Issue 37 09.12.20
The weekly online newsletter for the care sector
Care group’s call to save Christmas A SCOTTISH care group is leading a campaign calling for individuals and businesses to help bring cheer back to residents and staff across the country. The restrictive measures in place throughout the festive period will detract from what is usually a fun and exciting time within homes, with guidance currently pointing towards no trees, decorations, Christmas music or party games. Renaissance Care is calling for relatives, individuals and businesses to reach out to their local care home and find out how they can help. Managing director Louise Barnett said: “It has been an extremely long and challenging year for residents, staff and relatives in care homes throughout the country, and as many look to the spirit of Christmas to bring some joy back to 2020, restrictive measures within care homes will detract from what is usually a fun and enjoyable time for our people. “We’re hoping, that with the support from the communities, we can create festive light displays outside all care homes so that despite the lack of decoration inside, residents can look out and enjoy Christmas displays within the gardens and grounds
surrounding their home. “We’re still keen to make this year as joyful and fun as possible for all our people. As offices are currently closed, and staff working from home, businesses may find they have outdoor Christmas lights which aren’t in use this year, and could be loaned to a local care home to help light up the festive period. Donations can be anything from outdoor lights and decorations to a well wish via video message – a little goes a long way in the current climate and helps bring the community closer at a time that can be lonely for so many. Anything donated to homes will be sanitised and quarantined for 72 hours in line with processes. Renaissance Care, which has 15 homes across Scotland, is investing in outdoor facilities to help make more comfortable visiting experiences for families who are able to visit loved ones where guidance allows. Activities coordinators and staff will be getting creative with their plans this year and are looking at ways of creating special moments for residents, while adhering to guidance that is currently in place. A Santa Dash, Christmas jumper day and external light displays are just some suggested ideas.
The Beeches unveils new visitor pod
Colin Evans, 95, and his dog Rusty are set to do 50 laps around their Gracewell of Sway care home in an ambitious attempt to raise £500 for Cancer Research UK. The duo will also be donning festive dress for the event, with Colin in a Santa suit and Rusty dressing up as a reindeer. They will be completing the challenge over a seven-day period, starting on December 12 and walking until December 18 where it is expected that Colin will complete around 15,880 steps. Colin decided to start the fundraiser on the birthday of his late wife Jean, who passed away after they shared 73 years of marriage together. Cancer Research UK is also a charity which Colin has a personal connection to after he survived bowel cancer earlier in his life.
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AN Ixworth care home has introduced a new visiting pod to allow residents and their loved ones to meet indoors this winter, as the pandemic continues. Over the last few months, residents at The Beeches Residential Home have been enjoying socially distanced garden visits with their family and friends, but with winter fast approaching concerns were raised as to how these visits could continue. The visiting pod will allow for only two people in the room at once and includes Perspex that will sit in between individuals and hand sanitiser stations. The Beeches is maintaining its strict safety procedures in line with Public Health England, maintaining social distancing within the visiting pod to ensure it is Covid-secure for visitors. Bev Shave, deputy home manager, said: “We are delighted to debut our new visitor pod. This has been a much-welcomed development in unprecedented times, and we are very happy to be able to give the gift of time and space for our residents and their loved ones. “We’re all looking forward to the day when they can hug each other, but until then we hope our new secure visitor pod will make it a bit easier for our residents and their families.” The Beeches is welcoming new residents. They have procedures in place to continue to support families who are looking for care for a loved one, while minimising the risk for residents and staff.
