Circadian Lighting for Dementia & Elderly Care
Introduction Understanding of the impact of light on human behaviour has advanced rapidly at the same time as lighting technology has undergone a major evolution with the advent of LED lighting. It is now possible to use the principles of human-centric lighting easily and cost-effectively in sensitive and care environments. At amBX we are working on cost-effective true circadian lighting for care environments. We call this bio-dynamic lighting as it combines LED lighting with sophisticated intelligent control that manages the lighting for the maximum comfort and well-being of patients, residents and staff. Bio-adaptive Lighting The principle of bio-adaptive lighting is to provide artificial light controlled in such a way as to match the needs of human biological cycles, or circadian rhythms, in the most effective and appropriate way. It provides for improved health and wellbeing and supports aspects of human behaviour that benefit from spectrum-controlled lighting. We are all governed to some degree by the circadian cycle (which is a little over 24 hours long) and light information from the environment resets the circadian clock every day to keep us in step. Light is the most powerful synchroniser of the human circadian clock, and the timing of light exposure during a day is responsible for how circadian rhythms are synchronised with the environment. For example: Late-evening light exposure delays circadian rhythms, resulting in later sleep and wake times, and early-morning light exposure advances these circadian rhythms, resulting in earlier sleep and wake times. It has long been recognised that there are significant benefits to healthcare from bio-adaptive lighting techniques. A study by The Center For Health Design in California found that by controlling the body’s circadian system, light impacts outcomes in healthcare settings by reducing depression among patients, decreasing length of stay in hospitals, improving sleep and circadian rhythm, lessening agitation among dementia patients, easing pain, and improving adjustment to night-shift work among staff. As Mariana Figueiro, Professor and Light and Health Program Director, Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, says “High circadian stimulation during the daytime hours and low circadian stimulation in the evening is simply common sense.” The use of as much natural daylight in care environments as possible is important but for people who spend a long time indoors under artificial light, bio-adaptive lighting should be a key consideration for any care environment. The Power of colour It’s not just about lighting cycles though, as colour plays an important part too. It’s known that certain blue light suppresses natural melatonin secretion in the human body and therefore acts as a type of fatigue-beater. One study from the Light Research Program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia found that blue light also strengthens and stimulates connections between areas of your brain that process emotion and language. This means that blue light may, in turn, help people to better handle emotional challenges and regulate mood over time. Blue light is prevalent in sunlight, so your body absorbs the most during the summer and much less in the winter. Because of this, the researchers suggested that adding blue light to indoor atmospheres, as opposed to the standard yellow lights typically used, may help boost mood and productivity year-round, and especially during the winter. The wavelength of visible light determines its colour and recent research has identified the impact from certain wavelengths. For example, a study by theSchool of Psychology in Adelaide showed that the shorter wavelengths of 470, 497, and 525 nm showed the greatest melatonin suppression from 65% to 81%. It is important to manage certain wavelengths of the visible light spectrum at the right times in order to deliver effective bio-adaptive lighting. Over the past decade, neuro-scientific research has uncovered the existence of a previously unknown non-visual optic pathway modulated by the substance melanopsin (which has a unique sensitivity to distinct parts of the visible light spectrum). Unlike other projections of the visual system, these pathways seem to play a minimal role in perception and processing of vision and image-formation; instead they have been found to be fundamentally responsible for entrainment and maintenance of circadian rhythms and other physiological functions. In another study Figueiro found that, compared to remaining in darkness, exposure to red light in the middle of the afternoon significantly reduces power in the frequency ranges that have been associated with sleepiness. These results suggest that red light positively affects measures of alertness not only at night, but also during the day. Red light also seemed to be a more potent stimulus for modulating brain activities associated with daytime alertness than blue light, although they did not find any significant differences in measures of alertness after exposure to red and blue lights. This suggests that blue light, especially higher levels of blue light, could still increase alertness in the afternoon. It appears that melatonin suppression is not needed for light to have an impact on objective measures of alertness. