Supermarket Asda is to roll out a scheme piloted in Merseyside which penalises shoppers found abusing priority parking spaces. People who park in disabled bays without displaying a blue badge will be fined £60, as will those using mother and baby spaces without young children.
A new study has confirmed that people with arthritis who follow a set exercise programme could enjoy a better quality of life. Researchers from the University of North Carolina in the US published their study in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. The trial involved 346 patients with an average age of 70 who had self-reported arthritis.
New research has suggested that having uncommonly long ring fingers could indicate a person is at greater risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. A study of more than 2,000 people, published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, suggests that people whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger are up to twice as likely to suffer from OA.
Having too little vitamin D has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, a US study has found. The Harvard Medical School team said the risk was particularly high for those who also had high blood pressure.
Up to three million people with disabilities in the UK could be trapped in poverty, a report has suggested. The study by campaigning group Leonard Cheshire Disability says disabled people are more likely to live in hardship now than a decade ago.
The library of a classical scholar is being auctioned in Dorset to raise money for disabled children. Duke's auctioneers in Dorchester said funds from Dr David Vessey's 8,000-book collection will help to start the charity Advocates for Children.
