PAGE 6 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 66
The Importance of Never Giving Up To mark ‘Never Give Up Day’, which took place this month, QCS’s Barry Price reveals why professional carers embody ‘Never Give Up Day’ more than any other sector. What does it truly mean to never give up? It’s very tricky to put it into a few words or even a sentence but it’s easy to recognise the indescribable trait in people. In professional sport, for instance, we hear extraordinary stories of remarkable athletes – particularly those with disabilities - who have overcome insuperable odds to achieve their personal goals. Take the nation’s Paralympians for example. Their astonishing ability to put major setbacks behind them and triumph over adversity is truly inspirational. But, as great a medium as sport is for producing uplifting tales of athletes performing super-human feats, it's a very narrow lens in which to view the concept of ‘never giving up’. In the social care sector, however, there are millions of motivating examples of ordinary people demonstrating an unrelenting determination to reach their personal milestones, which are every bit as extraordinary. Before I began consulting for Quality Compliance Systems (QCS), the leading provider of content, guidance and standards for the social care sector, I supported people with brain injuries and learning disabilities. In doing so, together with the wonderful staff that I worked with, I had the great honour of supporting them to reach their goals and longer-term objectives.
BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS The breakthrough moments didn’t come easily. Many of the gains – ranging from a person with a brain injury re-learning how to make a cup of tea to folding their own clothes – were often small. To people outside the care sector looking in, they might even seem insignificant, but for the service user and the multi-disciplinary team, the improvements were truly remarkable. Why? Well, it wasn’t the task – such as applying toothpaste to a toothbrush that mattered – it was the methodology behind the action and the steely determination shown by the service user to complete it that was truly profound and awe-inspiring. It was also deeply symbolic. Putting toothpaste on a toothbrush was seen as the first step of many in them achieving a wider set of goals. I also had the privilege of witnessing extraordinary feats of personal rehabilitation, which would rival the travails of any gold medal winning athlete. However, it was the trials and tribulations of one person’s personal journey that stood out. After a tragic accident the service user that I’m thinking was left with quite a severe brain injury. They were told by the medical team assessing them that it was unlikely that they would ever be able to return to the life they once knew. However, that just made the person even more determined to prove that they could fully regain their independence. Every day they worked with behavioural psychologists, support workers and rehabilitation teams. There were huge challenges, complications and obstacles along the way, but that person never gave up and they eventually fulfilled their dream of living on their own. What marked this person out from others was their positive, determined and resolute mind-set. It helped them to successfully overcome a raft of challenges including proving to a judge in the Court of Protection that they had the mental capacity to make their own decisions, working with the Local Authority to find suitable accommodation and choosing their own staff to support them to live the life they wanted. In clearing this last hurdle, the person had gone full circle – from service user to facilitator. For everyone involved in support-
ing them, that was perhaps the most rewarding aspect of their journey.
STAFF AND QCS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES I’ve touched on the invaluable contribution of the multi-disciplinary support teams throughout the article without focusing on them specifically. Now I want to do so. In my experience, it wasn’t just the painstaking work that the psychologists carried out to find the correlations and patterns linking incidents and accidents, or the thousands of hours the speech therapy teams gave up. Instead, it was a collective belief that they could leverage their skillsets and vast experience to change the lives of those they were supporting. They were tenacious and passionate in their approach too and this often enabled service users to reach their goals. But, it was the support workers who worked with clients on a day-to-day basis that were the glue that bound the service together. They may not have devised the intensive programmes, but they worked alongside each service user to ensure that they met their daily targets. And, much more than that, they offered clients emotional support when times were tough. Policies, procedures and best practice guidance can play a vital role in supporting and underpinning a rehabilitation programme. I would strongly recommend that providers, who are QCS customers, access the ‘Rehabilitation Policy’ and the ‘Mental Capacity Act Best Interests Policy’. The ‘Consent’ and ‘Behaviours that Challenge’ policies also add great value to a service. From a regulatory standpoint, each policy is regularly updated and QCS’s Care Planning Suite helps staff to quickly and easily tailor polices to service users’ needs. Community-based environments the best place to be Compare this outstanding, person-centred and holistic package of care to the faceless assessment treatment units that those with learning disabilities and brain injuries sometimes find themselves living in. Rarely is it in a service user’s best interests to live in an assessment treatment centre longer than