Special meeting for city historian Len
CHESTER historian and Honorary Freeman of the Borough Len Morgan was treated to a trip down memory lane by a local history group and Aaron Court Care Home. Saltney and Saltney Ferry History Group visited Len at Aaron Court Care Home, in Ellesmere Port, after his son arranged a meeting with members. They brought a collection of Len’s work, pulled together from their archives, as well as books he co-authored, such as Chester Through Time from 2010. Now 85 years old, Len has been a member of the group for over 30 years and was still able to recall a lot of his work and the history of Chester and Ellesmere Port. He talked about one of his photos of a child sat on a frozen River Dee in Chester in 1962-63 – recalling how brave the child must have been. Len has spent most of his life establishing and curating a vast collection of thousands of photographs of Chester through the years. He has presented numerous slideshows, walks, tours and written newspaper columns – extolling his passion for the city’s historical heritage. Before leaving, Len presented a book to the group’s chairman Neville Shallcross, which Len received in 1970, so it could be returned to the author for safe keeping. Len’s son Dave said: “Len was a bit nervous about meeting the group again but was able to recall a lot of his work and the history of the area.” Lindsey Bevan, home manager at Aaron Court Care Home, on Princes Road, said: “Len has been with us since February this year and has already had a huge impact on all our other residents and staff. He is one of the loveliest gentlemen you will ever meet and a bit of a local celebrity due to his extraordinary work on the history of Chester. His vast collection of photographs, books, newspaper articles and more is hugely impressive and we wanted to take the opportunity to invite his former history group to the home. Len’s son Paul helped us arrange the visit and as soon as they arrived his passion for the city shone through and he was telling stories from the past like he was still giving tours.” For more information about Aaron Court Care Home please visit www.hillcare.net
Colourful care home staff help at charity Colour Run
MULTICOLOURED wigs and fluorescent garlands greeted runners taking part in an Alice House Hospice Colour Run fundraiser in Seaton Carew. The annual Colour Run saw hundreds of participants completing the 5km course along the sea front in Hill Care Group sponsored t-shirts. Staff from two of the group’s homes were dressed in colourful accessories for the occasion – as they lent support on the water station, t-shirt and merchandise stalls. Hill Care’s Queens Meadow Care Home, in Hartlepool, and Bannatyne Lodge Care Home, in Peterlee, were both represented at the event. Alice House Hospice cares for those with life limiting illnesses and their loved ones in Hartlepool and East Durham. Julie Armstrong, home manager at Queens Meadow Care Home, said: “Alice House Hospice provides an amazing and vital service for those in our local community. This is our second fundraiser of the year for the charity, having sold cuddly toys to raise funds earlier in the year, and we will continue to do everything we can to support such a worthy cause.” Photo captions: Manning the merchandise stall at the Alice House Hospice Colour Run are (from left) Queens Meadow Care Home manager Julie Armstrong, Alice House Hospice community fundraiser Janice Forbes and the care home’s activities coordinator Debbie Wilkes. Queens Meadow Care Home manager Julie Armstrong hands out water at the Hill Care Group sponsored station during the Alice House Hospice Colour Run. Queens Meadow and Bannatyne Lodge care homes are part of the Hill Care Group. For further information on the Colour Run please visit www.hillcare.net. Alice House Hospice ensures people affected by life limiting illness or the death of a loved one have the care, comfort and support they need. For further information visit www.alicehousehospice.co.uk/.
Care home martial arts with armchair karate
ARMCHAIR karate has been getting elderly care home residents testing their punching power – and improving their health and wellbeing. The activity is helping to maintain the strength and movement of residents at The Oaks Care Home, on Durban Street, Blyth. Home manager Ann Mielnik purchased training pads for carers to wear while residents throw their best jabs. She said: “Armchair karate boosts residents’ mental and physical skills, strength and movement, and gets them laughing and animated, which improves their wellbeing. This has to be the single best armchair exercise we have hosted. Residents had enormous grins on their faces and were all really putting effort into it. I got the idea from watching a video of a 93-year-old and it was fantastic. I thought immediately: why can’t we do this? So I purchased the training gloves and we couldn’t wait for them to arrive to get the ball rolling.” Carer Lynn Mayne said: “All the residents were so enthusiastic about it.” Senior carer Laura Rennie added: “The residents had so much fun. To see them laughing is fantastic.” Resident Ann Sturrock said: “This was absolutely fabulous.” Resident Ann Wallace added: “What a good idea. I would never have thought of doing karate.” For more information about ARMCHAIR karate please visit http://www.hillcare.net/
Charitable teens transform care home garden
