The Companion February (Home Instead newsletter)

Home Instead

York & Ryedale newsletter

companion Three years’ THE

Check out our website: www.caregiver support.co.uk

February 2017

service

Thank you for three great years!

This month CAREGivers Margaret, Annette and Dave received their silver badges for three years’ service at Home Instead York & Ryedale.

Free York Tours There are several sight-seeing tours around the sights of the city of York and the good news is that they are free!

Three Hour Tour with White Rose York – 11.00 am every day, meeting at the West entrance of York Minster. There is no need to pre-book just turn up around 10 to 15 minutes before the tour start time.

For more information go to www.whiteroseyork.com Two Hour Guided Walking Tour with the Association of Voluntary Guides – 10.15 am daily, departing from Exhibition Square with additional times depending on the time of year. For more information go to www.avgyork.co.uk

Margaret is pictured here with Andy, Annette with Carol and Dave with Jack.

Spring Forward

Spring is coming and British Summer Time (daylight saving time) starts on Sunday March 26th 2017 so don’t forget to move your clocks forward by one hour before you go to bed on Saturday 25th March.

CAREGivers complete medication refresher training We had a large number of CAREGivers in the office to complete their medication refresher training this month. Refresher training is important to ensure CAREGivers are up to date with current legislation whilst also holding a practical understanding of the procedures they must follow to ensure that medication is administered safely. As well as this, the training covers the importance of practical issues, confidentiality and information security in drug administration and record keeping in the client journal.

Act FAST if you suspect a stroke A stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Strokes are a medical emergency and urgent treatment is essential because the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen. If you suspect that you or someone else is having a stroke, phone 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.

The main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the word FAST: Face • Arms • Speech • Time. ◆ Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may have dropped. ◆ Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness in one arm. ◆ Speech – their speech may be slurred or

garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake. ◆ Time – it is time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.

More information is available at www.nhs.uk/conditions/Stroke or you can download an advisory booklet from the British Heart Foundation’s website www.bhf.org.uk Stroke – your quick guide.

A day in the life of… Daphne

I have always been an early riser. I get up at

6am each work day. I tend to be the first to arrive at the office.

Which means I am responsible for emptying the dishwasher every day!! Just like being at home...

As General Manager, it is my job to ensure the smooth running of the company which is a great job made all the better because we have a great team, both the office gang and CAREGivers.

Weekends are always busy. I am a keen photographer and love having friends around for dinner whenever possible. But most of our time is spent in the garden (pictured below), as we open the garden twice a year for the National Garden Scheme (Yellow Book). Over the last couple of years we have had well over 1000 people visit and have made more than £6000 for the supported cancer charities. The NGS has raised more than 15 million pounds for Macmillan.

Claire obtains Care Certificate Congratulations to our CAREGiver, Claire who this month completed her Care Certificate.

Well done Claire, a great achievement!

Here she is pictured with Karen.

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New Home Instead postcards We’ve designed new versions of our CAREGiver Recruitment and Client postcards. Next time you’re in the office pick up a few to distribute. If we recruit someone whom you refer you will be entitled r Care ead Senio to a £250 Home Inst for g u are lookin ate people like yo referral passion m co reward life style nd your We offer: at fit arou e hours th so take Part tim ning ity Great traithe local commun as many Roles in tes of pay a few Great ra only work you. m u want to postcards Even if yo ’d love to hear fro hours we w on no ll ca Give us a 690 884 as you like…

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Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

As it’s linked to Easter it moves around a bit and this year it will fall on 28th February.

Shrove Tuesday is the last opportunity to use up rich foods such as eggs and butter before embarking on your fast for Lent and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.

The recipe is easy, just whisk together an egg, 2 cups of flour and 3 cups of milk and add a pinch of salt to make around 6 small pancakes.

The best tip is to make sure your pan is really hot before you start and eat your pancakes straight away with whatever you fancy. Our favourites are honey or sugar and lemon, chocolate spread, bananas or strawberries - yes we generally have a sweet tooth in the office but you can always try savoury versions using ham, bacon or any cheese you fancy. Here’s our (pancake) tosser Andy, showing off his skills.

Wrap up warm Layer clothes to keep clients warm, the layers will trap warm air in between them. Suggest wearing a hat and gloves when going outside and wrap a scarf around their face to warm the air they breathe in.

Take care when going outside in icy weather If they absolutely must go out when its icy, wear shoes with good grips and a warm lining, and put on thick socks. Keep grit and/or salt to put on your path. Some councils provide free bags of this or it can be bought it from a DIY store.

Eat Well Make hot drinks and hot meals regularly throughout the day. Food is a vital source of energy which keeps people warm. Have plenty of fruit and vegetables to boost

Carol’s Corner Looking after yourself

mood to get outdoors while it’s still daylight. If indoors, don’t sit still for more than an hour. Moving around the home can help to keep them warm.

Andy’s Advice

Moonlight Drive-in Cinema Moonlight Drive-in Cinema was set up by a young Yorkshire entrepreneur looking to make a difference in his home town by aiming to provide a unique and memorable experience. The openair cinema is opening again for 2017 at McArthurGlen Outlet starting in February. There are some fantastic classic films to see including Dirty Dancing, Mama Mia, Alien, Suicide Squad and the all-time classic drivein movie, Grease! There are snacks on hand and your radio is used to provide the sound track so you can settle back and relax in the comfort of your own car.

You can book on-line at www.moonlightcinema.com or contact the box office (Mon to Fri 1pm–5pm) on 03330 064608.

immune systems and give more energy.

Drink more milk The NHS recommends drinking more milk and having more dairy products in winter to boost immune systems and help prevent colds.

They contain protein and vitamins A and B12 as well as calcium to keep bones strong.

Keep cupboards and freezers well stocked Keep basic food items for times when it’s too cold to go out. Think about stocking up on tinned soup, baked beans, long life milk and fruit juice, ready-made sauces, pasta and rice. Keep frozen vegetables, meat, fish and bread in the freezer.

Stay Active Encourage clients to go outside if it isn’t icy or too cold – it can boost

The issue of confidentiality is really important in the sector we work in. Just remember you should only be sharing information with those who need to know. Be vigilant, don’t show or share an individual’s personal notes or information.

Also, remember to protect yourself. Don’t give out your own personal phone number and address to your clients or their families. All correspondence should come through the office.

Hearing loss – tips for communicating Here’s some tips for speaking to someone with a hearing loss:  Always ask, even if someone’s wearing a hearing aid, ask if they need to lip read you.  Make sure you have the person’s attention before you start speaking.  Find a place to talk that has good lighting, away from noise and distractions.  Turn your face towards them so they can easily see your face.  Speak clearly, not too slowly and use normal lip movements, facial expressions and gestures.

Home Instead Senior Care 10 Clifton Moor Business Village James Nicolson Link, Clifton Moor York YO30 4XG Telephone: 01904 690884 Email: info@hiscyork.co.uk Web: www.homeinstead.co.uk/york

 Make sure what you’re saying has been understood.  If someone doesn’t understand what you’ve said, try saying it in a different way.  Keep your voice down as it’s uncomfortable for a hearing aid user if you shout.  Get to the point, use plain language and don’t waffle.

If you’d like to know more go to www.actionhearingloss.org.uk or give them a ring on their helpline 0808 808 0123. They provide free, confidential and impartial information to deaf and hard of hearing people, their families, friends, and professionals.

www.facebook.com/homeinsteadyork @homeinsteadyork www.instagram.com/homeinsteadyork www.youtube.com/YorkHomeInstead “Each Home Instead Senior Care® franchise office is independently owned and operated.”