Caring UK Weekly May 24

Home starts next chapter with activity

BOOK-loving residents at an Edinburgh care home are keeping their minds young and agile with the latest social activity introduction.

The new weekly club at Cramond Residence gives the home’s book worms the chance to engage in open conversation about a host of genres – some of which cover stories from their childhoods and gripping new novels that exercise the brain.

Lifestyle team leader Elaine Vallance said: “Not only does reading help increase our residents’ cognitive skills, but it can also reduce stress and help improve sleep.

“It’s a fantastic form of entertainment and a great exercise for stimulating the brain, which can be particularly beneficial for our residents with dementia.

“Our book club encourages independent reading, as well as the articulation of thoughts and sharing of opinions with a group of similarly minded people.

“The club is a great way of encouraging our residents to stay social and we have experienced that even some of our less talkative residents have been willing to engage in a common topic of conversation.

“We take the time to read to those residents who can’t do

so and you can tell by the big smiles on their faces how much they appreciate the simple art of storytelling.”

Cramond’s book club takes place in the home’s lounge, offering views of the gardens year-round.

In addition to the weekly clubs, Cramond Residence has a private library that is wellstocked with books of different genres that residents are free to borrow and return at their leisure.

Client liaison manager Christian Daraio added: “Our residents love making use of the library and our weekly book clubs have proved to be very popular.

“We even have plans to invite authors along to the club in the near future to engage in conversations with the residents. We aim to make the club highly educational and a great knowledge builder.

“The mental and physical benefits you can experience from reading last a lifetime and can keep an elderly brain active and engaged, possibly even delaying the onset of dementia through the strengthening of memory retention.

“Not only that, but these group activities that we pride ourselves on are an excellent tool in fighting loneliness and social isolation.”

Lymington Town FC women’s squad have new kit thanks to operator Colten Care. The team, which is currently in division six of the Hampshire County Women’s Football League, has previously had to make do with old kits from the men’s team. The new kit, emblazoned with the Colten Care brand, was presented to the squad by Lorraine Bell, home manager of Linden House dementia home, along with residents. Chief operating officer Elaine Farrer said: “Lymington FC, like Colten Care, plays an important part in its community and we feel proud and privileged to provide the team with these smart kits bearing our name. We hope the new kits will bring them luck.”

Staff overjoyed with new rating

THE team at Cherry Tree Lodge care home in Whitnash, Royal Leamington Spa, have had reasons to celebrate following positive news on its recent CQC inspection.

They were overjoyed to receive their improved rating, which saw the service step up from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’ in all key areas, following their most recent inspection from the Care Quality Commission.

Home manager Scott Wincott said: “We have all worked so hard over the last few years at Cherry Tree Lodge and we are thrilled to have achieved a positive Good rating with CQC in all key areas.

“I believe that resident, relative and staff involvement in the daily operations has really contributed to our success’.

“I am thrilled to have led the team through change and now we are proud to share our success within the home, the community and our health care professionals.”

The CQC report stated: “Care plans contained information about people’s preferred method of communication and how staff should engage with people to ensure they provided responsive care.”

Observations from the glowing CQC report also noted: “People and relatives were given opportunities to provide feedback on the quality of the service through meetings and questionnaires.

“A ‘You said, we did’ board demonstrated how suggestions had been implemented within the service.”

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Providers suffer as Home Office tighten scrutiny

EXTRA government scrutiny on employers who hire visa-holding migrant care workers has made the recruitment process more expensive and difficult, operators are reporting.

Home Office officials are asking employers to provide a much higher level of detail when applying for undefined Certificates of Sponsorship. A CoS is an electronic record which a migrant uses to apply for a visa.

Undefined Certificates of Sponsorship are required by migrant work permit holders who are applying for jobs from within the UK, typically switching jobs.

The increased oversight has created confusion for many operators, some of whom have relied on legal experts to help them when their applications fail.