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we should all now have lots of different coloured lighting since blue is often in white light and having the ability to vary the actual colour spectrum of light is a critical factor in effective bio-adaptive lighting. Introducing colour changes and even tints at certain times of the day can be a highly effective way to deliver good bio-adaptive lighting. Impact on People with Dementia In a study entitled Spectral Sensitivity of the Circadian System, Mariana Figueiro showed that exposure to blue LED was shown to affect sleep quality and median body temperature peak in Alzheimer’s disease patients. Median body temperature peak was delayed by approximately two hours after exposure to blue LEDs compared with exposure to red LEDs and sleep quality was improved. This pilot study demonstrated that light, especially LED lights can be an important contribution to helping such patients regulate their circadian functions. A further study in at a Sacramento Municipal Utility care home in the US, Innovative Lighting reported that a pilot installation showed very positive results from the use of bio-adaptive lighting. There was a reduction in falls by residents
What to look for when you’re taking out Care Home Insurance
Care homes that look after elderly, disabled or other vulnerable people play a vital role in the UK, helping to ensure their residents are safe, secure and well cared for. But it probably won’t come as much of a surprise to learn that care homes also face a wide range of insurance risks that many other private businesses don’t have to deal with, specifically because of what they do and who they care for. That’s why it’s critical that you know exactly what to look for when you’re taking out Care Home Insurance. Many providers will let you bundle together a range of different types of cover to create an insurance policy that’s tailored to your own care home’s specific requirements. These are some of the types of cover you should consider including when you’re taking out Care Home Insurance. Public liability insurance: This type of cover insures the business against the potential risk of a liability claim by a visitor to the care home, such as a relative of a resident or a delivery person. If a visitor slipped on a wet floor and made a claim against the care home for personal injury, for instance, public liability insurance could cover the cost of both court fees and compensation pay-outs. Professional indemnity insurance: If one of the care home’s employees makes a mistake (injuring a resident by lifting them incorrectly, for instance, or giving a resident the wrong medication) there is a risk that the business might face legal action. Professional indemnity insurance can protect the care home in these cases. Legal expenses insurance: If your care home has public liability insurance this should cover the legal expenses you might incur if a member of the public makes a claim, while professional indemnity insurance can cover your legal expenses if an employee makes a serious mistake. But there are other situations where your care home could face legal action, which means this type of additional legal expenses cover might be worth considering. Employers’ liability insurance: It takes a great team to provide a great level of care, but when you employ staff you’re also legally obliged to have employers’ liability insurance in place. This can cover compensation claims and legal bills your business might incur if an employee is injured at work, and the law states you’ll need to have at least £5m worth of employers’ liability insurance in place. Buildings insurance: This will generally only be relevant if your care home owns its own building, but if that does apply to your business it would be a wise decision to protect that valuable asset with suitable buildings insurance. In fact, if you have a mortgage on the property you may find that your mortgage agreement has a clause specifically requiring you to take our buildings insurance. Contents insurance: Many care homes own valuable equipment, electronics and machinery, which is why many decide to take out contents insurance. Some insurance providers are also willing to extend their policies to cover the personal belongings of the care home’s residents, although it’s worth bearing in mind that there’s usually a maximum amount per person for that. This type of insurance cover could prove particularly invaluable given the rise in the number of care homes being burgled in recent years. Fortunately, you don’t have to take out a separate policy for each of these things in order to ensure your care home is properly covered. Quotezone.co.uk has a Care Home Insurance comparison service that enables care home managers to tailor a policy to their specific needs, adding the types of cover they want to include and then comparing quotes from a range of different insurance providers.
