Mayor of Poole officially opens Oakdale care home at grand launch
The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Marion Le Poidevin, officiated at the grand opening of Oakdale care home, joined by members of the community and local healthcare professionals. Guests were given the opportunity to take a tour of the new purpose-built 84-bed, residential, nursing and dementia care home based in Kingsmill Road. Key features of the home were unveiled, such as the tranquil spa room for residents and the bistro which is the real heart of the home, providing residents with the chance to catch up with visiting friends and relatives over a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake. Rachel Dryden, Chief Executive Officer of Encore, commented: “This is the third home we have opened in Dorset, and with each build we have learned from the previous home and made slight tweaks over the years that will benefit our residents. For example, all floors in the home are carpeted in order to minimise noise which helps reduce anxiety for our residents with dementia. “We are so proud of what we have achieved at Oakdale Care Home. We believe that we have made our vision a reality, of creating an environment that not only supports residents’ care, but also the wellbeing of our team. It is our team that turns the building from bricks and mortar into a home and their kindness and compassion really shines through in everything that they do.” Attendees also had chance to meet with members of the care team who introduced the new training room that is also available for members of the community to use. David Taylor, Home Manager of Oakdale Care Home, explained: “We are committed to serving our local community and look forward to getting to know our neighbours over the coming months. We hope the public will use this learning resource and in return give us the opportunity to get to know them. We will provide all visitors with a warm welcome and some homemade cakes.” The home’s architecture has been designed with residents’ wellbeing at its core. The building’s spacious communal areas, large floor-to-ceiling windows and verandas ensure the home is flooded with natural light, creating a warm and bright ambiance. The building’s layout has also been created to allow residents to spend time with their friends in the numerous lounges that are located on each floor. There are also cosy ‘snug’ areas in the home to enable residents to enjoy some quiet time for themselves. Oakdale is the latest addition of an established family of care homes managed by Encore Care Homes, to open just minutes from Poole’s town centre. Encore now manages three care homes in Dorset including Great Oaks in Bournemouth and Fairmile Grange on the grounds of Christchurch Hospital. The business also manages Hamble Heights in Fareham, Hampshire. For more information, visit www.oakdalepoole.co.uk or call 01202 878 149 to book a visit to look around Oakdale care home.
Bringing people together during end of life care
The team at Benmor say they have recently been touched by the remarkable fundraising efforts of a gentleman raising money to purchase an Aurum+ bed for Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington. The fundraising was inspired by his own experience of spending quality time with his late wife at the hospice, with the hope of making a difference to future patients and their loved ones. When care staff organised for a larger bed to be installed in the room, the couple were greatly appreciative of being able to watch films together and listen to music. The bed even had some space for their beloved guinea pigs, perfect for end of life care. Staff at the hospice recognised the difference when the larger bed was installed and identified that it would also benefit future patients, they were therefore in full support of the need to purchase a larger bed. The Aurum+ was selected as a suitable option for the hospice due to its ability to expand in width from 36” – 48” (3ft – 4ft). At its smallest size, it is the same width as a standard medical bed however when expanded it is wide enough to accommodate two people. Benmor Medical were very moved to learn that a larger bed like theirs can not only be used for bariatric patients but can also provide some form of comfort for inpatients and their loved ones at hospice’s like Oakhaven. To read more about what brilliant work the hospice carries out and their end of life care please visit www.oakhavenhospice.co.uk.