necessary. In my opinion, the system must recognise the rights of vulnerable service users. It must do this by empowering people to making value-based decisions that are best for the person. It may be that an outstanding assessment treatment unit, which has an equally outstanding culture of person-centred care is the best option. But, compared to a small service in a community setting, are people in secure hospitals really able to flourish? Not in Dan Scorer’s view. In February, Mr Scorer, who is MENCAP’s Head of Policy, said told the Nursing Times that inpatient environments were “remotely therapeutic for people” and “actively damaging”. If we are to truly respect the dignity of a person, the decision to refer them to an assessment treatment unit should only ever be a last resort. It should never be taken until an experienced multi-disciplinary team has had an opportunity to provide personalised care and support in a community setting. Indeed, when service users are supported by a person-centred team with unrelenting desire to help them to achieve what they want from life, the personal milestones that can be achieved are nothing short of miraculous. In my opinion, that’s how the concept of ‘Never Giving Up’ is best encapsulated and embodied. To find out more about QCS, please contact its compliance advisors on 0333-405-3333 or email: sales@qcs.co.uk. If you're seeking a new challenge, QCS is hiring. For a list of current vacancies, including our Head of Social Care position, please click here https://www.qcs.co.uk/current-opportunities/
Cabrini House Residents Enjoy Olympics Great Britain’s performance at the Tokyo Olympics bringing home 65 medals has not only inspired many future athletes but also inspired the staff and residents of Cabrini House in Orpington, a home for adults with learning disabilities who held their very own Olympics on 11 August. The residents competed for medals in a variety of activities including running, walking, trampolining, penalty shootout, bean bag throw, dancing, seated volleyball, bowls, and table tennis. The highly anticipated Olympics Day which had to be cancelled and then rescheduled due to heavy rainfall took place in the garden at Cabrini House and the neighbouring Holy Innocents Primary School field.
Natalie, a Cabrini House resident, said, “I really enjoyed the day, especially the walking race. I can’t wait until next year when we can do it again”. Claire Morlham, Manager at Cabrini House, said, “The residents had a fabulous day competing for activity medals and awards for, best effort, most improved and best performance, laughing the most, cheering the loudest, most supportive and best team flag or banner. We received a lot of support to make our Olympics happen and we are very grateful to Recognition Express for donating three trophies, Holy Innocents Primary School for allowing us to use their field and everyone else who made this event a huge success.”
Technology at Bradbury Court Inspires Residents Living with Dementia At Bradbury Court, one of Friends of the Elderly’s three Malvern care homes, which is specifically focused on caring for those living with dementia, the residents have been enjoying and benefiting from new, interactive technology available at the home. The team at the home invested in the interactive table after Elaine Banks, the Care Home Manager, decided to take part in an exciting fundraising effort to raise money for a cause close to her heart. Commenting on her spectacular achievement Elaine said: “I wanted to do something to raise money for all my residents at Bradbury Court as they are my extended family, especially as I no longer have my parents or grandparents with me. I’d always wanted to do a skydive so I thought I’d tick it off my bucket list. Of course I was nervous getting ready and going up in the plane, but as soon as I jumped, I felt like I was flying, it was brilliant.” Sian Hennessy, the Activities Co-ordinator at Bradbury Court has seen the positive impact the interactive table has had on her residents. Sian said: “Our interactive table has a large 32” colour flat screen and can be easily positioned to suit the resident’s needs. It’s proved to be a big hit with everyone, whether for group or individual use. For example, a group of our residents like using it together and work as a team to play Word Search and others love watching Google Earth looking at different types of cars. It’s also great for our residents whose eyesight isn’t very good as they enjoy the Bubble
Blasting and Colour Swirl games. “I supported a relative of one of our residents in putting a USB stick together with a collection of photos of his loved ones and friends. When we played it on the table for him to watch, his whole face lit up. He is living with dementia but was pointing to different people on the screen, making noises which clearly showed he was engaging with the photos. The smile he had was fantastic to see. I am now looking to helping more families of our residents to do the same.” Sian continued: “We have some residents who open up to staff members and tell us stories about their pasts and careers whilst using the interactive table. We use Spotify and one resident’s family put a playlist together for her. The other day it was just the two of us listening to her playlist and she started telling me that the particular song that was playing was a favourite of hers and that she used to do the ironing to it at home. Now we know her favourite song and can play it for her during activities or to cheer her up.” Elaine concluded: “I’m so happy that the money the skydive raised has given our residents a great new, interactive pastime that they all enjoy. It makes it all worthwhile seeing them happy, smiling and enjoying the new gadgetry. They’ve picked it up very quickly.”