March 2015 Issue 8
Understanding Dementia and the Impact At the weekend I went and saw the Oscar winning film ‘Still Alice’. Many of you will have seen this moving film and incredible performance by Julianne Moore who plays the 50 year old Alice and her descent into a lost world of memory brought on by Alzheimer’s disease. The film is very graphic in showing how a successful college professor begins to lose her memory and grip on reality and the impact on her family. As an organisation we provide care for around 1,000 individuals at any one time, within registered care homes and support for people still living at home through our domiciliary care services. Each individual we support has their own unique story and an impact on family and friends, as increasingly the majority of people we support in our homes has a diagnosis of dementia. What the film ‘Still Alice’ highlighted so well are the comments made several years ago by Professor Bill Lemmer at a seminar for managers. The best way to describe an individual with a dementia is to see their life as a book of chapters, as the disease progresses, words and sentences on different pages begin to disappear from memory. Our ability to remain person-centred to our approach to care and understand the unique story of each individual is crucial in our daily work and all that we do. Sunbury Lodge At our Board meeting on the 24th March we had to make the difficult decision to close Sunbury Lodge. This service which has been running since the early 1960s has given excellent support to people not only with a diagnosis of dementia but also mental illness. Unfortunately, as a Charity, we are no longer able to sustain the service, in part due to the age of the building and level of funding required to update the service but also due to the level of funding we can secure for placements. Over the coming months we will look to work closely with service users and families to ensure appropriate placements are
found with a commitment to retain our dedicated workforce with transfers to our other services in the area. Bridge Haven Success It is pleasing to report on the positive outcome of the pilot ‘step down’ facility of ten beds at Bridge Haven. Commissioned late in February, we have successfully worked with an NHS multi-disciplinary team to provide this new service designed to release people ‘stuck’ on hospital wards needing a short programme of reablement before returning home. At the time of writing this newsletter we are waiting to hear whether or not the pilot will be extended. All credit must go to Geoff, Ami, Lyn and colleagues for their hard work. Bexley Day Care Success Often one of the most important services designed to support people with an early diagnosis of dementia is day care, which gives a welcomed break to carers and provides the first contact for an individual with registered care. I am therefore pleased to confirm our success in being chosen as the primary provider of day care for dementia at our three homes in Bexley from the recent Council procurement exercise. Investment in Domiciliary Care As an organisation we are committed to growing our domiciliary care business in Bexley and Kent. Key is our ability to recruit and retain a skilled workforce with a major recruitment drive now underway. This service has come a considerably long way under the leadership of Angela, Dawn, and Sue over the past year as the business has become far more integrated and central to our work. Young Healthy Minds Funding Secured One of our key contracts within Stepahead Young Healthy Minds has been successful in securing funding extension until August 2016. This is welcome news and as such, reflects the value Kent County Council puts on this service even in the current climate of cut backs and savings. Mark LLoyd Managing Director March 2015
Staff from Avante Care and Support made ‘Time for a Cuppa’ on Friday 6th March, to raise precious funds to support the much needed Admiral Nurses across the UK. Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia nurses who provide families with an understanding of dementia and give them the tools and skills to deal with challenges effectively, whilst also providing psychological support to help family carers carry on caring for their family member. There are currently over 800,000 people in the UK living with dementia, and this is expected to increase to 1 million by 2025. Avante Care and Support cares for and supports over 3000 people across Kent and South East London many of which are living with dementia. The charity also has its own Admiral Nurse who supports the residents and their families. Staff at Avante Care and Supports Head Office in Faversham Kent, held a tea party in support of Dementia UK’s ‘Time for a Cuppa’ fundraising event. Staff baked until late in to the night to ensure there were plenty of cakes to be bought and enjoyed
on the day, as well as plenty of raffle prizes provided by generous staff members. Tea Party Organiser, Amanda Andrews said, ‘The tea party was a great success and the generosity from staff was overwhelming. Thanks to everyone’s efforts we raised £132 for Dementia UK’. As well as cakes to buy on the day there were several competitions for staff to take part in, including guess the baby and count the jelly beans in the jar. Staff met at 2.30pm in their Thames Suite to take time out from their busy work schedules and enjoy a cuppa, a slice of cake and raise valuable funds for a worthy cause. Dementia UK thanked Avante Care and Support for their efforts through Facebook commenting- ‘Those cakes look delicious. What a fantastic amount to have raised, thank you for making Time for a Cuppa!’ Dementia UK also tweeted @avanteSupport 'Thank you so much. They look so lovely and chocolatey! Hope you enjoyed your party on Friday’.
Avante Home Care & Support would like to send their warmest congratulations to Kath Fox who recently reached her 100th birthday in March. Kath was born on the 8th March 1915 and went on to be happily married for 50 years and has 3 children. Kath was a school cook and still enjoys cooking today, she also enjoys completing crosswords, watching television and spending time with her supportive family. Tracey White and Pauline Zhara are Kath’s regular carers and have been providing support for Kath since July 2006, both ladies said that Kath is excellent for her age and is always cheerful. We hope you had a lovely day Kath and enjoyed your presents.