HeadStart Volunteering At Borough Care
Borough Care, the largest not-for-profit provider of care for older people in Stockport, is offering volunteering opportunities to young people through its links with The Challenge, which created and developed the HeadStart volunteering programme. HeadStart connects young people between the ages of 16 and 19 to local volunteering opportunities, with the aim of up-skilling and empowering them for further education and employment.HeadStart volunteers have been busy planning fundraising events for Borough Care’s resident amenity fund, which provides the little extras that make life more colourful for residents. The first HeadStart project with Borough Care took place at its Wellcroft home in Gatley. The ‘PlayStreet Youth Volunteering Challenge’ featured outdoor games and a tombola for residents, their families and friends.The next HeadStart project is taking place at Borough Care’s Silverdale home in Bredbury. For the project, entitled ‘Shared Lives’, the young volunteers will be speaking with residents to capture their life stories and exploring the similarities and differences with their own lives.Commenting on the HeadStart link up, Geraldine Blow, Area Manager at Borough Care, says: “It’s fantastic to welcome so many enthusiastic and imaginative young people to Borough Care. Being able to provide young people with the skills they need to enter the world of work, while giving our residents the chance to take part in fun and exciting projects, means it’s a win-win for everyone.” Find out more
Care2Connect Staff Short-Listed For Great British Care Awards
Care2Connect, the West Sussex homecare provider, has announced that three of its care team have been shortlisted for the Great British Care Awards. As a result of the nominations Julie Storey, Care Manager, Leanne Luxford, Care Worker and Lily Martin, Care Co-Ordinator have been invited to the regional finals which take place in Brighton next month.Julie Storey has been shortlisted for the Home Care Registered Manager Award. This award recognises those individuals who demonstrate a high level of expertise together with exceptional skills in managing the complex business of running a care agency, whilst developing person-centred care and supporting staff to meet the ever changing needs of clients.Lily Martin has been shortlisted for the Home Care Coordinator award which recognises the knowledge and skill needed to co-ordinate a care team in an effective and efficient way, motivating and supporting staff whilst ensuring the clients remains at the heart of the service.Leanne Luxford has been shortlisted for the Home Care Worker Award which acknowledges the significant role of those who consistently provide a high quality standard of care for people living in their own homes.The Great British Care Awards are a series of regional awards celebrating excellence across the care sector. The awards promote best practice within home care and care homes and recognise those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their own field of work.Colin Young, Chairman of Care2Connect, comments: “We are delighted that three of our team have been shortlisted for these important awards. Home care is a growing need across West Sussex and the UK, and ensuring that the elderly or infirm can continue to live in their homes for as long as they want to is an important issue. We pride ourselves on promoting excellence across the care sector and it is encouraging that three of our personable, calm and professional team have been recognised in this year’s awards.” The awards will be presented at a Gala Dinner in Brighton on 9th November. www.care2connect.co.uk
Shaping the future of care
Shaping the future of care – with a wide range of services, Care Vision offers a spectrum of solutions that will bring all your care home needs under one roof. Only a care home manager knows just how complex and challenging care management is. Care Vision has been built on the principle, that simplifying means unifying: the many types of tasks and departments that share space under your one roof should also share one integrated system. From E-mar to food prep, housekeeping, health & safety, HR and family visits. Care Vision is designed to save time whilst meeting and going beyond CQC requirements. Rishi Jawaheer has been a director of the Jawa Group for over 12 years. The family’s first dementia care home was established in the 1980s, in London. Consulting with carers, families and professionals Rishi has created Care Vision. A solution built from the challenges of providing care and recording required information in real situations. Care vision has been designed to meet the complex needs of individuals using the service, from the perspective and skill level of carers. The quality of the record keeping satisfies the regulators. Care Vision works with providers to create a tailor-made solution that suits your service. Care notes can be entered in a few clicks at the point of service. Using icons and speech to text but also having the ability to easily edit makes this a fantastic tool for a modern-day carer. By using Care Vision, you can save up to 2-4 hours per week, per resident in staff hours. That means if you have a care home of 20 residents you can save up to 40-80 staff hours per week, 160-320 staff hours per month. That’s equivalent to 1-2 fulltime staff. To find out more, check out the film on www.carevisioncms.co.uk
Christchurch-based care home shortlisted at the Great British Care Awards 2019
Fairmile Grange, a specialist nursing care home based in Christchurch, has been shortlisted in ‘The Ancillary Worker’ award category at the Great British Care Awards. The Great British Care Awards hold a series of regional events throughout the UK, which recognise excellence across the care sector. Fairmile Grange is celebrating after its housekeeping team has been recognised for the excellent, person-centred service they provide to each resident at the care home. Cecilia Thomson, Home Manager at Fairmile Grange care home, said: “Receiving a shortlisting at these prestigious awards is really exciting for us. In addition to our nursing staff, our housekeeping team, from the catering staff to the cleaners, work exceptionally hard to provide the best quality care to our residents. They take special pride in their work, so this is a very well-deserved acknowledgment for them.” “Representatives from our housekeeping team travelled to Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol earlier this month, where they attended the judging day for the awards, along with the other care providers we are competing against. We are delighted to get this far and hope we will be able to continue our journey in this competition and be recognised as a successful candidate at the next stage.” Fairmile Grange is an 80-bed care home, which is managed by Encore Care Homes. Situated in the grounds of Christchurch Hospital, Fairmile Grange has state-of-the-art facilities, a stunning landscaped garden and expertly trained staff who are supportive and provide excellent care to the residents. For more information about Fairmile Grange care home please call 01202 082722 to speak to a member of the team.
Borough Care Marks World Alzheimer’s Day
Borough Care, the largest not-for-profit provider of care for older people in Stockport, marked World Alzheimer’s Day with a special afternoon tea at its eleven homes. World Alzheimer’s Day falls on 21 September each year and is part of World Alzheimer’s Month, which takes place each September. World Alzheimer’s Month is an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. Borough Care hosted afternoon tea events at each of its homes, to enable people to share their experiences and get support from its experienced carers. Family and friends of residents were invited along to enjoy afternoon tea and chat to Borough Care staff, who were on hand to answer any dementia related questions. Residents and guests tucked in to a selection of finger sandwiches, cupcakes, fruit jelly shots, black forest trifle and scones with jam and cream. Borough Care has over 20 years of experience supporting people with dementia. All Borough Care employees, in all roles, have access to ongoing dementia training and education, to help them support residents and their families.