Historically, care homes and providers were able to request a quota of undefined CoS which could be increased later if required.

This allowed them flexibility to fill vacancies quickly as and when they arose.

The application process was quick and simple, the Home Office only requested a general idea of the employer’s plans and the online application portal only had two fields: one for the number of undefined CoS needed and a second for the reasons the certificates were required.

Recently however, the Home Office has started to request more detailed information about the job vacancies and the candidates being recruited.

Undefined CoS request submissions are being scrutinised more and if insufficient information is provided officials chase updates or reject applications.

Several recruiters have complained that the increased compliance measures are making the recruitment process longer and more complicated.

The issue has been brought to the attention of visa specialist A Y & J Solicitors, which represent several clients in the care industry who rely on overseas workers.

Yash Dubal, director of the Legal 500 firm, said: “Previously our clients reported that the application process for undefined Certificates and

Sponsorship was effortless.

“But now, it can be quite confusing, particularly for inexperienced staff and those that don’t have the resources to outsource are stuck trying to work it out themselves.

“Increasingly applicants need knowledge of the immigration rules to explain why the request is viable in immigration terms and if they don’t provide credible reasons for the request, the application is rejected.

“It seems Home Office are cracking down on spurious or ineligible CoS requests and while some employers are making successful requests with quick results others are missing the mark and getting rejections, leading to wasted time and extra expense if they then need to hand over to a legal expert.”

Officials have also stated that future undefined CoS allocations will be granted based on the previous years’ usage.

This has also been criticised but may work favourably for care providers.

Yash added: “For a lot of employers who sponsor migrant workers this is nonsense as they do not sponsor the same number of people each year.

“For care companies which regularly sponsor workers and those which have a high staff turnover however, this might be a boon as in effect their quota will be auto-renewed at the start of every year.”

Home raises funds for charity

KIND-hearted residents at a Dorset care home have done their bit to support a charity that helps people in the county who face social isolation.

Colten Care’s Newstone House in Sturminster Newton organised a charity day, raffle and pancake race to help the Friends of Stour Connect, a day centre in the town.

Residents at the home wanted to ‘give something back to the community’ as users of the centre’s dementia café and hydrotherapy pool.

A cheque presentation for £220 was held at Stour Connect on a dedicated afternoon for Newstone House

visitors.

Karlene Horswill, Newstone House companionship team leader, said: “We wanted to raise so much more, but due to the constraints of Covid regulations last year we were restricted in what we could do.

“We are however proud of what we managed to raise and we aim for so much more over the coming months.”

Newstone House residents have nominated Friends of Stour Connect as their main charity to support for the past two years.

In that time they have raised nearly £500 to help with its work.

WWII soldier recalls the highs and lows of fostering children

A FORMER soldier has recalled the emotional highs and lows he felt when he and his wife fostered vulnerable children.

Ken Pusey said there were times when the emotional toll associated with fostering weighed heavily.

But the 96-year-old, who served in the Army during WWII, also said they were among the happiest and proudest times of his life.

Ken, who now lives at Royal Star & Garter in High Wycombe, was talking during Foster Care Fortnight, which runs until Sunday.

Ken met his wife Pam in a furniture factory in High Wycombe, shortly after leaving the Army in 1947.

The couple married in 1949 and started their own family, but soon decided to start fostering as well.

Ken said: “My wife loved children. She had seen an advert for fostering and asked if it was something we could do. I knew how much she loved children, so I agreed.”

Over a period of around four years in the 1950s, the couple fostered many children, and Ken remembers one child especially well.

He said: “We had a little boy who came to us when he wasn’t even one, and he stayed with us a long time.

“He was soon walking and calling me ‘Dadda’. One Tuesday night I came

home from work, and Pam told me he had gone – his mother had come and picked him up.

“I thought we were going to keep him, and I sat down and started crying. I was so attached to him and it really hurt.

