Residents praise for MHA care homes in national survey
Residents at MHA care homes are celebrating the results of a nationwide survey of care home residents after one of its homes scored a perfect 1,000 out of 1,000. Top scorer Mayfields Care Home in Ellesmere Port achieved a perfect 1,000 out of 1,000, while Willesden Court Care Home in London got 985 and Bankhouse Care Home and Lower Johnshill Care Home, both in Auchlochan Garden Village in Lanarkshire, got 978 and 977 respectively, meaning the residents highly rate the standard of care they receive. Now in its sixth year, the Your Care Rating survey is the country’s largest and most authoritative survey of care home residents. The nationwide survey gives residents a voice, putting their care at the heart of understanding more about how well care homes perform. Over 16,000 residents in 820 care homes across the UK took part. Each care home was given an overall score based on residents’ feedback across four broad themes (‘Staff and Care’, ‘Home Comforts’, ‘Choice and Having a Say’, and ‘Quality of Life’) based on residents’ responses to all questions in the survey. Sam Monaghan, Chief Executive of MHA, said, “It’s great that our residents value the care they receive at our Homes. Most of our scores across the four themes are really positive, which reassures us that our residents feel happy and fulfilled. While we’re really pleased with our scores, we obviously want to get even better and the survey helps us do that by giving us direct resident feedback. Families can also see at a glance that our Care Homes are committed to raising standards and being transparent as they take part in the survey. Every care home resident should be able to speak up about their care and this is what the Your Care Rating survey does – it gives them a voice.” All of this year’s results for every care home surveyed are displayed on the Your Care Rating website (www.yourcarerating.org). The website also shows how homes that took part in the survey last year performed. All of this helps families who are choosing a care home for a loved one by giving them vital information on what the residents actually think of each home and the standard of care. The survey was compiled by leading research company Ipsos MORI with input from the care home operators taking part, plus the National Care Forum and Care England. This means the survey is the most authoritative of its type, and is also the country’s largest, capturing more views of residents than any other. For further information about MHA care homes please click here
Care Boss Pays Tribute to Hero Staff Effort During ‘Beast from the East’
THE BOSS of one of the country’s leading housing and care providers has paid tribute to staff who went ‘the extra mile’ to ensure that vital services continued during the Beast from the East. Fanchea Kelly, Chief Executive of Blackwood, was so amazed by stories of staff dedication during the recent weather emergency that she took the time to send a letter thanking them for their heroic efforts. Care workers braved blizzards, shovelled snow and dodged drifts to ensure that customers were safe and sound during the red weather warning which brought large parts of the country to a standstill. Fanchea said: “Every team across the country went the extra mile during our visit from The Beast from the East So many stories came in of how the Blackwood team went all out to ensure our customers were safe and well looked after. One resident called me personally to praise her care staff for putting their own circumstances aside to stay late and help cover shifts, and staff were even spotted putting out the rubbish, so tenants didn’t have to brace the snowy weather. In some cases staff corralled their friends and relatives to shovel snow, and slept over in our care homes and developments to help cover shifts for colleagues who were snow bound. Others cooked meals, answered the phones and communicated with all their housing and care customers personally to make sure we knew that people were safe and warm.” The whole experience demonstrated just how resilient Blackwood’s emergency plans were and gave the organisation a clear idea of any extra measures that should be put in place for any future situation. Fanchea added: “It was a truly heroic effort in many cases, and what really struck me was the commitment and initiative everyone showed within their teams. The recent storm presented a potentially dangerous situation for residents at Blackwood, so we’re pleased to see how well our emergency plans worked. The weather also served as an important opportunity to receive valuable feedback from everyone affected about how we can improve in future.” Beast from the East Issued on behalf of Blackwood. Further information can be found here www.holyroodpr.co.uk
Care firm pioneers company-wide recycling scheme
