PAGE 20 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 89
What The Future Holds For Care Industry Uniforms Peter Broom, Director and Technical Innovator at Meryl Medical, looks at the latest trends in uniform and workwear fabrics which help defend against bacteria and are fully sustainable. The pandemic has increased focus on how uniforms feel and look after we all saw images of staff working long hours and suffering chaffed skin and rashes caused by wearing ill-fitting workwear and single-use PPE. Reflecting on those early months of 2020, it is important to think about how workwear can be improved and if there are more effective and even more sustainable alternatives to help maintain hygiene and safety while reducing the reliance in single-use masks and aprons. It’s easy to stay with uniform and workwear materials you have always used however advances in textile technologies have produced ‘smarter’ more comfortable, harder wearing and cost-effective fabrics. Uniforms can have in-built antimicrobial and antifungal protection which doesn’t diminish with use or garment washing and helps to stop the spread of care-home acquired infections, preventing cross-contamination and transmission of viruses. This happens when silver ion is added to the material during the manufacturing process so the silver envelop any virus it touches, kills the bacteria for continuous protection against the likes of MRSA and even Covid-19 and stop smells and odours developing. There are also benefits of excellent moisture management making it quick drying helping to maintain the wearer’s natural balance of the skin so preventing problems such as sores and chaffing. These new fabrics can play a role in a care homes’ sustainability goals by stopping microplastic fibres,
also known as microfibres, from shredding with each wash which ten enter our water systems and potentially the food chain. Using a hydrogen bonding process while manufacturing the yarn seals the microfibres so they won’t shed. Further green credentials come with the ability for some newer fabrics to offer ‘infinite recyclability’. At the end of their working life, the garments do not need to end up like most clothing in landfill and taking up to 200 years to decompose as they can be recycled into new items to create a ‘constant loop’ of material. This process also saves up to 3,000 litres of water for each 600m of fabric manufactured be saved and removes the need to use chemicals and solvents during the dyeing and finishing of materials. What these fabrics also offer is the ability to be used in a range of garments whether it is tunics, trousers, scrubs, dresses and polos shirts to give care homes team more choices in what they can wear while not sacrificing comfort and durability. They can even be used for lightweight all-day wear face mask be washed and eventually recycled so helping to save the tens of thousands of single-use and unrecyclable masks which are being thrown away every week across the healthcare sector. It is becoming increasingly important to understand more about the items you use on a daily basis, even with uniforms and workwear fabrics, as it is part of understanding how to become more sustainable. For those care homes which work alongside the NHS this is becoming more important as it has already launched its Greener NHS Scheme as part of its net-zero by 2040 journey. Increasingly, NHS organisations are wanting organisations it works with to demonstrate how they are reducing their own environmental impact. The reality is we all have some way to go but taking small steps will help move us along the road and the new generation of fabrics can play a role in adopting a green mindset.
Local Wallington Residents Involved In National Dementia Advisory Group Two residents at Wallington Extra Care scheme, Dymond House, have been involved in a project with The University of Worcester to help people living with dementia. Bill and Christine will be involved in the ‘DemECH project’ Advisory Group for 18 months, helping to explore how different models of Extra Care Housing promote and sustain wellbeing for people living with dementia. The DemECH project Advisory Group includes people living with dementia, housing providers, care providers, commissioners and academics. Christine has been living at Dymond House for three and a half years and previously ran a pub and B&B with her late husband as well as volunteering as a Samaritan. She said: “I’m excited to be a member of the Advisory Group, it’s great that people like me are being given a voice – it feels like my ‘raison d'être’!” Bill has been living at Dymond House for around three years. He previously worked as a librarian for UCL in London for many years and gained three Master’s degrees during this time. Bill also loved to travel and sail in his younger days. He is also excited to be involved in this project and being part of the Advisory Group.