Optalis launch poetry project for staff and customers
A social care provider, Optalis, has introduced a poetry project to encourage staff and customers to discover and share life experiences through poetry. The project was launched on World Poetry Day (21 March) across Optalis’ Older Peoples’ Services in Windsor and Wokingham and poems will be submitted until mid-August. World Poetry Day is a worldwide celebration of poetry and all things poetical. It’s about everybody sharing poetry, reading poetry, writing poetry and enjoying poetry. Optalis is asking staff and customers to share childhood poems, associated memories and encouraging them to look at nostalgic pictures and record their thoughts. The poems will be part of a poetry book, ‘Rhymes of Our Times,’ which will be published in October. All profits from the sales will be used to purchase equipment and resources for the benefit of Optalis’ customers. Belinda Dixon, Optalis Service Manager, said, “We are committed to providing meaningful activities that will engage our customers and introducing projects like these brings new challenges and enables them to gain new skills. We are really looking forward to reading many creative entries and I’m sure they’ll all be so captivating to read.” Optalis’ Windsor Day Centre also runs Dementia poetry sessions each week for their older people groups. Optalis strives to make a positive difference to the lives of customers, offering genuine choice and enabling them to fulfill their potential. For more information about Optalis, contact 01628 683744 or click here
Log my Care launches new premium module for carers
Log my Care, the care home software provider, has announced the launch of a new premium module, Log my Care – Pro is the first optional premium module for its free care planning software, designed to help care homes streamline their record keeping. Through Log my Care, carers can record care notes as they go on any smartphone. Care managers can see an overview of all care work and access all records on a laptop or desktop computer. The new premium module introduces a number of new features including Offline Mode, Instant Notifications, Policies & Procedures storage and a Handover Function. Offline mode has been designed to enable carers to keep logging care records on the Log my Care app on smartphones, even if Wi-Fi has a weak signal or the internet connection is intermittent. Devices will be able to continue to work offline for up to 24 hours. Once the connection resumes, they will then synchronise back with the Care Office and log all the information recorded. The new Instant notifications function will send alerts to the main care office as soon as a carer records an incident. This means the manager on shift is notified straight away, no matter where the incident takes place. Through the Handover Function, Log my Care will group together handover information ready for carers starting the next shift. As an additional benefit, Pro users will now also be able to store documents online related to standard policies and procedures; for example fire, RIDDOR, Data Protection, Impact Assessments, Dress codes, and CQC notifications. The core system of Log my Care – Pro is free for all users. Providers can upgrade to the Pro module through the website or app, and Log my Care are offering a free month trial for all users without the need to add payment or credit card details. Care providers will then pay £20 plus VAT per home per month, or can continue to use the basic version for no cost. Reece Welch, Registered Manager at Elizabeth Court Rest Home in East Sussex, worked with the Log my Care team to trial the new version and comments: “Since making the shift from paper to electronic care notes our daily routine has been impacted massively, saving time and increasing accuracy of notes, as well as being able to have an overview of the care as it happens on the dashboard. The Log my Care Team have been excellent in responding to feedback so the Pro version has made this even simpler, with additional features making recording a breeze and offline mode meaning notes can be taken anywhere.” Sam Hussain, Founder of Log my Care – Pro, comments: “From the outset we wanted to build a system that makes care planning and recording easy and that can be used by anyone. Technology can really help us, but it can also be frustrating when Wi-Fi suddenly drops. It was really important to us to make a system that offers continuity for care staff, and also enables carers to benefit from technology even if the home they work at is in a location with poor signal.” To find out more about the Log my Care – Pro and use the system for free, visit www.LogmyCare.co.uk
Combatting Loneliness with Home Care Companionship Services
Combatting Loneliness with Home Care Companionship Services10 Top Tips for Engaging with Clients At Homeby Gillian Hesketh, MD Happy Days Dementia Workshop & Nostalgic Design. Gillian Hesketh is MD of Happy Days Dementia Workshop & Nostalgic Design. Besides designing bespoke engagement prompts and nostalgic environments, she has spent much time in care homes and hospitals, with nurses and carers, sharing ways to help care teams enrich social care for well-being. Loneliness can affect anyone in our communities. We’re recognising more than ever, that some elderly people may be experiencing too many lonely days. The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness states ‘one in three people aged 75 and over say feelings of loneliness are out of their control.’ For elderly people who have developed a medical condition which may limit mobility, or who are living with dementia, loneliness can impact on their overall well- being. It’s wonderful to see that many home-care companies are now providing companionship sessions for people in their own homes. To help carers enrich social care, Gillian Hesketh of Happy Days Dementia Workshop & Design has developed a range of life story response tools, traditional games with conversation prompts, and collated a collection of nostalgic games to encourage meaningful conversations and enhance everyday living. For Home Care Service Providers, Gillian recommends that creating a collection of reminiscence materials, nostalgic games, large piece jigsaw puzzles, colouring cards and conversation prompts at your office or base can encourage carers to use the materials to engage with clients more easily and effectively. Most Happy Days resources are wipe clean for infection control. Engagement materials can bring about conversations, encourage activity, movement, maintain skills and uplift mood. Here are Gillian’s Ten Top Pointers to help care providers engage with clients: 1.Work at eye level – Gain the person’s trust – SmileConsider that you will be ‘a good friend’ to the person you are caring for. 2.Find out about the individual – get to know the person’s life story: interests, likes and dislikes too. Try Happy Days ‘My Personal Memory Jogger’ to add information, stories and photos to share and enjoy during future companionship sessions. 3.Make a list of current topics the person is interested in. Read newspaper or magazine articles, books or poems to or with the person. 4.Together, create a list of the person’s favourite hobbies and pastimes – ask for family input. What pastimes might the person enjoy now? Use this information to plan social activities for future sessions. [Games – Sewing – Television – Music – Playing a musical instrument – Gardening – Baking – Painting – Chatting – Jigsaw Puzzles – School Reunion internet sites]. 5.Adjust activities and games to suit the person – Simplify rules – Limit the time span if necessary. Some people may just want to stack dominoes, buttons or jigsaw pieces. Activity doesn’t need to be complicated or competitive. 6.Engage in everyday tasks: Preparing fruit or vegetables – Dusting – Making up a planter. Tidy a cupboard, cd collection or fix boxed games together – Sorting can be therapeutic, calming and satisfying. 7.Look at the person’s photographs together. Create a mini photo album of ‘action’ photographs or add names to the back of the photos. ‘Doing something’ in a photograph may help a person with dementia to remember the event more easily than the image of a face only 8.Colouring can be rewarding and relaxing. It’s important to find scenes that the person would enjoy. Happy Days has designed Around the 1950s/60s Colouring Cards to prompt memories and help people reminisce. 9.Just talking is an activity. It’s not necessary to win games or complete tasks – the act of engaging is often enough to prompt meaningful conversations. 10.Reminiscing is a wonderful way to prompt memories and bring about stories to share. Create a personal memory box with the person you are caring for – or choose a themed Reminiscence Box from Happy Days Dementia Workshop. Themes include nostalgic artefacts and games, memorabilia, postcards and photographs. See online shop. If the person tires, end the activity – Offer a drink and soothing conversation. For more information, contact Gillian Hesketh – gillian@dementiaworkshop.co.uk or shop online at www.dementiaworkshop.co.uk Home Care Companionship10 Tips© by Gillian Hesketh 24.02.2019
Preparing to Sell?
Selling a care business is a complex process, requiring assistance from various care industry professionals along the way. For due diligence, it would be prudent to appoint a solicitor specialising solely in healthcare as they can ensure the smooth progression of a sale. Due diligence involves potential purchasers looking at your business in detail, examining everything from accounts to rotas and leases. To simplify the process ensure your accounts are up to date and in order, beforeinstructing an agent. Any preparation through addressing the following key areas will reap benefits. Upgrade or refresh your facilities. Ensure you’re on the best possible energy tariff and consider solar power or LED lighting. Prepare historical data showing trends in occupancy levels, fees and rates. If you are an ownermanager do you have a qualified management team to replace you? Strong relationships with key referrers such as Local Authorities and GP practices can help maintain occupancy levels. Does your business outperform other local providers? If not, identify and improve those areas that fall short. Valuations look at the maintainable earnings rather than ‘price per bed’. Do your accounts make it easy to establish this? If there are any risks, the purchaser may require an indemnity, to cover their costs in resolving a problem. By identifying and resolving risks and concerns, before the sale proceeds, you can confidently give warranties, have control over resolving problems and limit indemnities. Find out more
Grahame Gardner sets the trend with revamped workwear line
