yourcarehome.co.uk blog

Changes to home care inspections

In the Guardian today, Philip King of the CQC explained the new programme of inspections due to be rolled out for home care across the UK.  He illustrated the practical difficulties of inspecting home care, including the fact that the carer may well be providing care of a higher standard than normal if they have an inspector watching their every move.  Equally, the presence of an inspector can be upsetting to the elderly or vulnerable.

In the new programme, the CQC will contact the elderly and their families through questionnaires, phone calls and interviews.  There will be 250 spot checks on the carers and their managers which will have been prearranged with the person receiving the care. The CQC will look at care plans, training records etc and will consult with local care groups about care in the region, before publishing reports on the home care agency as well as a national summary of its findings across the UK.

The CQC certainly need to be seen to do something.  Recent events both in home care and care homes have illustrated some real shortcomings and with the recent resignation of head of CQC Cynthia Bower, all eyes are on what the CQC intends to do to improve its performance.  Any improvements to inspections are positive, but the question remains, is it enough?

Yourcarehome launches job vacancy board

As yourcarehome has grown, we have noticed that some of our users are using the site to contact care homes about any available vacancies.  We decided to help our users and the care homes out by making this process easier and creating a jobs board, where care homes can post vacancies and people looking for positions can find them without having to trawl the internet.

Our jobs board can be found on our home page.

CLS Care Services win Most Outstanding Care Home Provider

CLS Care Services have won another prestigious award for its services- ‘The Most Outstanding Care Home Provider’ at the UK Over 50s Housing Awards. This  follows CLS’ recent win at the Great North West Care Awards, where they were awarded the ‘Care Employer’ award.  Congratulations to all at CLS!

More information about CLS Care Services

Congratulations to Care UK and Barchester!

Congratulations to Care UK and Barchester for achieving second and third place in LAING'S HEALTHCARE 20, a list of the twenty most important providers operating in UK healthcare today! 

Coming up this week on radio and TV ...

Two things to look out for on the television and radio this week...

Thursday 20 Jan - Radio 4 afternoon play, " Notes to Self" ... Doreen has been in a care home for two years. Her son Robert visits but finds it hard to have a meaningful relationship with his mother, unlike his partner Karen. A performance at the home reveals music to have a powerful effect on Doreen. Can it offer an opportunity for Robert to make a new connection with her? A drama about Alzheimer's disease based on real experiences and interwoven with recordings of music sessions carried out in care homes and day centres.

Friday 21st Jan - BBC Two - Can't Take it with You ... Sir Gerry Robinson helps two families torn over what to write in their wills, exploring favouritism and the effect that can have on tearing families apart.

Pictures to Share - a dementia aid

 

The Guardian this week reported on a trial of new books being used as dementia aids - the scheme is called "Pictures to Share" and the books are a collection of large visual images and brief large text print specifically designed to stimulate positive memories.  It will be interesting to see if the trial results in these books being made more widely available, but as Helen Bate, who came up with the idea and developed the books said,  

" We have thousands of books for children who can't cope with adult material, but until now there's been precious little for people with dementia who can't cope either."

Care Home Olympics - why not go national?

The Care Home Olympics in Sheffield took place on Thursday and judging by the BBC report, it was a great success.  I think this is a great idea, both for the residents of care homes who go to compete and support, but also for the care homes themselves who get to promote themselves in a positive, proactive light.  According to the report, Primary Care Trusts and care homes in other regions are thinking about doing the same thing - wouldn't it be great if this could lead to national care home olympics?

Care Home Olympics - what a great idea!

I came across this article on the internet yesterday and I think it's a great idea -  I bet they have a great time doing it and it may start a trend of care home olympics across the country...

Teams of elderly people and their carers are set to compete against each other in a unique games event, at Don Valley Stadium on Thursday 19 June.

The event, called The Care Home Olympics, is the first of its kind in Sheffield, and probably the UK.  It will showcase how enjoyable physical activity can be for this age group and raise the profile of the good work happening in Sheffield.

Competitors will be testing each other’s mettle in bowling, skittles, mini golf, target throwing, dominoes and an Olympics quiz.  The event starts with a chair-based, mass warm-up and ends with dancing.

Councillor Steve Ayris, Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet Member for Independent and Healthy Living, said: “It is really important that we all keep active, no matter how old we are.  We know that physical activity, at the right level, can bring health benefits to even the frailest of older people.  It is also great for meeting people and socialising.  We hope these Olympics inspire residents, carers, and families to increase their activity levels.”

And three residents from Blenheim Court Nursing Home who are taking part on Thursday added their comments too: Elsie Proctor who is 92 said: “I’m looking forward to it!”, and 89 year old Phyllis Carver added, “I feel honoured to be part of this team.”

The Lord Mayor will present medals and prizes to the winning homes.

This event is just one of many initiatives in place in Sheffield to cater for an ageing population and encourage physical activity.

Physical activity is vital for people of any age in order for them to add years to their life, and life to their years!  And it’s never too late to start.  Practical examples of how being physically active can help in everyday life include: an activity like washing your hair is much easier to do if you’ve worked on increasing your flexibility; similarly, you can move around more easily if you’ve worked on increasing your muscle strength.  Being active will give you a better quality of life, improved health and wellbeing and it means you can live independently for longer.

It’s hoped the Games will encourage care home staff and their residents to be more physically active.  Staff from the care homes will have the opportunity to access equipment and training from staff qualified in a nationally recognised programme, which will enable them to include more physical activity in the everyday lives of the older people they care for.

The teams taking part are from Jasmin Court, Grange Crescent, Hallamshire Care Home, Silver Lodge, Woodbank House, Broomcroft House, Northfield Nursing Home, Pexton Grange Nursing Home, Moorend Place, Aaron View, Blenheim Court, Alpine Lodge, Chatsworth Grange, Aaron House, Dalwood View, Henleigh Hall, Sevenfields and three homes run by Sheffcare.

The event is sponsored by the British Heart Foundation and the National Centre for Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University.

Article found at Residential and nursing care homes in Sheffield