One of the UK’s largest private care providers The Regard Group has launched an initiative to recycle half of the waste it produces. The Regard Group, which provides supported living, residential and day services for people with learning difficulties and mental health needs, is hoping to increase recycling by 50% in 6 months. “In the past we used different bin providers across the country,” said Regard’s building compliance officer, Stuart Cockle, who heads the efficiency drive. “We are now able to rationalise this by going through one central procurement point.” Regard is working with national waste management company UKWSL who took over all bin collections at the group’s residential care homes, offices and some supported living services in January. “UKWSL will be auditing the sites to confirm what, and how much, is being thrown away,” added Stuart. “They will then analyse the waste amount based on the occupancy of each service so we can see where recycling could be increased. “Recycling is roughly 70 per cent cheaper than general waste in terms of collection charges which means there will be economic benefits as well as environmental.” Meanwhile, Regard is hoping to introduce a number of incentives to spur on staff and the people they support, to get on board; including the introduction of a Recycler of the Month award. Winchester House, a residential care home run by the Regard Group in Sheerness, is already cutting back on waste that is destined for landfill. The service, which provides a home for up to 12 individuals, currently fills two x 1,100 litre recycling bins for every 1,100 general waste bins. “Recycling is very much part of our daily lives,” said home manager Lisa Falconer. “We now think twice when it comes to sorting the waste matter we generate. I am delighted with the new initiative we’re now embracing as this will reduce the negative impact on the natural environment.” On average each person in England and Wales produces nearly 500kg of household waste a year, with food waste making up the majority of this. Winchester House provides a 24-hour residential home for adults with learning disabilities, mental health, autistic spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. The UKWSL contract with the Regard Group encompasses all waste: general, offensive, sharps, sanitary and recycling. Regard hopes to include food waste recycling collection in the future. Roland Archer, sales director of UKWSL, said: “We are excited to be working with the Regard Group across their estate, and feel extremely confident that we can support them in their drive to become a greener, more sustainable business over the coming years. Engaging their employees at every level is an integral part of this initiative and one where we feel we can add significant value.” The Regard Group is the UK’s fourth largest private organisation providing supported living and residential services for people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and acquired brain injury, caring for more than 1,300 people, with a dedicated staff of over 2,600 people working at 161 locations throughout the UK. For further information about the Regard Group visit: www.regard.co.uk or to contact Winchester house on 01795 871160.
More than one in three pensioners think that Carbon Monoxide poisoning symptoms will ‘get better on their own’
From headaches to nausea, the symptoms of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are being dangerously confused with seasonal illnesses. Despite one person dying every other week from carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK, new research from the CO Be Alarmed! campaign shows that while overall 92% of people above the age of 65 have a smoke alarm only 62% in the UK have a carbon monoxide alarm that could save their lives. 36% of pensioners in the North East incorrectly think that carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms will simply ‘get better on their own’ and four in ten older people in the North East would delay going to the doctor with symptoms as they think they would be better by the time the appointment happens (42%). Overall in the UK, a further quarter (25%) of people aged over 65 who are aware of the symptoms still wouldn’t want to bother their GP if they showed signs of the poisoning. A failure to recognise the potential gravity of carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms is made worse because almost 4.5 million pensioners across the UK do not have a carbon monoxide alarm installed in their homes – more older people own a DVD player (82%) than a CO alarm. A fifth (22%) who don’t have a CO alarm mistakenly believe that a smoke alarm would detect carbon monoxide’s colourless, odourless, tasteless and deadly gas. And of those that do own a carbon monoxide alarm,18% have never tested it or can’t remember when they did. With just 5% of those aged 65 or over saying they would consider calling their children if they felt unwell, and as families across the UK get together for Easter, CO Be Alarmed! is calling on families to proactively consider their older relatives’ potential exposure to the ‘silent killer’. Abbie Sampson, CO Be Alarmed! spokesperson and Director of External Affairs at Energy UK, explains: “You cannot see, smell or taste carbon monoxide and the symptoms can often be missed or confused with a cold or flu. That’s why having an audible carbon monoxide alarm fitted is so important. This Easter, as many families get together with older relatives, we are urging everyone to consider our ABC checklist on behalf of their older family members – do they have an Alarm, have the Batteries been tested and have they had an up-to-date gas Check. Buying an alarm can be as cheap as a couple of Easter eggs but could be the difference between life and death.” The latest data, from the Health and Safety Executive, shows that there are around 30 deaths a year from carbon monoxide poisoning in the United Kingdom. However, the true number is likely to be much higher as the early symptoms can easily be mistaken for flu or tiredness. The effects of carbon monoxide poisoning can be devastating, yet it is easily preventable by fitting an audible alarm. For more information on carbon monoxide poisoning please visit www.co-bealarmed.co.uk
