Fairmile Grange celebrates Children in Need with the help of some special guests
A group of local children recently visited Fairmile Grange care home to help residents and staff raise money for Children in Need. The day involved a range of fundraising activities, including decorating cupcakes, guess the name of the bear and how many rainbow drops were in a jar. Stuart Davey, head chef of Fairmile Grange also prepared a variety of cakes for all to enjoy. Kim Butters, wellbeing manager of Fairmile Grange, said: “Children in Need is such a wonderful cause, so it was fantastic to see our residents and the children from the local community get involved with our fundraising activities held at the home. “We would like to say a special thanks to all of the children who came along and took part in our arts and crafts and cupcake decorating sessions. Everyone had a fantastic day and we are delighted the children enjoyed themselves so much that they will be coming back at Christmas to sing festive songs for our residents to enjoy.” Children visiting residents of Fairmile Grange is part of the care homes intergenerational project, which was launched last year. The scheme was introduced after recent studies suggested intergenerational interaction can decrease loneliness and even improve health issues, such as low blood pressure for the elderly. Kim commented: “Our residents really look forward to when children come to visit, as it makes them feel like they are part of the community. Even simple things such as singing and playing games make such a big difference, so we always ensure a variety of engaging activities are planned for residents and visitors to enjoy.” 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 landscape garden and expertly trained staff who are supportive and provide excellent care to the residents. For more information about Fairmile Grange please visit www.fairmilegrange.co.uk or call 01202 007569 to speak to a member of the team.
NEW STARTER COMES TO THE RESCUE OF AN ELDERLY PATIENT
New starter at Hilton Nursing Partners, personal nursing assistant Lilly Schwarz, used her quick thinking to safeguard a 95 year old patient from a potentially life-threatening situation as an electrical fire took hold. Only 12 days in her new role, new starter Lilly’s responsibility to assess patients after their discharge from hospital quickly went from a routine task, to that of a life saving situation when she was met at the patient’s home with panic and plumes of toxic smoke. “Mrs Frapwell had just been discharged from hospital after complications with her diabetes. My role was to support her through the transition of leaving hospital and regaining her confidence and independence at home again. As soon as I rang the intercom I knew there was a problem. I couldn’t get to her quick enough; thankfully she was outside her flat but very distressed that she couldn’t stop the toxic smoke from developing. “I moved her well away towards an open window where she could breath in fresh air, and then I went back to the flat. I could see an electric kettle on the electric hob, which had been switched on. I just turned the hob off then found the cut-off switch for the electrics before opening the windows as wide as I could. It must have taken me minutes to act; thankfully the fire brigade were quick to take over. The chocolates I received from Mrs Frapwell’s family as a thank you were absolutely gorgeous, but for me it was a natural response and I’d do it again to make sure any one of our patients were safe.” Mrs Frapwell said that she was very happy Lilly was at her home when she was as she didn’t know what would happen stating Hilton Nursing Partners could not have been better and the support she received was fantastic. Ann Taylor, CEO at Hilton Nursing Partners says: “We are incredibly proud of Lilly, her quick thinking kept our patient safe, and prevented the fire from progressing further. I can’t praise her selfless actions enough, without giving her bravery a second thought her only concern was to make sure Mrs Frapwell wasn’t hurt or upset by the incident – what a star.” 100% focused on getting patients out of hospital and recovering in their own homes. Working with the NHS and Social Care Commissioners Hilton Nursing Partners successfully deliver safe, timely and supportive hospital discharges, patient assessments and patient recovery programmes via nurses, therapists and nurse led personal nursing assistants with a proven track record in freeing hospital beds, as well as reducing re-admissions and on-going social services support.
