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no.280 • £4.75 incorporating
February 2020
The Number One magazine for the care sector
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Homecare firm in appeal for more carers A HOMECARE provider is appealing for more carers to join or return to the profession following the result of the General Election. Heritage Healthcare’s #DoSomethingAmazing campaign has kicked off in the North East, inspired by The Health Foundation’s recent appeal to the Conservative Government to prioritise investment into the health and care workforce. The organisation, which has devised the campaign to celebrate the vocational aspect of working in health and social care, explained that uncertainty around Brexit, combined with low pay within the sector, has resulted in a nine per cent reduction in the numbers of social care workers, and the shortfall is predicted to rise to 400,000 by 2028. Glenn Pickersgill, CEO of Heritage Healthcare, said: “We now have some certainty around Brexit and hopefully the fact we have a clear parliamentary majority will give the country the beginnings of some stability. “It’s therefore the ideal time to launch our campaign, which is a celebration because being a carer is more than just a job. “Care workers and healthcare assistants take great pride, not only in the fact they are giving something back to their clients when they need it most, but also to their local communities by helping people
to live independently for as long as they can, which reduces the burden on the NHS and other social services. It’s a hugely rewarding career.” The homecare company operates throughout England and Wales from 23 offices, offering a wide range of services including help with household and domestic chores, personal care and companionship. He’s hoping to find four new healthcare assistants to work from the group’s North East base in Middlesbrough ahead of the campaign going national in February. Full training is to be provided and the roles have competitive rates of pay and flexible hours. Glenn added: “As life expectancy increases, the need for care will increase also, so while there is a great need for social care now, this will be the case even more into the future. “In recent years, our work has been underfunded by local authorities, so many more people are choosing to stay in their own homes with additional support provided by professional organisations. “The familiar environment and maintenance of their privacy can help individuals feel more comfortable and experience a greater quality of life than some of the alternatives open to them.”
TV and radio host Lauren Laverne has launched a new initiative to highlight the positive impact music can have for people living with dementia – with a series of guides on how to create the perfect personalised playlist. As Music for Dementia 2020’s ambassador, she is encouraging people to create playlists for their loved ones using new step-by-step guides, after research revealed the benefits of personalised music for people living with dementia. Lauren created a nine-hour playlist with her dad shortly before his death and continues to listen to and update it.
Project returns with added sparkle A PROJECT aimed at pimping up elderly people’s zimmer frames has been reignited by a Shropshire care home – but this time with an additional dose of sparkle. Coverage Care’s Woodcroft home in Market Drayton introduced the ‘Pimp My Zimmer’ initiative as a way of reducing the number of falls among residents. The project encouraged those living at the home to personalise their walking aids by spray painting them different colours such as pink, purple
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and orange or decorating them with stickers. Home manager Kelly Lowry said: “Zimmer frames are set to an individual’s height and selected for their specific mobility needs and using the wrong one can cause a fall. “The ‘Pimp My Zimmer’ project is all about reassuring residents that they are using the correct one. “Jazzing up the grey frame in different colours and with stickers means individual frames are more identifiable.”
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