‘Tasty Thursdays’ Help make food fun
Avalon nursing home in Bridgwater is providing cooking sessions for residents with dementia as a way of keeping them interested in eating and drinking. For many people living with a memory disorder eating nutritious meals can become a challenge as cognitive function declines. This can lead to weight loss and problems including fatigue, a higher risk of infection and less muscle strength and dehydration. Avalon, run by Camelot Care, has introduced ‘Tasty Thursday’ sessions where individuals can come together to prepare dishes. “It’s all about having fun with food and helping our residents maintain a positive and healthy attitude towards eating and drinking,” said activities coordinator Lisa Priddice’ “People with dementia experience changes in perception such as taste and smell that can make eating more difficult. Cooking not only encourages an interest in taking nourishment, but also helps to maintain certain skills, gives them a sense of purpose and improves self-esteem.” Lisa says individuals at the 55-bed home in Taunton Road enjoy making a variety of items from cakes and biscuits to pizzas and pasta. “They are involved in the whole process, from going to the shops and buying the ingredients, to chopping fruit and vegetables, sieving, stirring, and rolling out pastry. The sights, sounds and textures all help stimulate the senses. When they’re done our chef puts the food into the oven and later the residents take it round on the tea trolley and serve everyone. Even people who are not taking part get involved and like to sit and watch their housemates getting stuck into their cooking and baking.” 4As part of a recent ‘Tasty Thursday’ session, staff recently placed exotic fruits, such as lychees, dragon fruit, pineapples, kiwi fruits and mangos, into a ‘feely box’ for residents to identify. Afterwards residents cut up the fruit and got the chance to sample them. For more information about the cooking sessions that the Bridgwater care home provide please visit www.avalon-care.co.uk
Afternoon tea raises awareness of new Age UK service
A afternoon tea party was held at a Northumberland care home to raise awareness of a “friendship line” for the over-60s. The Age UK initiative, named Call in Time, is a free telephone befriending service for matching volunteers with older people. The Oaks Care Home, in Blyth, held an afternoon tea for residents, relatives and friends to highlight the service ahead of its launch in Northumberland in 2018. The home’s staff all dressed in vintage, 1940s tea room uniforms to serve tea, coffee, cakes, muffins and trifle as part of the event. Resident Pat Whyatt said: “I had a good afternoon with my friends and it makes up for the miserable weather we’ve had lately.” Paige Gallagher, activities coordinator at The Oaks Care Home, on Durban Street, said: “We all thoroughly enjoyed serving an elegant afternoon tea to the residents and their relatives. Our cook, Yvonne Gibson, made it a tremendous success with her baking.” Age UK Northumberland representative Lisa Mordue also attended the afternoon tea, to talk to the residents and staff ahead of the county’s Call in Time launch. The service will provide free, weekly 30-minute calls from a volunteer to an older person who shares similar interests and hobbies. Anyone can register their interest in becoming a volunteer, with the aim of reducing loneliness and isolation. Lisa said: “I’m delighted all the residents joined in the afternoon tea, as a lot of effort went into making it special.” Ann Mielnik, home manager at The Oaks Care Home, said: “Loneliness among the elderly in our community is a terrible thing. The Age UK friendship line will help those who feel isolated and provide great advice on local services. I’m really proud of my team and all the efforts they made to make it a special day – from the delicious food to the vintage uniforms. We are aiming to raise funds for the Age UK service throughout the year so we hope the local community will get behind us and help generate as many donations as possible.” For moreinformation about Afternoon tea at The Oaks Care Home please click here
Making your Home Suitable for Live-in Care
Without a doubt 24 hour care and Live in care helps elderly people with long-term health conditions maintain a better quality of life, unfortunately, this type of care is associated with the loss of independence, as it is often believed that around the clock care is exclusively provided in care homes. With up 97% of elderly people preferring to stay at home, live-in care makes it possible for people with long-term and complex health needs to receive the level of care they need without upheaval and disruption. Live-in care offers a solution for families who’d love their relative to remain at home but are unable to consistently provide the level of support they require. To help you make an informed choice about care, we’ve listed the things you should consider to ensure your home is suitable for a live-in carer. An available bedroom Having an available bedroom is one of the most important requirements when considering live-in care. A live-in carer will typically move into the home of the person they are caring for allowing them to provide consistent care throughout the day and night if needed. Live-in carers will typically work for 12 hours, during their working hours a live-in