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A group of domiciliary care workers surprised clients when they swapped their uniforms for elf outfits in a bid to spread some festive cheer while raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society. Staff from CHD Care at Home, which is owned and operated by CHD Living and provides domiciliary care and support to people living in Surrey, Hampshire and South London, went all out as they took part in Elf Day, an annual dress-up event that aims to raise money for those affected by dementia. Staff and residents at CHD Living’s residential care homes also dressed up in celebration of Elf Day. Their efforts raised almost £100 for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Residents of Edward Moore House in Gravesend got into the Christmas spirit by decking the halls. With Christmas creeping up rather quickly, residents of the care home got together to get their home ready for the upcoming festivities. Armed with plenty of tinsel and baubles and an abundance of festive spirit, the residents spent the afternoon making the dining room Christmas tree look merry and bright. While a Christmas playlist played in the background, everyone got into the festive mood, as they chatted about their favourite festive traditions and the celebrations of the years gone by. Residents at a Hertfordshire care home enjoyed a Christmas fayre inside the home after staff pulled out all the stops to ensure this year’s festivities continued despite coronavirus restrictions. With the current restrictions brought on by the pandemic, it looked as if residents at Foxholes near Hitchin would miss out on experiencing a trip to the local Christmas market. Staff rallied together, however, and managed to arrange for a safe, socially distanced Christmas market to be set up inside the home for the residents to enjoy. The carefully planned out process saw vendors set up their market stalls throughout the home while the residents were isolating, before leaving and allowing the residents to explore and browse. Residents at Greenacres care home in Huddersfield have launched a ‘snowflake shoutout’ by asking local children to design and create snowflakes to help them decorate their home over Christmas. The snowflakes can be drawn, painted or crafted and will be used to create a striking winter scene in the home to spread cheer to all. Lifestyle manager Jessica Skirrow said: ‘It is more important now than ever to get into the community Christmas spirit, and this is such a lovely activity to do at home with the kiddies. Our team and residents have joined the ‘hype’ and put our tree up early, so it got us thinking of fun ways to involve our local community in our festivities and this felt like the perfect way.”
Staff and residents at Oaklands House care home in Reydon near Southwold raised £400 for the Alzheimer’s Society after a successful day of festive fundraising. The team celebrated Elf Day, decorating the home and donning elf-themed fancy dress and props, while enjoying festive games and activities. A raffle was held for residents, staff and relatives, thanks to an incredible amount of generous prize donations.
Walnut Care at Home has come up with a sweet way to ensure its staff remember to carry out their at-home Covid-19 testing kits. CEO Melanie Weatherley MBE and managing director David Weatherley have purchased hundreds of advent calendars for the 200-plus team of care workers, to remind them of the dates they need to send off their tests. The domiciliary care provider has received its tests and has begun to distribute four weeks’ worth of kits to staff, along with their advent calendars. Colleagues and residents at HC One’s Barton Brook care home have been creating Christmas cards and decorations. Everyone at the Manchester care home has been ready to get into the Christmas spirit a little earlier this year. Each of the handmade decorations has a picture of the resident on them. These are then going to be sent out to their loved ones as something special to put on their Christmas tree.
The Hall, a residential care home in Thornton le Dale, has transformed its orangery for the festive Christmas period with the help of a local artist. June Appleton painted recognisable Christmas icons on the windows of the care home’s orangery as part of The Hall’s festive celebrations. The decorated windows display Santa Claus holding a drink, The Snowman from the iconic 1978 Raymond Briggs picture book of the same name, a Christmas tree decorated with tinsel and baubles, and a cottage dusted in snow. The images were a surprise to the residents at The Hall, who had the festive display revealed to them upon completion.
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Cheryl is our final hero
Residents Joan Hornsby and Annie Forester with Charlie Parker.
Residents ‘wear it pink’ STAFF and residents at Windsor Court care home in Wetherby have been celebrating Wear It Pink Day, a national campaign to support the research and care charity, Breast Cancer Now. They celebrated the day with all things pink, wearing pink clothes or accessories such as hats and scarves in exchange for a donation to the charity. In conjunction with their pink outfits, staff and residents also wore funky pink wigs and pink hair glitter for an extra sparkle! Home manager Paula Mountjoy said: “Our ‘Wear it Pink’ day celebrations have been a huge success and we have managed to raise lots of money to fund the
continuous research into treating breast cancer. “Our residents loved having their pink themed outfits and it was a brilliant way to capture our homes solidarity with the charity. “I am extremely grateful to all of our residents’ families, friends and local businesses who also donated very generously.” With everyone dressed up, staff took the opportunity to host pink themed activities such as pink ribbon badge arts and crafts. Mealtimes did not escape the pink treatment, with matching cupcakes, sweets, pink lemonade and even a much requested pink gin tasting session.