Staff from across Avante Care & Support took time out of their busy schedules to help promote the organisation at the recent KentChoices4U expo in Detling, Maidstone. The stand was constantly busy due to all the interactive activities taking place and the warm welcome the team gave to everyone. Lyndsay Hopper, Marketing Manager, said: ‘I would like to say a big thank you to Frances Lake from Head Office and Eve Barnden and Toni Jackson from Amherst Court care home for all their help and hard work over the past two days at the KentChoices4U expo’. Frances captivated the crowds with person centred care activities, whilst Eve and Toni bought with them a variety of care items and equipment from Amherst Court, as well as demonstrating moving and handling with visitors on the profile bed – that was kindly delivered and set up by Bill Richardson from Bridge Haven! Both days were extremely busy but have been a great opportunity to promote the excellent work that takes place across the organisation! See you all again next year!
Barton Court Bridging the Generation Gap Barton Court care home and the Oasis Academy in Sheerness, collaborate to help bridge the generation gap. During 2014 staff and residents at Barton Court care home have built a strong relationship with the Oasis Academy which is located close to the care home on the Isle of Sheppey. The Oasis Academy which aspires to be sensitive to the needs of every child, reducing barriers to learning and making the curriculum accessible to every student, is local to the care home specialising in dementia care. Home Manager Karen Richards and Elaine Bashford Activities Coordinator visited the Oasis Academy last year to talk about Barton Court and to raise awareness on dementia to the younger generation. In return the Academy have since held a number of events for the older community within Sheppey which Barton Court residents were included. Events have included attending football matches a Christmas Christingle, Nativity play and tea party.
Karan Richards, Home Manager, said – ‘Since engaging with the Oasis Academy at the beginning of last year our relationship with them has just blossomed. We have all gained so much from it. Students visit our residents regularly and share knowledge from one generation to another. In truth, I thought the visits from the students may become less frequent as time went on due to other commitments, but if anything they have increased since we first met with the Academy. The residents enjoy the interaction with the students and teachers visiting them and being included in the local events that the students hold in the local community’. Since Barton Court joined up with the Oasis Academy one student has joined the team at Barton Court as a full time carer and one is due to start work experience. The Academy also has many dementia friends and has a diary of events for the forthcoming year for the local community of Sheppey which Barton Court and its residents look forward to being part of.
Another Hectic Month at Hevercourt Care Home Firstly we celebrated all of the Saints coming marching in – St David, St Patrick and then of course all of the ‘Mothers’! To prepare for the expected influx of flowers on Mothers Day (like many other years where we have had to improvise due to vase shortages) we ensured there were plenty of vases to hand to only discover that this year was the year of the CHOCOLATE!. So after plenty of chocolate eating we balanced this out with a chocolate free ‘High Tea’ for Nutrition and Hydration Week’ with savouries, dainty sandwiches and nutritious and healthy cakes – no chocolate, no icing and plenty of fruit and limited sugar and were rewarded with the attendance and enjoyment of many families. All this against a background of soft piano accompaniment, reminiscent of the Ritz? But now to work off any excesses we have a shed building project and the Easter Fair. Roll on April when we get stuck into gardening and celebrate multiple birthdays on the 8th.
St David’s Day at Bridge Haven On Tuesday 17th February residents at Bridge Haven gathered with the Activity Coordinators, to plan how they would like to celebrate St David’s day on the 1st March. It was decided the celebrations were to be held in the residents very own ‘Snug’ pub which has become a popular hot spot for many of the residents to enjoy a swift half or a tasty tipple or two. Leeks, daffodils and lamb were requests from residents Peggy and John which meant on the day the residents enjoyed a roast lamb dinner with new potatoes, leeks and garden peas, followed by apple pie with cream. Another request from resident Eddie was to the kitchen asking that the apple pie needed to be brushed with sugary water to make it brown and crispy on the day.
Nicola Linstead, Activities Coordinator said – ‘Our residents enjoyed preparing for the Welsh celebration quite a few weeks in advance, making Welsh placemats, flags and daffodil table decorations to use on the day. The Snug looked great when the decorations were complete. The kitchen staff cooked a fabulous Roast lamb meal and the whole day was enjoyed by everyone’.