carer may provide assistance with a variety of tasks, for example, help with bathing and washing, cooking and cleaning or taking a person out and about to see friends, families or to attend activities in the community. A spare room is a must, providing space for your carer to store a few of their belongings and an area where they are able to retreat back to if your request privacy. Ensuring your home has a private room for live-in care will definitely make the arrangement more comfortable for both you and your carer. Family, friends & partners One of the leading advantages of live-in care is that not much will change in terms of your routine and living situation – including the people you live with and the people who visit you regularly, in contrast to care homes where it often the case that partners and children become separated – causing undue stress and heartbreak for most. With care homes often located some distance away from the persons previous home, families and friends may have to travel long journeys in order to be with their loved ones, combined with busy lives and set care home visiting hours, families and friends may not spend as much time as they would like with their loved one. For elderly couples, the strain of physical separation can induce loneliness and depression for both individuals. The purpose of live-in care is to facilitate choice and control for elderly people, with carers providing the assistance needed to live safely with autonomy. Not only does Live-in care help people maintain the connections they created with their communities over the years it also provides families with a level of peace of mind that is priceless and a reliable care and support network. Pets & Animals For many elderly people with pets, the question of how the pet will be cared for if they are no longer able to provide for the animal is a real concern. For people who choose care homes, the very disheartening reality is that pets may have to be re-homed if they cannot be accommodated by families or friends. This is unique in the fact that pets and animals in the home will also be taken care of by the live-in carer. Your live-in care will carry out some the task below to ensure your pet is happy and health: Making sure your pets get the exercise it needs with walks Purchasing pet foods, toys, shampoos, and other items they require Keeping an eye on your pets health and monitoring its behaviour Taking pets to Vet and grooming appointments Providing scheduled feeding and water Maintain a clean and safe environment for your pet and yourself. Are you comfortable with Live-in care? Being a little apprehensive about possibly sharing your home with someone new is completely normal; this is especially true for people who have lived alone for a number of years. Live-in care companies understand this and go the extra miles to ensure their clients are paired with suitable carers – allowing the person to fully enjoy worry-free care. A live-in care company will consider your likes, dislikes, preferences and character before care begins, rigorous personality analysis of carers will also take place this will identify complementary client/carer matches. Its often the case that the person receiving care is surprised to discover the number of things they have in common with their carer, this is because your interest and passions are also taken into consideration, for instance you may share a love of animals with your carer, a knack for baking or admiration of the outdoors- giving you both a wealth of things to talk about and experiences to share. Most homes will be suitable for live-in care, requiring little change to your current lifestyle; live-in care companies take great care to provide a safe, comfortable and supportive environment in the home where a person can continue to live life with control over the ever so important small details, choice and independence. The Good Care Group is a Live-in care provider rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. We provide excellent care, support and companionship to help you continue to live safely and comfortably in your home. Find out more about live-in care by The Good Care Group by visiting https://www.thegoodcaregroup.com/ or contact us on 020 3728 7575
Karantis Partners with DCSL Software to Create Karantis Care App
Karantis Ltd has partnered with DCSL Software to create the Karantis Care App for carers and families across the world. Karantis provide solutions that increase the productivity, quality of service, transparency and accountability of the global care industry – particularly focused on those with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Loneliness and Depression. Having worked closely with carers and families, Karantis were aware of the main care challenges both sides were facing. Carers felt too much time was spent manually filling out paperwork reports when they could be spending more time with their client, and families were worried that they had no visibility of, or connection with, the people caring for their loved ones, especially if some family members were not located nearby. It was this visibility of the ongoing challenges that led Karantis to work closely with carers and the team at DCSL Software to create an app that improves service, support and transparency, bringing families and on-duty care staff together – allowing more time for interaction between client and carer. The app also assists care agencies to manage staff performance, schedule daily plans and