DPC becomes ‘force’ for innovation and best practice
Diabetes Professional Care 2018 (DPC2018) is set to become the biggest yetwith a record-breaking attendance expected, leading to the event being described as a “force for good”. More than 6,500 delegates have pre-registered, with 4,000 predicted to attend – topping last year’s previous record of3,235 delegates and placing it firmly as the UK’s best-attended event for healthcare professionals working in diabetes. DPC2018 is the UK’s only national, free-to-attend and CPD-accredited conference for those involved in the prevention, treatment and management of diabetes, and its related conditions. Taking place at London’s Olympia on 14 and 15 November, delegates are invited to attend presentations and workshops on a variety of topics, such as the type 2 diabetes reversal,mental health and wellbeing, cardiovascular disease as well as making the most of consultations. In response to rising childhood obesity rates, DPC2018 is staging a Live Debate dedicated to the subject with top experts and policy makers from the field. The debate called ‘Preventing childhood obesity – whose responsibility?Policymakers, professionals, family environments or technology?’will take place from 2.30pm to 3.30pm on Thursday, November 15. This year, the results of the eagerly-anticipated DECLARE study into cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes will be shared for the first time in the UK at the conference. The research involved 17,000 people and showed how the drug Forxiga (dapagliflozin)reduced hospitalisation for heart failure or CV death with no increase in major CV events versus placebo in a broad population with type 2 diabetes. The session called Cardiovascular outcomes with SGLT2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes – update from AHA conference takes place on Wednesday, November 14, between 3.15pm and 3.45pm. A new user-friendly, subject classification has been introduced to the programme and workshops as the organisers, Healthcare Publishing & Events, strive to improve the event, which encompasses both primary and secondary care, helping to provide a platform to further integrated care and best practice. Founder Maggie Meer, who has type 2 diabetes and set up the conference in a bid to improve care, said: “It’s massively exciting that Diabetes Professional Care has developed so much since we started and now people are using our annual event as a platform to launch research findings, products, data and examples of best practice in diabetes. Diabetes Professional Care is at the heart of sharing best practice and tackling subjects that need to be addressed in diabetes.” Commenting on the rise of Diabetes Professional Care, Oliver Jelley, Editor of The Diabetes Times, said: “Diabetes Professional Care has quickly become a force for good in diabetes care in the UK, with the conference acting like a platform to share best practice and innovation across the NHS to improve care for people with diabetes.” For more information about the Diabetes Professional Care show please click here
DPC hosts ‘lively and engaging’ childhood obesity debate
Leading clinicians and policymakers participated in a “lively and engaging” debate about childhood obesity on the second day of a major DPC2018. Dr Max Davie, Health Promotion Officer at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health was joined by Dr Fiona Campbell, Consultant Diabetes Paediatrician at Leeds Children’s Hospital on the debating panel at Diabetes Professional Care (DPC2018). They were joined by Dr Mayank Patel, Consultant Diabetologist at University Hospital Southampton and the Rt Hon. Keith Vaz MP, Chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes. All four of them were selected because of their views on various issues with the topic of childhood obesity, such as social media, food labelling and digital health. The Diabetes Times Editor Oliver Jelley said: “Childhood obesity is dominating the headlines right now, so it was a highly relevant subject for this year’s Live Debate. The contributors all have vast experience within their field of work, so it was hugely interesting hearing their ideas about the subject. It certainly made for a lively and engaging discussion.” Childhood obesity continues to be discussed as it was announced in May that the number of 10 and 11-year-old children who are classed as severely obese in the final year of primary school is nearly double that of those in reception. DPC founder Maggie Meer, who has type 2 diabetes, said: “We already know type 2 diabetes is associated with poor lifestyle and can be avoided through a combination of diet, exercise and education but, sadly, it seems the younger generation have missed out on being told these vital health tips.” As well as the Live Debate, the second day of the conference covered various other topical subjects including individualising diabetes care for older people with a focus on frailty and how to make acute care for people with diabetes safer. DPC2018 has become a major annual event for people who are involved in the prevention, treatment and management of diabetes, and its related conditions. Now in its fourth year, DPC2018 is the UK’s only free CPD-accredited diabetes conference for healthcare professionals. Once again the two-day event brought together world-class practitioners and thought leaders, tackling the most pressing issues in diabetes care. For more information about DPC2018 please visit www.diabetesprofessionalcare.com