100th Birthday Celebrations For Olive At Bryn Haven
Olive Taylor, a resident at Borough Care’s Bryn Haven home in Brinnington, Stockport, recently celebrated her 100th birthday. As well as a special birthday card and telegram from the Queen, Olive received over 140 cards from all over the UK and beyond. Some of the cards were sent as part of the Postcards of Kindness initiative, which Bryn Haven is participating in. The campaign was set up to combat loneliness and remind care home residents that there’s always someone thinking of them. Currently, over 930 care homes around the world have joined the Postcards of Kindness Facebook group, with over 28,000 members sending cards. People took the time to send Olive birthday cards from around the world, including the USA and Australia, and she and her family were overwhelmed with the kindness shown. To mark Olive’s century, singer Samantha Jones entertained her family and fellow residents at Bryn Haven before everyone tucked into her birthday cake, which was made by Care Assistant Michelle Gallimore. A 100thbirthday framed picture was made especially for Olive by Lisa-Jane Jones, Laundry Assistant at Bryn Haven. The picture now takes pride of place in Olive’s bedroom. Olive has two children, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. During her working life she was a District Nurse, working around the Stockport area. After retiring, she spent many years volunteering for a number of different charities.
Top diabetes professor warns older people with type 1 are being overlooked
A top UK professor is urging the healthcare profession to make older people with type 1 diabetes a “priority and not an after-thought”. Professor Ketan Dhatariya, a diabetes consultant at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, wants to raise the standard for the over 60s in a bid to reduce diabetes-related hospital admissions. Professor Dhatariya said: “The number of older people with type 1 diabetes will certainly increase with time and we need to develop a strategy to ensure that long-term survival is not invariably accompanied by a fall in standards of care. “It’s crucial that carers and clinicians working with older people have the knowledge required to identify those at risk and to ensure safe management of this vulnerable group. This means simplification of insulin regimens, ability to recognise the early signs of hypoglycaemia, and knowledge of how and when to adjust insulin.” Professor Dhatariya, who is also an Honorary Professor of Medicine, will join Professor Alan Sinclair, Director of the Foundation for Diabetes Research in Older People (FDROP) and Dr David Strain, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Diabetes and Vascular Research Centre, University of Exeter Medical School at a major diabetes conference. Together, the three leading experts will present a session entitled ‘Type 1 Diabetes in Older Adults – Key Features and Management Guidance’ at Diabetes Professional Care (DPC2019), the UK’s largest free-to-attend, CPD-accredited conference for healthcare professionals working in diabetes care. As well as discussing insulin regimen options and co-morbidity treatments, the speakers will also look at the recently launched type 1 clinical guidelines for older people and how they can be used to improve care for the over 60s with the condition. Professor Dhatariya added: “At the moment, what’s happening is older people with diabetes become frail and develop other chronic health conditions. They are being admitted to hospital because they are struggling to manage their condition competently, which is not ideal. “Then the hospital gets filled up with frail individuals and because of the lack of community support, they can’t be discharged when they should be. We need more investment into primary care so we can prevent this from happening in the first place and also support those who need it, if it does occur. It’s time we make older people with type 1 diabetes a priority and not an after-thought.” This year DPC opens on October 29 and will be in a larger hall within Olympia London to accommodate increased demand. DPC founder Maggie Meer said: “Growing old is part of everyday life, and old age is particularly concerning for those with a chronic health condition, such as type 1 diabetes. “There is a distinct lack of research into the management of diabetes in older people, mainly because the frail and elderly are generally excluded from studies. Trials tend to be more focussed on type 1 diabetes among the younger generation or type 2 diabetes among older people. But despite this, the number of elderly people with type 1 diabetes is increasing. “It’s vital we ensure all populations who have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes are included to ensure standards of diabetes care are improved. At DPC2019 we work very hard to produce a programme which ensures healthcare professionals who attend the show, leave with the confidence and skills to treat each individual based on the latest guidelines and treatment options that are currently available.” At the heart of DPC2019 will be a multi-stream conference bringing together world-class practitioners and thought leaders to share their expertise and knowledge on diabetes care and best practice. A series of informal new clinics will be at the heart of a revamped programme, with a key focus around co-morbidities and related conditions. Sessions focussing on care for older people include: Hypoglycaemia assessment in the elderly: key considerations in practice Elderly & end of life care for people with CKD Practical advice and tips for older people with diabetes: 3 avenues of assessment & management Healthcare professionals, Commissioners and Service Leads can still register a free place online or via 023 8081 1551.