Members of the Huddersfield Giants Community Trust National Citizenship Service (NCS) spent a week at Thornhill Care Home to carry out the work. They created plant pot borders around the home’s garden, installed solar lighting and laid artificial turf. The 15-to-17-year-olds held fundraising activities and appealed to local businesses for supplies. They also received funding from Kirklees Council, after support from Councillor Sheikh Ullah, to purchase benches for the home’s residents. Mayor Councillor Gwen Lowe, Deputy Mayoress Noreen Lowe During and Councillor Ullah attended the official unveiling of the garden at Thornhill Care Home, on Thornhill Road. Johnny Edwards, home manager of the Hill Care Group operated care home, said: “We are so grateful to Huddersfield Community Trust NCS for choosing Thornhill Care Home for their community project. The work they have done in our garden is exceptional, a real transformation, and will be enjoyed by our residents for many years to come. We’d also like to thank Kirkless Council for their support and funding, everyone who supported the NCS group’s fundraising and the businesses who donated supplies. The garden looks amazing and the residents are thoroughly enjoying sitting outside, making the most of the summer weather.” Nina Baker, Huddersfield Giants Community Trust NCS programme coordinator, said: “What a transformation! I cannot explain how proud we all are of what this team has achieved in four short action-packed weeks. They worked so hard to secure donations, funding from the Dragons Den experience and did a phenomenal job haggling down the price of AstroTurf to ensure that Thornhill Care Home wouldn’t go without. I can only thank Thornhill Care Home, particularly Marcia, Liz and Johnny for the continued support throughout this whole process. NCS powered by Huddersfield Giants Community Trust relies so much on organisations such as Hill Care to take precious time out of their busy schedules to help facilitate a group of our young people and they were absolutely brilliant from start to finish. They allowed our young people to break the age barrier stereo type and see what a difference they can make in their own communities.”
Mansfield Care Takeover Bield Care Homes
A deal has been agreed which saw residents and staff at three Bield care homes transfer to a new provider earlier this month. Since announcing last year that it would be closing 12 of its care homes, staff at Bield have been working tirelessly to find other providers to take them over. Following progressive discussions, the housing and care provider announced that two of its homes in Edinburgh and one in Jedburgh will be transferred to Mansfield Care. These transfers follow on from the transfer in May of Finavon Court, in Glenrothes to Kingdom Homes. The new provider will take over Haugh Street and Craighall Road in Edinburgh and Milfield Gardens in Jedburgh in a move that means all residents and staff can seamlessly transfer over with very few changes. Charlie Dickson, Director of Housing and Care Services, said: “We are fully aware of the serious impact the decision to close the care homes has made on the lives of the people who use our services, their families and our staff. Once we made the decision to close the care homes we worked closely with our specialist agents Christie & Co to ensure that every possible attempt to find new care providers was explored across the country. Our service users and staff have remained of paramount importance throughout what is clearly a stressful and traumatic time.” Bield announced 12 of its care homes were to close due to a change in strategic direction and ongoing financial pressures. The decision to withdraw from the residential care home market was a last resort option for Bield and one that, if not taken, would have compromised the vital work it does to support and care for thousands of older people across Scotland. The Housing and care provider will continue to provide innovative solutions to address the needs of the next generation of older people and will operate – as normal – its range of highly successful housing services such as its retirement housing options and Bield Response24 service. To find out more about Bield and its developments, please click here
Students build furniture for elderly Bakewell residents
STUDENTS have been building garden furniture for elderly Bakewell residents, at Burton Closes Hall Care Home, as part of a school mentoring project. The teenagers from Lady Manners School have been creating benches and planters for Burton Closes Hall Care Home with the help of experts from Wickes. Employer mentors from the DIY supplier are working with the Year 8, 9 and 11 pupils as part of the school’s “Volunteer it Yourself” initiative. This includes two sessions building team work and communication skills and a third putting their learning into practice to produce garden furniture. Their creations have been collected by the care home and arranged in the grounds of the Grade II listed building on Haddon Road. Steve Pacey, head of careers and employability at Lady Manners School, said: “The students are developing key employability skills and supporting the local community at the same time. Every student receives an employability skills award from City and Guilds for completing the project. Working with staff at Burton Closes Hall Care home, Lady Manners School has donated the garden furniture for use by residents, staff and their families. We trust the benches will be a lasting testimony to a small but significant intergenerational project and we hope that the relationship with this local company will continue to prosper.” Kim Bibby, regional manager for the Hill Care Group, which operates Burton Closes Hall Care Home, said: “ We were delighted when the school contacted us to see if we would like garden furniture created by their pupils in partnership with Wickes. The benches and planters are all really well put together and we’re sure our residents, visitors and staff will make the most of them. We look forward to working with the school again on other projects in future.” For more information about Burton Closes Hall Care Home please visit www.hillcare.net
Destination Nepal for compassionate carer