‘I’ve laughed with people and I’ve cried with them, it’s like every job it has its highs and lows, but I have certainly had more highs than I have had lows and have some fantastic memories of some wonderful people I have cared for’. Bonnie Huntley, Home carer. You only have to switch on the television or read the national papers to see coverage on health and social care, the recruitment market and the difficulties there are with finding the right person for the right job. Many are changing their career path to gain employment or to suit their lifestyles. Avante Care & Support supports over 3,000 people across Kent and South East London and employs just under 2,000 people. Bonnie Huntley is one of the home carers who has worked at Avante Care & Support for over 20 years and has seen how the home care service has changed over the years. Bonnie joined Avante Care & Support (which was then known as Care at Home, KCHT) on 4th March 1995 as a home carer. Prior to this she worked at the paper mill in Sittingbourne whilst building up her own business as a green grocer in Sittingbourne. Bonnie built up a successful business which she then sold on and worked for a local fruit and veg supplier, until one day she decided she had seen enough of fruit and vegetables and needed a career change. ‘My father had been ill the year before and I had spent the last few weeks of his life caring for him which was a tough and upsetting time but something I wanted to do, to be there for him’, says Bonnie. ‘When my father passed I became bored with my current job and knew I needed a change’. The Care at Home service was based at and provided through residential care home Court Regis in Sittingbourne which is still one of Avante Care & Support’s specialist dementia care homes today. The Care at Home service was an extra service provided by Court Regis for those not needing to move into residential care but requiring personal care or assistance with day to day tasks. Bonnie joined the small team and helped build up the hours, providing a good care service to its clients. Through the years the service hours expanded and the care team did too. “The main areas I covered were Lynstead, Teynham, Rodmersham and Sheerness, they were quite big areas with not a lot of carers to start with. I learnt so much from the Twilight Nurses who we worked with and I guess at the time we all just rolled our sleeves up and got on with the work”, says Bonnie. Bonnie recalls how on some days the carers between them used to be able to provide personal care and cook a roast dinner for some of their clients, all in the allocated time slots throughout the day! “Things are very different now but there was one client in particular when I first started working within the care sector, who loved a roast dinner, so I used to visit her in the morning get her up out of bed, care for her, prepare breakfast and then
peel some veg. I would then go off and visit another client, but whoever was popping back at lunchtime would then pop on the meat and spuds. The afternoon care visit would check the spuds turn on the veg and turn the meat, and then for the dinner visit the roast would be served, all this whilst caring for the client too! The lady used to be ever so happy and it was a real sense of achievement and team work. “ There are so many stories Bonnie has through her 20 year career of working as a home carer. ‘I’ve laughed with people and ’ve cried with them, it’s like every job - it has its highs and lows, but I have certainly had more highs than I have lows and have some fantastic memories of some wonderful people I have cared for’ said Bonnie. There was one dear man who required a ceiling hoist but he had made it quite clear he wasn’t going to use it as he didn’t ‘trust the machinery’. So I thought how am I going to get round this? So I thought, I’ll get in it, I’ll show him that it’s fine to use! So in she got, with the help of a colleague, but much to Bonnie’s frustration the hoist decided to stop halfway through its manoeuvre leaving poor Bonnie dangling in mid-air! ‘See I told you said the dear man!’ Well that was it Bonnie and her colleague had to work out how to get out of the hoist whilst trying to convince the chap that it was a great piece of working machinery. Bonnie’s not sure how she got out of the hoist that day but one things for sure they all laughed about it for many years after. Care practice has clearly changed over the last 20 years but laughter and a caring manner are still attributes to providing good care. Bonnie has recently been recognised and awarded by the organisation for her 20 years of service at Avante Care & Support and continues to work for the home care service. ‘I love my job and being able to assist our clients to stay living in their own homes. Most of my clients treat me as extended family, some even refer to me as another daughter. It’s tough at times there’s no denying that, but I wouldn’t change what I do’. When asked what Bonnie likes to do in her spare time she said ‘I don’t have a lot of spare time really I have 9 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, they keep me busy and on my toes! The care at home service is now known as Avante Care & Support and has over 200 carers caring and supporting over 500 clients across Kent and South East London.
If you would like to know more about the homecare service or are considering caring as a career please call either our Maidstone Office on 01622 351166 or our Erith Office on 01322 344980.
Rural You Su ort Team Je y, Louise, Hoy and Dean aim ensure e young people have fun, rough an increase of o or n es by m ng her young people in clubs and a ending ac v es. Social and em ional understandings are developed which wi en go on su ort our young people in making pos ve trans ons from childh d adul d. ese include: • Helping club a end s communicate effec vely, and in rn develop self-confidence and self-est m. • Developing resilience and determina on. • Learning manage f lings and rela onships ese are a part of crea ve, sporty se ions provided by our energe c and en usiastic team.
‘GET CREATIVE’ Compe on
On 22nd of April, Stepahead Su ort are holding a ‘Get Crea ve’ event at e Cardwe Pavilion in Hoingbourne!
ere are 3 compe ons for a ages get involved in: • Bake a cake win a special prize! A cakes wi be cut and sold at e end of e evening raise money for a local char . •Take a ph o! Enter our ph ography compe on w h a chance win a canvas print of your prize wor y ph o!
• Create a piece of art! Use your imagina on paint, draw or build some ing at wi make you e wi er of a n stic selec on of art equipment.
2015 2nd April 2 y a d s e We d n - 20:00pm m p 0 :0 8 1 at r n wa y G , n io il v e Pa e Cardw d, Hoingbourne, Cour t Roa E17 1QQ M , e n o st Maid 0 kets: £2.5 Adults Tic Ticket: £1 ’s 1 1 r e d n U ve on e! e n e p O 19 078133598 y  o H : 4 Con ct 79549505 Dean - 07