Results of major CVD study presented at DPC2018
The results of the eagerly-anticipated DECLARE study into cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes was shared for the first time in the UK at Diabetes Professional Care (DPC2018). The research involved 17,000 people and showed how the drug Forxiga (dapagliflozin) reduced hospitalisation for heart failure or cardiovascular (CV) death with no increase in major CV events versus placebo in a broad population with type 2 diabetes. The session called Cardiovascular outcomes with SGLT2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes – update from AHA conference took place on Wednesday, November 14, between 3.15pm and 3.45pm. DECLARE-TIMI 58 is the first CV outcomes trial (CVOT) in its class to include a majority of people without established CV disease. It is the first CVOT to include hospitalisation for heart failure as part of a primary outcome; heart failure in people with type 2 diabetes accounts for 1.25 million bed days per year in England and Wales Published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), results from DECLARE-TIMI 58 show dapagliflozin significantly reduced the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure (hHF) or CV death vs. placebo by 17% (4.9% vs. 5.8%; HR 0.83 [95% CI 0.73-0.95], p=0.005) in one of two primary efficacy endpoints1. The reduction in hHF or CV death was consistent across the entire patient population studied in DECLARE- TIMI 58, which included those with multiple CV risk factors and those with established CV disease. DECLARE-TIMI 58 also confirmed the well-established safety profile for dapagliflozin by meeting the primary safety endpoint of non-inferiority vs. placebo, demonstrating no increase in the composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as CV death, heart attack (myocardial infarction), or stroke (upper boundary of the 95% CI, <1.3; p<0.001 for non-inferiority). While there were fewer MACE events observed with dapagliflozin, this did not reach statistical significance for superiority versus placebo as the second primary efficacy endpoint (8.8% for dapagliflozin vs. 9.4% for placebo; HR 0.93 [95% CI 0.84-1.03]; p=0.17).1 Professor John Wilding, who leads diabetes and endocrinology research at the University of Liverpool, and is Lead UK Investigator and member of the Executive Steering Committee for DECLARE, said: “Heart failure is often overlooked as a complication of type 2 diabetes; however, these patients are 33% more likely to develop heart failure compared to the general population. The results of DECLARE show that dapagliflozin reduced the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure and CV death and, crucially, that this effect is seen not only in patients with established CVdisease, but also those who have not yet had an event but are at high risk.” Type 2 diabetes has been associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, but heart failure develops earlier than either of these complications and carries with it a high rate of death and a large cost burden. In 2015/16, 32% of all hospital admissions for heart failure in England and Wales were for people with diabetes, accounting for over 1.25 million bed days. By 2035, it is estimated that caring for T2D patients with heart failure will cost the UK almost half a billion pounds each year. Dapagliflozin is not indicated for prevention of CV events. In Europe, dapagliflozin is indicated for adults aged 18 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus to improve glycaemic control: As a monotherapy when diet and exercise alone do not provide adequate glycaemic control in patients for whom use of metformin is considered inappropriate due to intolerance. In combination with other glucose-lowering medical products including insulin, when these, together with diet and exercise, do not provide adequate glycaemic control. DECLARE-TIMI 58 is the largest CVOT in the SGLT2 inhibitor class of medicines and the first to include the composite of hHF and CV death as a primary endpoint. The study included a broad population of more than 17,000 patients with the aim of reflecting a large spectrum of T2D patients in clinical practice. The results of DECLARE showed no imbalance with dapagliflozin vs. placebo in amputations (1.4% vs. 1.3%), fractures (5.3% vs. 5.1%), bladder cancer (0.3% vs. 0.5%)or Fournier’s gangrene (1 case vs. 5 cases).1 The respective incidences of diabetic ketoacidosis (0.3% vs. 0.1%) and genital infections (0.9% vs. 0.1%) were rare. Although secondary endpoints were nominally significant, the DECLARE results also show that dapagliflozin reduced the rate of new or worsening kidney disease by 24% vs. placebo across the broad patient population studied (4.3% vs. 5.6%; HR 0.76 [95% CI 0.67-0.87]),1which is important because T2D is one of the biggest risk factors for developing chronic kidney disease.7 In addition, there were fewer all-cause mortality events with dapagliflozin vs. placebo (6.2% vs. 6.6%; HR 0.93 [95% CI 0.82-1.04]). For more information about the DECLARE study please visit www.diabetesprofessionalcare.com
How the elderly can benefit from using technology in relation to health?