LEADING workwear provider, Grahame Gardner Ltd, has relaunched an innovative range of garments which bring state-of-the art fabrics together with the latest printing techniques. The Advance range, which was first unveiled in 2016 and is still a UK first when it comes to producing dye sublimated tunics, is now new and improved after undergoing a refresh. The range utilises cutting-edge dye sublimation technology allowing customers to choose any colour, image or pattern as part of their uniform designs. Customers can even use their company logos to create bespoke panels and trims, allowing organisations to present a strong corporate image across their entire business, ensuring staff have workwear that truly aligns with their corporate identity. The Leicester-based firm originally launched its ‘Advance’ range in response to increasing demand from businesses for more customisable and contemporary uniforms that provide increased comfort and resilience. It targets the dental, nursing, healthcare, veterinary and spa and beauty markets and uses a technical fabric called ‘Aura’ which provides the wearer with moisture control as well as durability. Simon Ward, Group Sales Director at Grahame Gardner Ltd, said: “We’re thrilled to bring this new and improved Advance range to market after a period of research and development to build on the original designs from 2016. We feel we’ve given it a fresh, new look and there is a more modern feel to the styles available which are more attractive to the 2019 market place. “The main improvement has been in the quality of the final produced dye-sublimated garments which means we can now meet the increased demand for truly bespoke garments from customers seeking to move away from traditional styles and designs. “We’ve have definitely seen a significant increase in recent years of the number of customers looking for more bespoke workwear solutions, who understand the importance of building and maintaining a strong brand that represents their organisation to both the people who use their services and their staff. “Our Aura fabric, combined with the latest dye-sublimation printing techniques provides a collection that’s not only functional and well-designed, but that works hard for the wearer too, providing a more durable and performance-focused garment.” The 100% polyester, 160gsm Aura fabric, can be hand washed or in a washing machine at 40 degrees, and is easy to maintain due to its fast drying nature and inherent wrinkle and shrink resistance. Sizes are from 6 – 26 (XS -XXL) and available on minimum order quantities of 10 garments, with delivery in approximately 6-7 weeks. Advance is available for £34.95 + VAT with a free £50.00 design service until 1st July 2019. Enquiries and orders can be made by calling 0116 255 6326 or via email at sales@grahamegardner.co.uk. For further information, visit www.grahamegardner.co.uk/advance
Care home’s seaside appeal for resident Eddie’s 85th birthday
AN APPEAL has been issued to give an elderly care home resident a seaside birthday party – despite being almost 70 miles from the nearest coastal town. Staff at Aden Lodge Care Home, in Clayton West, near Huddersfield, are hoping to fulfil resident Edward “Eddie” Case’s 85thbirthday wish. Unfortunately, Eddie is not able to travel to the coast, so the home is planning on bringing the coast to Eddie. Staff will be creating an indoor beach for the day, complete with sandcastle making, volleyball and other beach games, mocktails and more. They are also hoping to have an ice cream van and a donkey or pony visit the home and are appealing to anyone who can provide the traditional seaside attractions. Kim Hardy, home manager at Aden Lodge Care Home, said: “Eddie is a hug fan of the great outdoors. “On a recent walk around his home village of Clayton West, he was able to recall when he was a young lad and he would walk to school because “only well-off families could afford a car”, he said. “He said he loved visits to the beach as a child, despite living a good one and a half hours drive away, so we thought we’d bring to beach to him for his 85th birthday. “We need support to pull this off, however, so we’re appealing to anyone who can provide traditional seaside attractions such as an ice cream van, candyfloss maker, a donkey or pony rides. Anything that brings back memories of the seaside. “We’re opening up the party to anyone who would like to join us for our seaside day on 23rd March. We’d like to see as many visitors as possible.” Kim added: “We’re also appealing to the local community to see if we can get 85 birthday cards for his 85th– but all themed with the great outdoors, from beech themes to our wonderful countryside.” For further information about the appeal call Aden Lodge Care Home on 01484 866602 or email adenlodgemanager@hillcare.net. To send a card to Eddie Case for his 85th birthday, address it to Eddie Case, Aden Lodge Care Home, Long Lane, Clayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9PR. Aden Lodge Care Home is part of the Hill Care Group. For further information visit www.hillcare.net.
Superfan Malcolm enjoys T-Rex tribute concert
T-REX superfan Malcolm Temke got to see his favourite band live again when tribute act T-Rextasy played Middlesbrough Theatre. Despite his dementia, Malcolm recalled many of the band’s lyrics and sang along to classics including “20th Century Boy”, “Get It On” and “Children Of The Revolution”. He was taken to the concert along with fellow resident Christine Standley by carers at Briarwood Care Home, in Eston, Middlesbrough, where they both live. After the show, he met the band and lookalike singer, bringing back memories of the many occasions he met T-Rex’s lead singer, Marc Bolan. Malcom first saw T-Rex play live in 1969, when he was 15-years-old. He has a photo of himself and Marc from the concert. He keeps a scrapbook of T-Rex memories, including ticket stubs, programmes and photos. One ticket, from a concert at ABC Theatre in Stockton-on-Tees, on 4th November 1971, shows he paid 60p for a seat in the stalls. His first T-Rex album was White Swan, released in 1970. Julie Foster, home manager at Briarwood Care Home, said: “Malcolm is a very quiet gentleman and rarely speaks. However, he was singing along to all the songs and asked our activities coordinator Norma Dobie if she was going to share her crisps. “It was lovely we could take Malcolm and Christine out to enjoy the show and both had such a fantastic time.” Dawn Temke, Malcolm’s wife, said: “I was delighted staff at Briarwood Care Home took Malcom to see the show. He loved it. Briarwood Care Home is part of the Hill Care Group. For further information visit www.hillcare.net.