Annerley Reid who works for a SANDIACRE care home worker will be volunteering in Nepal – using her skills and expertise to help women and children. Annerley Reid, who works at Longmoor Lodge Care Home, is set to spend 12 weeks helping those in need in the Asian country. She is raising funds for water sanitation equipment and other supplies ahead of the expedition, which begins in October 2018. Annerley got the opportunity to volunteer in Nepal through sustainable development organisation Raleigh International. She said: “Raleigh is giving me this amazing life experience, so I’ve agreed to help them raise some money for supplies whilst we are over there. I couldn’t be more grateful and so excited to finally do my bit in the world to make a difference and this is where it all starts. I think because I’ve been brought up with the residents at Longmoor Lodge, and now as a carer, I wanted to do more to help those in need.” Annerley has been a care assistant at Longmoor Lodge Care Home, on Longmoor Lane, for five months but has been visiting the home since she was six years old. Her mother, Marsha Reid, was also a carer at the home and regularly took her daughter to spend time with the residents. One of those was Vera Haire, who still resides at the home and remembers visits from Annerley. She said: “She used to sit on my bed and share my mints with her. Who would have thought she would then become a carer. I’ve enjoyed seeing her turn into a young lady. But today is a special day because Annerley has come and she told me she will be going to Nepal doing volunteer work with women and children for 12 weeks.” Annerley will stay in touch with residents via Skype during her time in Nepal, when she will update them on what she has been doing and how the work is progressing. Samantha Ely, home manager at Longmoor Lodge Care Home, said: “Annerley has only been working at the care home for five months, but it certainly feels a lot longer, as she has known some of the residents since she was a child. When she told us she was applying to volunteer in Nepal for three months we thought it was a brilliant idea and many of the residents are very interested in what she will be getting up to. We’re all looking forward to hearing how it’s going while she is over there and we wish her all the best.” To help Annerley reach her target of £800 for Raleigh International visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/annerley-reid.
Borough Care Hosts Teddy Bears’ Picnic
Borough Care, the largest not for profit provider of care for older people in Stockport, recently held a Teddy Bears Picnic for residents. The Teddy Bears Picnic was part of a sensory walk, which Borough Care hosts each week until the winter. Borough Care has recently decided to theme its weekly walks and the Teddy Bears’ Picnic was the first of the themes. Residents and staff met with a teddy bear to walk around Woodbank Memorial Park. After the walk, everyone who took part enjoyed a picnic outdoors followed by ice creams all round. Sophie Gardiner, Area Support at Borough Care, says: “Our Activity Lifestyle Facilitators now choose a theme for the weekly walks and, as many of our residents find comfort in teddy bears, Sophie Rawlinson, the Activity Lifestyle Facilitator at Bruce Lodge, suggested we make the teddy bear the focus of this walk. As the weather was so lovely, we decided to combine the walk with a picnic. Our weekly walk is a great social event, which also helps to keep residents active and improve their wellbeing. Walking has both physical and mental health benefits, along with getting people out into the fresh air.” The social walks are part of a regular programme of activities Borough Care organises for residents at its homes, with a number of residents participating each week. For more information about the Teddy Bears Picnic please visit www.boroughcare.org.uk
Dementia crisis on horizon: The Sound Doctor helps raise awareness
Health educators, The Sound Doctor, say a dementia crisis is on the horizon, as it is revealed that only 3% of people make active preparation for the disease. The Times has reported that, despite the fact that 75% of the population are afraid of developing dementia or losing their ability to make decisions, 97% of people have taken no legal steps toward securing care in the future. Dementia is the leading cause of death in England and Wales, making up 12% of the total deaths in 2016. It’s on the rise, too: the number of people diagnosed has increased by 54% in the last ten years, according to The Times. In just 7 years, more than 13 million people who are at risk of dementia will have no legal or medical arrangements made due to a lack of preparation. Rosie Runciman, co-founder of The Sound Doctor says: “We know first-hand that people are reluctant to talk about the condition. Sufferers think they can leave key decisions to their next of kin without taking legal steps to ensure that it happens, whether it be their pension, writing a will or saving for retirement.” The Sound Doctor’s library of films on dementia, created with Newcastle University Institute of Ageing, takes people through the timeline of what to do when they are diagnosed with dementia. This means that patients can think about power of attorney, when to move into a care home, when to stop driving and other important questions that they don’t want to think about but need to give to consideration to early on. The film library covers all the main topics, including beginner-level knowledge. There is helpful information to address the question of whether we can reduce our risk of getting dementia, as well as information about the early symptoms. Films to provide support around memory loss, communication problems and incontinence are also available. Carers, as well as sufferers, will find the support they need with The Sound Doctor. Professor Louise Robinson, Professor of Primary Care and Ageing at Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, worked closely with The Sound Doctor to both create and clinically review the films. She said: “Patient information is critical for anyone living with or caring for those with dementia. The Sound Doctor’s films provide an excellent resource, covering every phase from understanding dementia and initial diagnosis, to planning ahead and living through the later stages. There are also valuable chapters for people caring for people with dementia.” For editorial enquiries about The Sound Doctor, contact 0131 357 8977 or email pr@redheadpr.co.uk