In the UK, it’s estimated that around 45 million people use or own a smartphone. With most smartphone owners aged between 14 and 60, a large proportion of the elderly population are left behind when it comes to smart technology. In this article, we’ll take a look at the different ways the over 65’s can embrace smart technology to help their health. As people get older, it’s inevitable that they have to visit medical professionals more frequently. Due to mobility issues, many elderly people find it challenging to access doctors surgeries and clinics. However, using technology in the form of an app on a smartphone, tablet or device, a feasible solution can be used to significantly aid this habitual problem. Apps such as Push Doctor, or the NHS’s version, ‘GPathand’, allows you to book and undergo the appointment with your doctor or GP straight from your internet connected device. Online pharmacies are also a useful tool for this problem as patients, after receiving an online consultation with a doctor, can have their repeat prescriptions delivered right to their door. By using technology, the elderly population can regularly access the top healthcare, without having to worry about mobility issues. Wearable technologies can also be used to benefit the health of the elderly. Wearable technologies – most commonly in the form of a watch – are a category of devices that can track certain pieces of data, while being worn on the body of a person. The majority of the time, wearable technologies are used to track and monitor the health of the person wearing them. Wearable technology products such as the FitBit and other watches can collect data on heart rate, blood pressure, and the amount of exercise done in a day. Other smartwatch manufacturers have also created products that can aid people with medical conditions such as dementia – for instance, take Safelink’s smartwatch with it’s wearable GPS tracker, that alerts up to three smartphones when any unusual behaviour is detected. Initially, some elderly people may struggle to use some of the items listed above, however, there are plenty of resources out there to help them grow accustomed to their new found technological friend. Take a look at this guide on Age Action, or alternatively, seek out services like Barclays digital eagles, that can help anyone become confident in using technology.
Stout and sandwiches a hit with care home residents
A Stout and sandwich afternoon was enjoyed by Northumberland care home residents – after they asked for more foodie activities. Staff served up flavoured stouts and various cobs, bagels, loafs, wraps and cakes at The Oaks Care Home, on Durban Street, Blyth. The feast was a hit with residents, who enjoyed a taste of the milk or chocolate flavoured beers with their spread of sandwiches. Resident Derek Grassie said: “That’s a lovely ale. Many thanks to the staff for their effort. It was such a lovely spread.” Fellow resident Elsie Patterson said: “It was lovely to have a piece of stottie cake again and a variety of fillings.” The activity was the first time many of the residents had tried bagels and wraps, with tiger cobs, a sesame seed loaf and beetroot and raisin bread also on offer. They had a choice of pork, beef, cheese, tuna and chicken, alongside salad, for the fillings. The home’s activities coordinator, Angela Hedley, came up with the idea of the stout and sandwich afternoon. She said: “The simple things can sometimes make for a really memorable day for our residents. “I thought a stout and sandwich afternoon was something different and it turned out for many of the residents it was their first time experiencing bagels and wraps.”