quickly establish if there were any concerns over a client’s health or well-being. Helen Dempster, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Karantis comments, “DCSL have been great to work with and they were enthusiastically engaged right from the start, adding value in many ways, including contributing in-house healthcare expertise.” Together DCSL Software and Karantis have designed an app that not only adds value to care agencies, carers, clients and their families, but that is highly secure. The last 18 months have seen some of the most dramatic data breaches, including several across NHS Trusts. As a result those using carer services have been more conscious than ever of the security of the data that’s held and subsequently agencies have felt added liability pressures. To address this need Karantis Care encrypts all of the data it stores. Having worked closely with the Karantis team to design and implement the Karantis Care app, Nick Thompson, Managing Director, DCSL Software has now also invested in the initiative. Discussing this move Thompson says, “The negative experiences some have when trusting care workers with their loved ones can cause concern for families employing care agencies. But by using this app family members can monitor the health and happiness of a loved one from anywhere in the world; receiving frequent photographs and messages in a secure way. We truly believe that the Karantis Care app will have a positive impact on care agencies, carers, clients and their families. We look forward to continuing to advance the functionalities of the app and helping to improve the experiences of carers, clients and their families.” For more informatin about the Karantis Care App please click here
Urging care home facilities managers to specify legal for trade
With the pressures on spending, close scrutiny of procurement and good governance continuing to be under the spotlight, national wood pellet supplier, Y Pellets, is asking residential care home managers using biomass wood pellets as an alternative heating and energy source to fully examine what they pay for. At a time when many wood pellet suppliers subcontract deliveries on vehicles which don’t meet EN Plus trading standards, the company, which supplies premium quality, sustainable wood pellets to homes and businesses from its 5,000 tonne storage facility in Google, has identified discrepancies in practices widely used by other contractors who are not legal for trade but may supply to private and public care home facilities. This could mean that procurement and estate managers may be receiving up to 10% less product on delivery compared to the quantity ordered if only specifying the quality of the pellets and not the standard of vehicles making the deliveries. Additionally, for EN Plus A1 standard pellets, the actual delivery service must be EN Plus certified too for the product to be regarded as such, a key requirement for many facilities managers. Y Pellets has recently made a significant investment in new, specially-equipped six and eight wheel delivery trucks featuring state-of-the-art electronic weighing systems and onboard technology. This latest investment will see Y Pellets further extend its distribution capability to southern areas of England and north of the border into Scotland, and strengthen its position as a rapidly-emerging, key player within the UK’s biomass fuel market. Managing director, Neil Holland, explained: “Our delivery lorries are 100% our own, not subcontracted, and this makes a huge difference to the quality of the pellets and the service received by the end customer. By making continuous investment, we can ensure the highest fuel quality possible and clients can reap the benefits in real terms meaning fuel cost savings of thousands of pounds.” “Our experience has shown that whilst few in the industry have invested in the correct machinery and vehicles, the vast majority have not and therefore many subcontract deliveries to third party companies as a means of cutting costs. Procurement professionals that specify wood pellets as an energy resource for both public and private care homes know they have a financial responsibility to ensure money is spent correctly but unless all vehicles are legal for trade, there may be discrepancies in the amount ordered compared to the amount being delivered. “This could be anything from 2-10% which for cash strapped authorities could potentially mean thousands when examining procurement and expenditure. You wouldn’t go to a supermarket, pay for ten apples but only come away with nine, and it’s no different here. Our systems can eliminate any such shortfall and therefore have a direct impact on a client’s bottom line finances.” Y Pellets’ own fleet of delivery vehicles include state-of-the-art, electronic weighing systems that are calibrated by local weights and measures authorities and automatically send records of each delivery direct from the vehicle to the company’s head office and then onto the customer. The vehicles have been adapted to provide a highly controlled, fit-for-purposes environment for EN Plus A1 pellets during transportation as well as guarantee that the tonnage ordered is received in full by the end user. Neil added: “Our clients can protect the investment made in their biomass boiler system and guarantee the expected returns from renewable heat incentives well into the future.” This in real terms could mean substantial savings. For more information about Y pellets click here
