Mawdesley Care home’s wear it pink day for breast cancer charity
All shades of pink was proudly worn at a Mawdesley care home as they marked Wear It Pink Day – which raises awareness and funds to battle breast cancer. Wear it Pink is one of Breast Cancer Now’s biggest fundraising events – a single day when thousands of amazing people come together in work places, schools, homes and communities across the UK to wear pink, raise money and show their support for Breast Cancer Now. The staff and residents all wore an item of pink clothing, of their choice and baked cakes and savouries were sold to raise extra funds. Faye Cooper, Manager at Stocks Hall Mawdesley Home said: “The day was great fun, especially as it was for such a good cause. In total we raised £67 for this amazing charity.” Wear it Pink Day is the flagship fundraising event for Breast Cancer Now. Over 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, including around 4,700 in Scotland. Thanks to research, more people are surviving breast cancer than ever before, yet there are still nearly 1,000 women who die of breast cancer every month in the UK. www.wearitpink.org
WW2 exhibits bring back memories for veteran Jimmy
A SECOND World War Merchant Navy veteran took a walk down memory lane when he visited South Shields Museum and Art Gallery. Veteran Jimmy Mahoney, 95, was visiting the museum with fellow residents from Willowdene Care Home, in Hebburn, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After entering an exhibit of a kitchen and sleeping quarters for crewmen during the War, he recalled memories from his time in the Merchant Navy. He left school at 14 and joined as a cabin boy, prior to the start of the Second World War, and eventually worked his up to deck hand. When asked by a member of the care home staff if the sleeping quarters were comfortable, Jimmy said: “It didn’t matter. You were so tired you just wanted to go to sleep.” More than a dozen residents, staff and family members from Willowdene Care Home also enjoyed the museum, which celebrates the heritage of South Tyneside. Alongside the War era exhibits, they also saw the latest attraction, works from Scottish painter Dame Ethel Walker, featuring a portrait of Dame Flora Robson, a South Shields stage and screen actor. The care home’s deputy manager and nurse, Cheryl Kennedy, also entertained residents when she tried on a vintage nurse uniform from the First World War. Christine Chandler, activities coordinator at Willowdene Care Home, on Victoria Road West, said: “One of our residents, Harry West, doesn’t say a lot these days but the smiles of recognition and joy were wonderful to see. “When we got back the residents were so happy and kept saying how much they enjoyed the visit.” After the museum visit, the care home group stopped off at Frydays Fish Bar and Grill, on Smithy Street, South Shields. Christine added: “The staff were so lovely and welcoming. They made it a brilliant end to a lovely day out.” Willowdene Care Home is part of the Hill Care Group. For further information visit www.hillcare.net.
Mamma Mia 2 has elderly dancing in cinema aisles
A CINEMA turned into a dance hall for elderly care home residents during a dementia friendly screening of hit musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Residents from Waverley Lodge Care Home, in Lemington, leapt out of their seats during one of the film’s climactic hits to strut their stuff in the aisles. The screening specifically for those with dementia was the first of its kind at the Metrocentre, in Gateshead. Michelle Park, activities coordinator at Waverley Lodge Care Home, said: “Our residents were dancing in the aisles to Dancing Queen – they absolutely loved it. “They sang Abba songs on the bus all the way home, entertaining the other passengers, and then continued to sing for their fellow residents while having their supper – so I’d say it was a massive success. “Everything at the cinema was so well organised so everyone felt relaxed and able to express themselves. It was a delight to see so many happy faces.” The special screening included a 15-minute break, no adverts and reduced sound levels. Resident Pat Vasey, said: “What a fantastic trip out, I really enjoyed Mamma Mia 2.” Waverley Lodge Care Home is part of the Hill Care Group. For further information visit www.hillcare.net.
£6 million investment to rebuild Studley care home, Four Acres
Runwood Homes Senior Living has invested £6 million to rebuild former Warwickshire County Council owned care home, Four Acres, turning it into a modernised and expanded version of the former residential care setting, completed to a favourably high specification and now open to new admissions. This state of the art care home, close to the town of Redditch in Warwickshire, has been specially developed to cater for older people, including those living with dementia, creating a spacious and homely assisted living facility perfectly suited to accommodate seniors seeking an luxurious residential offering – a top Warwickshire care home. The home benefits from a concierge service, multiple lounges, desirable dining areas, courtyard garden, hairdressing and beauty spa, sociable café and kitchenettes to encourage independent living. Runwood Homes has remained closely connected with Warwickshire County Council since taking over the ownership of Four Acres and seven other Warwickshire County Council care homes five years ago and continues to offer council referral places as well as appealing to self-funding clients. Consisting of 66 beautifully decorated bedrooms and superb shared spaces, Four Acres residents can be assured to find an exemplary care home experience, offering a truly professional 24-hour service where person-centred care and attention to detail are an everyday importance for residents to thrive in. Four Acres’ Home Manger, Abdul Chirwa, provides an ‘Outstanding’ service for his residents, as rated by the CQC (Care Quality Commission) in his previous home manager role within the Runwood Homes group. To enquire, please visit the Four Acres page via www.runwoodhomes.co.uk.