It’s time for social care to be bold when it comes to attracting younger talent
It is no secret that there is a recruitment crisis within the social care sector and recent statistics suggest that one million new care workers are needed by 20251to cope with the ageing population. Statistics show that currently, 800,000 young people are not employed or in education2, and evidence suggests that by attracting these young people to apply for a role within your care setting, it can bring new, fresh ideas and different perspectives on caring for others as well as helping to plug this gap. However, there seems to be a stigma around working in care which is preventing young people from applying for roles, this could be due to the lack of awareness and education around the career path available within care homes. This stigma really needs to go! So, what can you do to attract young people into roles within your care home? Will Shepherd, CEO at Cohesion, provides his top recruitment tips: Create a specific recruitment strategy solely focusing on young people –different aspects of the job attract different groups of people; therefore, recruitment plans should be tailored to various target audiences. Consider careers fairs, social media advertising and customise the recruitment process itself – tailoring your application process to be short and including language that appeals to younger people. Try removing barriers such as ‘minimum requirements’ and instead use ‘values-based techniques’ which better allows the candidates strengths to be recognised. Work closely with schools and colleges – consider approaching local schools and colleges, especially those that teach a health and social care course by offering to share presentations to the students. This can include, talking about the benefits of working in the care sector and the career pathways available in your organisation. Consider offering work experience, this provides a chance for you to welcome young people into your homes for several hours a week, allowing them to gain a positive experience and a taste for working in the care sector. If they impress, you could offer them a guaranteed interview upon completing their studies. Of course, interaction with youngsters can start much earlier, with some organisations engaging with those as young as 5-years old! A visit to one of your homes, which allows for interaction with residents is a great opportunity that it often over-looked. Occasions such as Harvest Festival, Christmas and Easter are a perfect opportunity. Engage parents and guardians – our experience of delivering early talent recruitment including sizable graduate and apprenticeship programmes has taught us how important it is to engage with parents and guardians. It is clear that parents have one of the greatest influences on their children’s careers – but do they know enough about the sector in order to encourage care as a rewarding career route? When recruiting young people, it is a good idea to create a section on your careers website for parents answering any typical questions they may have. Use case studies on your website and social media – unsurprisingly the internet is an amazing platform to use when trying to gain the interest of young people. Social media sites can be used to advertise and emphasise the benefits of working in care – demonstrating that this career isn’t only for older generations but that there are huge opportunities for young people too. Under 25-year olds who are already working in care can be showcased on your website, through videos, and social media to act as ambassadors and give positive examples of how successful and rewarding working in care can be. Having young employees featured on your website can be a real selling point for future talent. Make the job attractive to young people – highlighting the benefits of working in care is a great way to attract young people. Flexible hours, and the opportunity to earn a good wage are both great starting points. But from our findings, the most important element can be the opportunity of coming away at the end of a shift feeling that you have made a difference to someone’s day. Showcase your employees’ achievements – award schemes targeting your ‘star’ employees can really have an impact. Not only will you identify current young key players in your business now, but you’ll demonstrate that you mean business when it comes to recognising your team’s achievements and saying ‘thank you’ – no matter what their age. For more information about Social care sector or to engage young talent contact us at: cohesionrecruitment.com
Pioneering training programme provides job opportunities in care sector
A pioneering new training program, Dementia Matters Academy, is helping people to secure work within the North East’s adult social care sector. Dementia support charity and residential care provider, Dementia Matters (previously known as Dementia Care), has launched the new Dementia Matters Academy to help fulfil its recruitment needs while also encouraging more people, including school leavers, into roles in care. Delivered by qualified trainers and experienced health practitioners, the four-week long course covers all of the fundamentals of basic care as well as some specialist skills relevant to Dementia Matters’ field of expertise, including bed bathing, skin integrity, catheter management and how to communicate effectively with people living with dementia. Previous experience is not mandatory and course graduates are guaranteed jobs within the organisation upon completion. “Recruitment and retention is one of the biggest issues faced by organisations operating within adult social care,” said Hannah Stevens, head of HR at Dementia Matters. “A recent study conducted by Skills for Care showed that at any one time, there can be as many as 90,000 job vacancies for care roles advertised online. Over the years, we have tried to be creative with our recruitment process and simplify it as much as possible for potential employees, however we have still found it difficult to attract new candidates and retain those with existing skills and experience.By launching the Dementia Matters Academy, we have effectively widened our resource pool and opened up our job vacancies to all. Through comprehensive, bespoke training, we can mould candidates into ideal employees who have both a sound understanding of how we operate and the vital skills needed to enable them to succeed.” Dementia Matters has just recruited its second intake of Academy students following a successful pilot programme earlier in the year. To date, all of the graduates from the first programme are still employed by the charity. Dr Fraser Quin, chief executive at Dementia Matters, added: We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved so far with the Dementia Matters Academy.The care sector is notoriously difficult to find work in, especially with no previous experience, but skilled care workers, especially those who specialise in dementia care, are in short supply. The launch of the Academy has allowed us to address these issues head on and at the same time, develop a training and employment model that supports our business growth, instils our employment values from day one and increases the employability of young and untrained people within the North East.” Dementia Matters Academy provides a range of services from its centres in Newcastle and Hexham including residential, respite and 24-hour home care to people living with dementia, as well as practical support for carers and family members. For more information on the Dementia Matters Academy, visit www.dementiamatters.net.
