PAGE 30 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 2
A New Bathing Range Designed To Meet Individual Needs
Making sure you find the right bathroom equipment to suit the needs of your care home residents and staff can be a daunting task. However, two well-known faces in the sector have joined forces to create a new range of height adjustable and fixed height assisted baths for the care home market, which have been designed to meet the needs of each individual resident. With more than 60 years’ experience in design, manufacturing and customer service between them, Ray Metcalf and Dennis Goodes have launched a unique range of baths for the assisted bathing market. “I have enjoyed redesigning a range that specifically suits care homes, upgrading the mechanical parts and incorporating soft curves to protect delicate skin as well as being aesthetically pleasing,” explains Metcalf. “We both have the same enthusiasm now as we had 20 years ago,” he adds. The range includes a number of baths that are either height adjustable or fixed height in a unique ‘Art Deco’ style. Each one is built by hand in the UK using traditional methods to meet the highest standards and incorporating the latest ‘one touch’ technology. “We are proud of the fact that our baths are designed and made in the UK,” says Goodes. “We are also as proud of what’s underneath the bath as what’s on top. Our ‘fit and forget’ motto is the standard we build to.” Individually tested and dispatched direct to site and ready to go, trained teams are available to install, commission and service the baths throughout mainland UK. The baths are bespoke with numerous options that can be incorporated to suit individual needs and are built to order. “Our aim is to provide a top quality product at a really good price,” says Goodes. “I design to make other peoples’ lives better,” Ray Metcalf concludes. The Assisted Bathing Company T: (Sales) +44 (0)1590 647 479 T: (Technical) +44 (0)1590 647 478 F: +44 (0)1590 610 080
A Longer and Healthier Life Is A Goal to Be Pursued The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock addressed the All-Party Parliamentary Group to present its longer, healthier lives strategy. A positive approach to a subject that is often seen as a problem, instead of something to celebrate. Matt Hancock: “Longer life is not a problem to be tackled but a goal to be pursued. And not just for government, or even the NHS, but for each and every one of us.” A goal imminently linked to technology. Growing older every year is an accomplishment we should be very proud of. Not only because it’s the outcome of a continuously improving care system, but also because it shows that we’re all taking our health seriously. It’s no longer a side dish: it’s the main dish. Matt Hancock tapped into the momentum and presented the longer, healthier lives strategy: “There’s a huge prize ahead if we get this right: 5 more years of healthy life. More enjoyment out of life. More time for the things that matter most in life.” It’s an ambitious goal, but definitely one worth fighting for and, with the right knowledge, people and attention, a goal that can be achieved. There are three things that are key to making this goal a reality: people and place, lifestyle and technology. Technology is an ongoing and upcoming important conversation that Adaptive IT Solutions is humbled and proud to be a part of. One of our most special clients WCS Care and our CLB Acoustic Monitoring were referenced in Matt Hancocks’ speech: “Adult social care is increasingly a site of healthtech innovation. Internet-linked devices can
help people live at home for longer and stay connected to family and friends. They can also help providers deliver smarter, more responsive care. For example, there’s a provider up in Warwickshire – WCS Care – doing great things with acoustic monitoring.” Our CLB Acoustic Monitoring lets the care staff hear crying, moving around and breathing difficulty, just to name a few. When a sound like that is detected, it sends an alert to the night managers’ monitoring station. An important solution with big impact: it means care staff doesn’t have to knock on the residents’ doors regularly to check and see if they’re alright, ensuring the residents can have a good night sleep. This alone reduced the amount of night-time falls at WCS Care with 34%. It also provided WCS Care with another interesting insight, Matt Hancock: “…when they analyzed the data, they found that lots of people were staying awake late into the night. This led the care home to set up a ‘wide awake club’ to support night owls and get them back into a healthier rhythm.” About Adaptive IT Solutions Formed in 2002, award-winning Adaptive IT Solutions provides professional IT services throughout all commercial markets, predominantly within the Healthcare, Dentistry, Education and Retail sectors. Adaptive IT Solutions offers a vast portfolio of IT services including structured cabling, audio visual, hardware deployment and specialist digital clinical equipment. For more information about Adaptive IT Solutions: www.adaptiveit.co.uk. For more information about CLB Acoustic Monitoring: global.clb.nl.
Ad-Memoire - A New Digital Reminiscence Activity Resource Featuring Vintage TV Ads - A Perfect App For Use In Care Organisations Packed with memorable 1950s & 60s TV and print ads from the History of Advertising Trust archive, and encouraging smiles and laughter all round, Ad-Memoire is designed to stimulate happy memories for residents to share. Geared to make life easier for carers and fun to use, it is ‘ready to go’ available on Apple and Android devices for streaming via laptop, tablet or smartphone for 1-2-1 or share on large screens via HDMI, Chromecast or Apple TV for group sessions. Ad-Memoire includes: Themed reels of TV ads including Motoring, Toys
& Games, Sweets & Chocolates, Cooking, Oxo- Life with Katie, Breakfast, Ice-cream & Lollies and Housekeeping Ads of the Month: Updated each month, specially selected ads offering on-screen conversation prompts and downloadable fun advert and brand based quizzes, activities and colourful print ads. Brand Bingo: Updated each month, Brand Bingo provides a weekly activity based on the popular, classic game but featuring on-screen images of colourful print ads instead of numbers. EMAIL admemoire@hatads.org.uk to
SIGN UP FOR A FREE MONTH’S TRIAL See information on AD-MEMOIRE at www.hatads.org.uk/hat-services/admemoire.aspx