CHERYL Williams, manager of The Old Vicarage in Chippenham, is our final lockdown hero. She was nominated by two residents of residents living at the Wiltshire home. One wrote: “My mother is a resident of the care home, is 95 years old, and has dementia. “During the first lockdown we were very distressed to be unable to visit. “Cheryl arranged for the boathouse in the garden to be fully converted with a glass screen and ventilation, beautifully decorated, and comfortable to allow us to visit as soon as we were able. “This has given us a lifeline, and although my Mother’s condition continues to deteriorate, she and her wonderful staff have loved and cared for the residents, keeping them safe and as content as possible throughout this difficult time. “Nothing is too much trouble, and I really don’t know how we would have managed without their dedication. “Many of the young carers have chosen not to socialise or mix with people outside their jobs to keep the residents safe. “This is a sector that is never rewarded enough, and often the sacrifices are unseen. “I am so very proud to be able to nominate Cheryl for this award.” A second relative wrote: “My stepmother has lived in The Old Vicarage for a couple of years and even before the Covid pandemic hit us we knew it was exactly the right
place for her because of the staff’s caring, family oriented, approach to all their residents. “As soon as the seriousness of the situation became obvious the home closed their doors to visitors and concentrated on making sure the residents were kept safe and well. “My stepmother found the changes difficult at first – her dementia makes her anxious and any change of routine is difficult and the need for staff to wear PPE was tricky for her. However, with their patience and care the staff helped her cope. “Finally I just wanted to say that whenever I call or email to book a visit or check something the staff are always kind and welcoming on the phone – even though I know they’re busier now than they’ve ever been. “They are a truly heroic group of people doing a very tough job.” The deadline for nominations has now closed. The Roll of Honour will appear in the next issue of Caring UK magazine.
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Connie Pearce celebrated her 100th birthday at Dormy House in Sunningdale, Berkshire. Connie, who was born in Wimbledon in 1920, has lived at Dormy House, part of the Caring Homes family of homes across the UK, for the past two years and says the secret to a long life is, “Health and happiness along with a good meal or two with family.” Music is one of her great loves, particularly James Last and his Orchestra who she has seen perform at the Royal Albert Hall several times. Connie loves listening to music and taking part in musical activities at Dormy House. She also enjoys the regular toddler group visits to the home, which will start again once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
HC-One’s Bankhouse care home in Lancashire arranged a celebration for resident Mollie Firth’s 104th birthday. Colleagues decorated her room with balloons, banners and flowers and played background music to set the scene. The chef made Mollie her favourite cake (chocolate) and everyone gathered to sing ‘Happy Birthday’. Her niece Jackie sent Mollie a bottle of her favourite Cava to celebrate. Home manager Janet Barnes said: “Mollie is always so cheerful and it was so lovely to see her so happy on her birthday.” A resident who celebrated her 104th birthday at a Hertfordshire care home has shared some words of wisdom to the younger generations; ‘Life is short, so make the most of it!’ When asked what the secret was to living a long and healthy life, birthday girl Joyce Birrell playfully told staff and fellow residents at Foxholes Care Home, near Hitchin, not to take life for granted, as even after surpassing a century in age, she felt time had flown by. The highlight of her birthday party was a surprise visit from her son and close family members, who wore PPE and kept a safe distance. Resident Margaret Robinson celebrated her centenary birthday at HC-One’s Daneside Court in Northwich. To mark the big day she was surrounded with flowers, birthday cards, lots of cake and plenty of well wishes. Margaret spent her early life on Castle Bank, attending Castle Girls School and then went on to work at Alcotts Dairy, Castle and I.C.I Wallerscote works. She married her husband Albert Robinson and they had two children. She later moved to Lostock where they ran a greengrocer’s. There she worked with her son Philip until she retired. Margaret then moved to Rudheath. Her great loves were her family and walking the countryside with her dogs Sheena and then Lucy. Three residents of a Chichester care home – including a distinguished Royal Navy veteran – have celebrated birthdays on the same day, achieving a remarkable 302 years between them. Staff at Colten Care’s Wellington Grange helped the trio mark their special occasions in different ways. Vera Dutton and Lorna Cook, who turned 104 and 98 respectively, stayed indoors to receive birthday greetings at parties from their families. But stepping outside, former Royal Navy officer Captain Duncan Knight DSC was surprised to be met by members of a Royal Marines band in uniform with a trumpet salute for his milestone 100th.