Rugby veteran George inspires young players
Rugby veteran George Williams has been inspiring Widnes Vikings under 19s players with stories from his playing days in the 1940s. The 85-year-old founding player for West Park St Helens RFC recalled his time on the field both during and after the Second World War. George’s team was formerly established in 1947, but previous matches had been played under the title “Catholic Grammar School Old Boys”. Having played Rugby since the age of 6 at St Theresa’s Primary School, in St Helens, he then joined his high school team at West Park Grammar School from 1944 to 1949, which became West Park St Helens RFC. He said: “I don’t remember what position I played but I do remember being second row in the scrum and having a go at all positions. I even scored a few tries.” He was speaking to the young Vikings players at the club’s Chemics Café, which is held at the Select Security Stadium, in Widnes, once a month. It was established by the Vikings and Community Integrated Care specifically to help those living with dementia get out and socialise. Now living at Aaron Grange Care Home, in Huyton, Knowsley, George regularly visits the café with fellow residents and staff. George was joined on his visit to the Chemics Café by fellow resident Robert Lewis, 80. They also met children from the Holy Family Catholic Primary School, in Cronton, who played sports-related games with the elderly residents. The pair were then treated to a pub lunch and a pint by the care home staff before returning to Huyton. Clare Richards, home manager at Aaron Grange Care Home, said: “The Chemics Café has been brilliant for our residents to go out and talk to people of all generations about their shared interests. “George was a keen rugby player during his school days and he lit up when he talked to the Widnes Vikings under 19s about his time on the field. “Both he and Robert had a lovely day out, finished with a trip to the pub, before returning to the home and telling their friends all about it. “We’d like to thank the Vikings for hosting the café and I’m sure we’ll be along to another very soon.” www.hillcare.net
Care UK secures its fourth outstanding rating from CQC
Perry Manor care home in Worcestershire has become Care UK’s fourth home to secure an outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission. The home opened in 2014 has places for around 80 residents and is the first older people’s care home in Worcestershire to be rated as outstanding. One of the five areas inspectors gave the highest rating was for leadership – which is spearheaded by home manager, Katherine Matthews. In the report, one relative mentioned: “I cannot praise or thank the team enough. They are shining examples of outstanding, exemplary care. Much of this comes down to leadership and I am indebted hugely to Katherine and her team.” Home manager, Katherine, said: “I’m over the moon the CQC’s inspectors have rated us ‘outstanding’. My team constantly strives to create the very best caring and supportive atmosphere for the residents here at Perry Manor. It’s brilliant to have our hard work recognised by the national care regulator. “I’m incredibly proud of the team, and our ‘outstanding’ rating just shows the dedication and commitment every one of them has to making Perry Manor a fantastic place to live. I would like to say thank you for their hard work – something which I know is echoed by the residents and their families here at the home.” Inspectors commented on the philosophy of the home, and how it focuses on residents being supported to live the lives they chose. The team were commended on their ‘can do’ attitude which enhances residents’ quality of life. One resident said: “They are great at helping me to do the things I enjoy, I’m very happy here”. A relative commented: “The team are marvellous, really friendly and take time to talk to you. They are there for you when you really need them to be.” Credit was given to the team for including residents in all decisions about the home’s environment. It was noted that the team’s willingness to spend time with, and create special moments for, the residents was clearly appreciated by their loved ones. One relative spoke about how the team had bought their loved one a musical instrument so they could continue to use their talents, commenting: “all small things in themselves, but hugely important for mum to create a sense of calm and belonging.” Inspectors noted that the inclusive approaches the team had developed to support people with dementia was exceptional, including team members positioning themselves in one resident’s reality which is orientated to their working life. The report relays how one relative said: “The team treat residents with dignity and respect and, most importantly despite their dementia, care for them as individual people with very different needs and wants.” The Care UK team had created an ‘always welcome’ home environment, with communal areas decorated to make them dementia-friendly. Different pictures and memory boxes are added to bedroom doors to assist residents in identifying their rooms. The report noted that the home’s person-centred care plans detailed information about individuals’ likes, dislikes, aspirations and care needs. In addition, the home’s ‘Wishing Tree’, has allowed the lifestyle team to arrange trips and activities based on residents’ aspirations on both a planned and spontaneous basis. For example, one resident, who had been a shepherd in her younger years, was surprised when the team arranged for a lamb to be bought into the home. Praise was given for the strong links the home has within the local community, including relationships with schools, charities and interest groups, as well as creating a support network for people caring for loved ones in the local area. Care UK’s other outstanding homes are Broadwater Lodge in Surrey, and Mildenhall Lodge and Cleves Place in Suffolk. Perry Manor is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema, coffee shop and hairdressers, and there is plenty of space both indoors and out for relaxation and recreation. www.cqc.org.uk
Care Staff Complete Memory Walk
Borough Care staff Executive Team at Borough recently took part in an Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, which took place at more people taking part Heaton Park in Manchester. The group of 12, along with one of the team’s dog, walked a total of 7km around the park. So far, the group has raised over £500 for Alzheimer’s Society. Alzheimer’s Society is a charity for anyone affected by dementia. Borough Care is the largest not for profit provider of care for older people in Stockport. The company has over 20 years of experience supporting people with dementia. Nine of Borough Care’s 11 homes are specialist dementia care homes. The company offers dementia support through a range of services, including residential care, active recovery and day care provision. Dementia prevalence rates are higher in Stockport than the national average, with over 4,000 people in the borough estimated to be affected. www.boroughcare.org.uk
Winter Funding: is £240 too little, too late?
