Betfred:
Next up, our exclusive interview in which the CEO of Ladbrokes says that Britain can't afford to lose any more bookmakers.
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has warned that the business will struggle to cope with Rachel Reeves’s tax rises. Britain can’t afford to lose any more pubs | Niall Gooch
January 23, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Apologies, it was Betfred:
Next up, our exclusive interview in which the CEO of Ladbrokes says that Britain can't afford to lose any more bookmakers.
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has warned that the business will struggle to cope with Rachel Reeves’s tax rises. Britain can’t afford to lose any more pubs | Niall Gooch
Wetherspoons is the last refuge of everyday Britain
When I stay overnight in London for work, I often have my dinner in Wetherspoons. As well as the cheap beer and the hearty no-nonsense food, it offers excellent opportunities for people-watching. All…
unherd.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Next up, our exclusive interview in which the CEO of Ladbrokes says that Britain can't afford to lose any more bookmakers.
Reposted by Simon Wheeler
Comparing registrations to published papers is essential to research integrity - and almost no one does it routinely because it's slow, messy, and time-demanding.
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck
RegCheck is an AI tool to compare preregistrations with papers instantly.
regcheck.app
January 22, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Comparing registrations to published papers is essential to research integrity - and almost no one does it routinely because it's slow, messy, and time-demanding.
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
Tottenham supports can relate.
Vance on the economy:
"You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
"You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
January 22, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Tottenham supports can relate.
Very, very strong "Are we the baddies?" vibes coming from the inaugural members of the Board of Peace.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Trump’s board of peace is an imperial court completely unlike what was proposed
The US president’s global club was endorsed by the security council on a false prospectus and seems aimed at displacing the United Nations
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 12:12 PM
Very, very strong "Are we the baddies?" vibes coming from the inaugural members of the Board of Peace.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Simon Wheeler
Influencers promoting 'overwhelmingly' misleading information about medical tests www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
From study: "...social media posts on medical tests with potential for overdiagnosis or overuse may be overwhelmingly misleading & fail to mention potential harms..."
So many harms.
From study: "...social media posts on medical tests with potential for overdiagnosis or overuse may be overwhelmingly misleading & fail to mention potential harms..."
So many harms.
Influencers promoting ‘overwhelmingly’ misleading information about medical tests on social media
Influencers have been found to be promoting “overwhelmingly” misleading information about medical tests on Instagram and TikTok in a global University of Sydney-led study.
www.sydney.edu.au
January 21, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Influencers promoting 'overwhelmingly' misleading information about medical tests www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...
From study: "...social media posts on medical tests with potential for overdiagnosis or overuse may be overwhelmingly misleading & fail to mention potential harms..."
So many harms.
From study: "...social media posts on medical tests with potential for overdiagnosis or overuse may be overwhelmingly misleading & fail to mention potential harms..."
So many harms.
Requesting information about MH support for UK veterans with #dementia who need treatment for PTSD.
Any services or resources?
OpCourage rejected referral due to dementia (early stage AD, still driving and taking themselves to the gym).
Signposted to OPMH, but access is not great.
Suggestions?
Any services or resources?
OpCourage rejected referral due to dementia (early stage AD, still driving and taking themselves to the gym).
Signposted to OPMH, but access is not great.
Suggestions?
January 21, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Requesting information about MH support for UK veterans with #dementia who need treatment for PTSD.
Any services or resources?
OpCourage rejected referral due to dementia (early stage AD, still driving and taking themselves to the gym).
Signposted to OPMH, but access is not great.
Suggestions?
Any services or resources?
OpCourage rejected referral due to dementia (early stage AD, still driving and taking themselves to the gym).
Signposted to OPMH, but access is not great.
Suggestions?
Q for #dementia clinicians: have you come across cases where someone has frequent bouts of hyperactivity + agitation for ~24 hours (common), BUT then basically collapses into unconsciousness that is very difficult to be woken from?
History of stroke.
Brainstem, sleep/wake arousal state haywire?
History of stroke.
Brainstem, sleep/wake arousal state haywire?
January 21, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Q for #dementia clinicians: have you come across cases where someone has frequent bouts of hyperactivity + agitation for ~24 hours (common), BUT then basically collapses into unconsciousness that is very difficult to be woken from?
History of stroke.
Brainstem, sleep/wake arousal state haywire?
History of stroke.
Brainstem, sleep/wake arousal state haywire?
Interesting discussion about the moral failure of needing GLP-1 agonists to lose weight, our society's obsession with food as health, and our need to particularly focus these conversations at women.
Not throwing shade on Katie - she's made decisions that are right for her - but I don't think the Times has done a single piece from someone going "actually the GLP-1 drugs are fucking great; I've dropped three stone and I can get up a flight of stairs without feeling as if I'm going to die".
Katie Glass spent years on yo-yo diets before trying Ozempic and Mounjaro — twice losing 2st and spending hundreds in the process. So why has she now given up her attempts to slim?
January 21, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Interesting discussion about the moral failure of needing GLP-1 agonists to lose weight, our society's obsession with food as health, and our need to particularly focus these conversations at women.
Reposted by Simon Wheeler
I think part of the reason everyone is so blown away by this Carney speech is it's so long since we heard an actual grown-up articulate serious thoughts about the world. Empty vessels have been making a lot of noise
Mark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.
The Carney doctrine
Open comment thread on the PM's Davos speech
paulwells.substack.com
January 21, 2026 at 11:28 AM
I think part of the reason everyone is so blown away by this Carney speech is it's so long since we heard an actual grown-up articulate serious thoughts about the world. Empty vessels have been making a lot of noise
Groucho Marx comes to mind. No non-dictator will touch this with a barge pole now.
BREAKING: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation from United States President Donald Trump to join the “Board of Peace” aje.news/hw7tfo
January 21, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Groucho Marx comes to mind. No non-dictator will touch this with a barge pole now.