A resident at HC-One’s Larchwood care home in Essex, turned 100 recently. To mark the special occasion staff went that extra step for Winifred Woodham. They decorated her room with balloons and birthday banners, and she was showered with gifts from relatives, colleagues and fellow residents at the home. These included gift sets, some of her favourite flowers, perfume, chocolates and a selection of cards. Winifred’s favourite thing is fresh flowers so she was over the moon with the arrangement sent to her. Resident Elsie Lemming celebrated her 102nd birthday at HC One’s Willow Brook care home in Nottingham. She had some fabulous balloons and received plenty of cards and gifts from her loved ones. Elsie also received a beautiful bunch of flowers too, which are brightening up her room. She wore her birthday badge with pride and colleagues at the home made a very special cake for Elsie. She also enjoyed some of her favourite chocolates too.
Family and colleagues at HC-One’s Ashgrove care home in the West Midlands helped a resident to celebrate her 100th birthday. Edith Price, who is more commonly known around the home as ‘May’, was greeted to a lounge that was decorated with balloons and banners. She started the day by opening her card from The Queen, while she wore a sash and crown. May’s family members came for scheduled window visits throughout the day, much to everyone’s delight. They had all brought a specific number of yellow roses and by the end of the day May had 100. The Price family also arranged a birthday cake which had a picture of May on the front surrounded by 100 candles.
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Food distributors are the support network care home catering staff need during the pandemic By Sara Round
THE Government’s announcement of a second national lockdown in England put the care home industry under enormous pressure, creating a number of challenges for residents, their families and the staff looking after them. It is widely recognised that older people often have complex health and social care needs, and it can be a difficult task to protect them from harm. Therefore much of the focus of care homes has been to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, given the tough lessons learned during the first lockdown. These include NHS England’s recommendation that 25,000 people be moved from hospitals to care homes in the 30 days before ministers introduced routine coronavirus testing. Another was the initial refusal of supermarkets to prioritise care workers as they would NHS staff, but rather treat them as members of the public. This meant that carers were not only forced to queue to make purchases, but were also unable to buy goods in bulk, as this meant breaching restrictions on items. Catering staff are in a difficult position Fortunately, there is now a far better
understanding and recognition of the role of care homes and their staff, especially in combatting Covid-19, and there is a plethora of advice and guidelines to support them in this endeavour. Sara Round Yet for so called “back office” staff like chefs, other than maintaining the highest hygiene standards in their kitchens, there is little practical advice to deal with the very specific issues they may face as a result of the virus, including shortages of products that are necessary to the wellbeing of residents. The problem can be exacerbated in larger care homes. According to public sector data specialists, Oscar Research, the average size of a care home is 20 beds, and some can have 50 or more. This typically means that chefs have to consider a number of different health conditions when cooking and have to have sufficient quantities of the appropriate foodstuffs available to address them.
As many kitchens are overseen by a single chef who may not have received formal training, finding time to prepare special meals tailored to the needs of individual residents can be testing at the best of times. Yet no more so than during the uncertainty of a pandemic, where you need to ensure you have sourced sufficient quantities of critical stocks, while also ensuring your administrative tasks are completed and meals are cooked and served.
Care homes must professionalise their supply chain Care homes and their catering staff can often find the right support they need by partnering directly with food distributors that specialise in their sector. For those that make the leap, they will typically be assigned an account manager who will act as their point of contact and advisor, helping catering staff to understand what products are suitable for their residents and how they can be best utilised. For example the soft textured foods, drinking aids, and fortifications that meet specific issues such as dysphasia and dementia. Another important task they fulfil is ensuring that the specific foodstuffs and equipment needed by care homes are either in stock or if they are not, that suitable alternatives are sourced.