Health secretary Matt Hancock recently announced that an emergency £240million fund would be ploughed into social care to free up beds this winter. Siva Anandaciva, Chief Analyst at The King’s Fund, responded, saying, “After a punishing summer of heatwaves and ever-increasing demands on services, the NHS is heading for another tough winter. “Widespread and growing nursing shortages now risk becoming a national emergency and are symptomatic of a long-term failure in workforce planning, which has been exacerbated by the impact of Brexit and short-sighted immigration policies. “The right to start treatment within 18 weeks is enshrined in the NHS Constitution, yet three and half thousand people have now been on hospital waiting lists for more than a year and waiting lists stand at their highest levels in over a decade. This is unacceptable and the review of waiting time targets currently underway must ensure that patients not treated within initial time limits are protected from lengthy waits for treatment. “With hospitals and other NHS providers once again forecasting a significant end-of-year deficit, it is clear that the NHS finance regime is broken, with financial targets routinely missed and huge financial problems in some NHS organisations offset by surpluses in others. The new funding settlement announced by the Government is very welcome, but it is not a panacea for the pressures facing the NHS. Today’s report is a reminder that the forthcoming NHS long-term plan must focus on reform and investment in new ways of delivering services otherwise the NHS will be trapped in a perpetual winter crisis.“
Who Is Going To Solve The Social Care Crisis?
With Health Secretary Matt Hancock announcing that the long-awaited social care Green Paper will be revealed “later this year”, we take a look at a possible solution to the crisis in the form of a voucher scheme to pay for care. We also find out what finance specialists think is in store for the NHS over winter… An adult social care vouchers scheme has been put forward by John Woodward OBE, president and founder of the Busy Bees Group, to help solve the social care crisis in the UK. Both Mr Woodward and the organisation were instrumental in lobbying the government to launch the Childcare Voucher scheme in 2005. Here, John explains how the voucher scheme could work for adults needing care… For disabled people living in their own homes or in residential care, how is the cost of social care currently being met? In short, the cost of social care isn’t even close to being met. The current state funding in care is £490 per week per adult, which is more than £100 per week below the actual cost of a basic level of care. To cover the difference, private self-funded patient costs are being inflated, effectively meaning privately funded adults are paying an additional tax on their own care to accommodate for the gap in state funding for others. Is the social care which disabled adults currently receive adequate? In 2017 the Care Quality Commission gave a third of care homes an “inadequate” or “requires improvement” rating. Disabled adults in our community need and deserve top quality care, but in the current funding crisis these people are being forgotten. When my own mum need care in a home it made me realise what a burden it is for the vast majority of people. Why did you put forward the proposal for social care vouchers to the Treasury? I am really passionate about adult social care and having seen the success of childcare vouchers I immediately saw vouchers as a way to help bridge the funding gap, give families more flexibility, and improve care provisions. I took it to the Treasury for maximum impact and gained the support of House of Lords and House of Commons members. What could the vouchers be spent on? The vouchers would be used to assist with funding residential and domestic care. People in need of domestic or residential care for mental health reasons would qualify as disabled and would therefore be eligible to use vouchers to fund their care. For example, my sister runs a home for people with learning disabilities. The vouchers wouldn’t cover everything, but it would certainly help a lot. Could working people buy their own vouchers? The scheme works via salary sacrifice, so working adults can set aside a capped amount each month for adult social care vouchers that could then be used for their or a family member’s present or future care.