Teresa Atkinson, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Worcester, said: “We know that Extra Care is becoming a more popular choice with older people, but little is known about how the different models of Extra Care housing supports people with dementia. “We will be looking in depth at three different approaches to Extra Care; segregated (where people with dementia live in a different part of the scheme, separated from other residents), integrated (where people with dementia live alongside other residents) and specialist (where the scheme is solely for people with dementia). We hope to find out which of these models works best to support quality of life. “The importance of this study lies in its focus on dementia. There have been many studies which consider how Extra Care housing works best for older adults, but very few of these mention people living with dementia. This is a real challenge because if we don’t know which models best support people with dementia, how can we be sure we are offering them the very best possible support, or the very best opportunities to enjoy quality of life? If we are truly person centred, then this is the information we need to commission and structure future care provision. “Within this study, hearing the voices of people living with dementia is paramount. This research is being guided by Bill and Christine who are living the reality we seek to understand. As members of our Advisory Group, their expertise drives the research forward, scrutinising and contributing to the data collection design, analysis and findings. “Bill and Christine will help us to deliver the findings from the study by sharing these at conference presentations. Involving Bill and Christine from beginning to end ensures our research is founded on the lived experiences of people with dementia.”
Robust Testing for Airborne Illnesses Urged Across the Care Industry to Protect Residents and Staff Airborne illnesses beyond COVID-19 and influenza must be part of prevention strategies in care homes to reduce hospitalisation of residents this winter, according to healthcare company Abbott. While the nation is increasingly familiar with COVID-19 symptoms, as well as influenza, there are airborne diseases that are also putting people at risk. Respiratory Syncytial Virus – known as RSV – is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. While COVID-19 and influenza testing are becoming common practice, visitors entering care homes with RSV may go undetected. The vital role testing plays in protecting both care home residents and staff is supported by Care England, the leading representative body for care providers in England. "It is helpful to raise awareness of other airborne diseases that care home staff, residents and visitors might be unfamiliar with. Before the pandemic, not many people had heard the term ‘coronavirus’, but increased awareness has helped most understand why safety precautions and testing are of paramount importance in the care sector," commented Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive at Care England. "We are fully aware of the immense pressure care homes are under as we head into the winter season, but the first line of defence against lesser-known airborne diseases – like RSV – is ensuring care staff are aware of it, increasing education on the symptoms, and ensuring testing is in place wherever possible," added Green. RSV symptoms may include a runny nose, cough, temperature, sore throat, and wheezing[i]. For those aged over 65, RSV accounts for 175,000 appointments with general practitioners, 14,000 hospitalisations and 8,000 deaths per year in the UK[ii]. There are currently no specific treatments for RSV infection and management is purely sup-
portive through oxygen supplementation; therefore, prevention of contracting the disease is essential. To detect RSV, care home providers should look to utilise kits that scan for airborne diseases – like Abbott’s ID NOW – a portable instrument used for front-line testing in health settings. It quickly provides results for COVID-19, influenza A & B, strep A and RSV, with positive results shown in a little as five minutes, and negative results in 13 minutes. Gabriela Zackova, director of Dementia and Wellbeing at Loveday & Co Care Homes has recently added an ID NOW testing device. Gabriela said: "We’re excited to be using this point of care test for our staff, residents and their visitors. Last year, winter was one of the hardest times for our sector, not only due to the increased pressure to keep people safe, but also for our residents, who were separated from the people they love which had a significant impact on their wellbeing and mental health." "ID NOW is a small, lightweight machine, about the size of a toaster, that will allow us to make even better decisions about risk levels for numerous viruses, enabling us to provide a more robust screening process for everyone at the facility." Abbott has been a global leader in COVID-19 testing throughout the pandemic. "While many staff and visitors will self-test for COVID-19 at home before entering the premises, it is vital precautions are taken for other airborne illnesses. By utilising a diagnostic testing device on-site, we can slow the spread of illness, better protect vulnerable residents, and minimise the risk of catching potentially life-threatening illnesses this winter," added Sam Lloyd, general manager, Infectious Diseases at Abbott’s rapid diagnostics business in the UK and Ireland. For more information on Abbott’s ID NOW testing instrument, visit: www.Globalpointofcare.abbott/idnow or see the advert on pages 18-19.