This allows catering teams to focus their efforts on providing enjoyable and safe culinary experiences for their residents. If required they can also lend their expertise to menu creation and dining organisation, or even ensuring kitchens meet the latest legislative requirements, whether that be food preparation or even health and safety. It is important to contrast the services offered by food distributors with that of supermarkets given the frequency of use they receive from care homes. Supermarkets are designed to serve the public rather than the needs of inhouse catering teams, which means they do not have to ensure product continuity, maintain certain stocks, or have an in-depth knowledge of what they are selling. Neither do their customer services desks have time to suggest food alternatives that meet specific budgets. For care homes looking to exceed the expectations of their users and their loved ones, the Covid-19 pandemic means there is no better time than now to professionalise their food supply chains. Not only will it ensure the resilience of their business, but doing so will fulfil their duty of care to residents and their hard working catering staff. n Sara Round is an educational catering specialist at MKG Foods.
Southwark shows how to keep up to date during lockdown
Visitor pods installed SPECIALIST dementia care provider Vida Healthcare has installed three visiting pods in the grounds of its two care homes to support safe visits during winter. As identified by The Academy of Medical Sciences, this winter could see health and social care services facing four acute pressures; rising cases of Covid-19, disruption of the NHS, a backlog of routine care, and flu season coinciding with the current pandemic. Bernadette Mossman, healthcare director at Vida Healthcare, said: “Visiting relatives in care homes is a fundamental need for families and residents, and the pandemic has reduced our ability to be able to facilitate this much needed interaction. “As recently announced by the government and High Court, care
home residents can receive visitors during this second lockdown and we’re doing everything we can to create opportunities for visits. “Our new ‘Together Again’ visiting pods are one example of innovations we’re implementing to ensure our residents can safely connect with their loved ones.” The pods have been installed to facilitate the safe visits of families and residents in a comfortable environment, while reducing the risk of cross infection. Up to four people including residents, family members, and carers, can use the pods while adhering to government guidelines. A tactile vinyl wall has been established in each pod to provide enrichment for residents, and enable family members to connect with their loved ones.
USE OF virtual technology by the social care team at Southwark Council is empowering them to more efficiently prescribe feasible outcomes to support activities of daily living and enable people to remain in their homes. The authority’s Children & Adult Services department is one of the first to utilise remote video conferencing as a platform to provide training on the practicalities and technicalities of stairclimbers as a realistic intervention. Organised with Britain’s number one stairclimber provider AAT, the virtual meeting enabled the occupational therapy team to explore the range of devices, consider how these can be accessorised, in order to gain insight into the practical considerations in prescribing a stairclimber. “If someone has impaired mobility, the perception on the whole is that they need a fairly major adaptation to their home to enable them to get up and down stairs,” said Gareth Brown, AAT technical director. “With Covid impacting so much on the practicality of occupational therapy teams across the country to undertake home assessments and expediate adaptations, there is growing need for alternative strategies that are realistic, practical interventions. “Virtual conferencing is becoming an accepted methodology for meetings, home assessments and CPD sessions. “It made logical sense to Southwark and us to extend its application for technical training, in situations where the healthcare professionals need
to actually see how the function and scope of a device can be appropriate, and how it integrates with the PEOP model for a positive outcome. “ Clare Weale, clinical lead occupational therapist at Southwark, whose brainchild the session was, added: “We need to have practical sessions to develop a technical framework as to what is feasible and therefore realistic as an intervention. With current working practices because of Covid, a virtual session was the closest we could come. “Adoption of such new practice is essential for our team to continue to build on our professional skills, and deliver outcomes to improve people’s wellbeing, where stairs or steps present as environmental barriers to participation in daily living. “The AAT virtual workshop was interesting and informative. It gave our clinicians the necessary knowledge of what may be a technically feasible option with more complex equipment prescription, that may not otherwise have been considered.” Virtual technical training sessions are just part of AAT GB’s armoury to help OTs and adaptations teams prescribe solutions in the current sociallydistanced, protective times. The company can also assist with home assessments, be it remotely, or in person, with all appropriate measures applied for each individual scenario. Telephone, email and LiveChat support is also embraced. Enquiries: AAT virtual training can be arranged by contacting the office on sales@aatgb.com or 01978 821875.
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