“I said to Pam that I didn’t want to do this anymore, that I couldn’t go through the pain again because it was heart-breaking, so we stopped.”

However, within a few months, they found the calling to help vulnerable children too much to ignore, and returned to fostering.

Ken added: “We fostered because my wife really loved children, and it was a really happy time.

“There were tough periods, but we knew we were helping disadvantaged children.

“We wanted to do what was best for them. In those days you didn’t get paid, we did it to help.

“The boy that I mentioned who left abruptly came to us with only two nappies, and left with a suitcase full of clothes. We did it for the children.”

Ken served in the Army from 19441947. During WWII he helped build Bailey bridges in mainland Europe to support the Allied advancement into Nazi Germany.

He has been at Royal Star & Garter since September 2022.

occasion. Bryn Haven is a specialist 42-bed care home in Brinnington, Stockport that offers dementia care. Bryn Haven is part of Borough Care, a group of 12 care homes across Stockport and Staffordshire. Activity lifestyle facilitator Rosie Brennan planned every detail including decorations, food, cake, entertainment and even a gold tiara for the birthday girl to wear during the party. Rosie got in touch with the Mayor of Stockport, Councillor David Wilson and Deputy Mayor Councillor Linda Holt who were more than happy to accept the invitation to attend the party.

Yash Dubal

It’s not every day you turn 100, so when Bryn Haven staff saw that resident Dorothy Dempster’s big day was coming up, they began planning a huge bash to celebrate the

Ken Pusey at Royal Star & Garter.

Home receives Gold Award for sensory loss accessibility

A CHESHIRE care home has become the first in the UK to receive the incus Gold Award for its proactive approach to sensory loss.

Both Chapel House Nursing Home and Plessington Court Residential Home, in Puddington, Cheshire, achieved the award from training provider incus-care following a fivestep process, over a two-year period.

Chapel House Care owner Cathrina Moore, alongside manager Keith Ley and their team, were meticulous in their approach to the award which sees participants go through training, assessments and audits to achieve their Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

Cathrina, who is also an Admiral Nurse, said: “We’re really proud to be the first care home in the country to have been awarded Gold by incus.

“Cognitive problems can be exacerbated by sensory issues so it is important to ensure that we minimise the impact of this by reducing issues for each of our residents.

“As a result of the incus training, our staff have been trained to approach sensory loss issues with specialist techniques. We have installed doorbells which light up when someone is knocking on the door so a resident with hearing loss isn’t

startled if someone walks into their room.

“Residents with hearing loss can also access our portable loop system and use specialist headphones to improve their listening experience when watching television. We also ensure that all our residents have regular hearing tests so we can identify those who need more support.

“We’re already seeing some good

results.

“We have improved people’s listening experience and helped with their overall communication. We’ve noticed that people are joining in with more activities and interacting better with their relatives.

“Residents also love the new doorbells and they help to reduce anxiety because they can see – rather than hear – that someone wants to come into their room.”

The aim of the incus-care Awards is to ensure residents in care homes with sensory loss are communicated with in the correct ways, their specific needs are met and they are supported to live fulfilling lives.

Brian Cadwallader, incus training manager, added: “Firstly congratulations to Chapel House and Plessington Court on achieving their incus Gold award.

“From their initial registration, through the training phases and onto their audit process, it was very clear that both teams acknowledged DSN’s incus initiative and the benefits it has brought in terms of engaging in tailored training modules, improving knowledge, learning new skills and, importantly meeting the specific needs of their residents with sensory impairment.

“The evidence of their achievement was very clear to see, with defined objectives set, strong leadership and the willingness of staff to embrace the changes.

Chapel House and Plessington Court staff excelled in all areas of the incus care programme, resulting in two very deserved Gold awards.”

Chapel House Care has been independently owned and run by the Moore family for more than 30 years.

Family owned care group builds on its retirement offering in Yorkshire

CZAJKA Care Group is making a multi-million-pound investment in its flagship Fairmount Park development in Nab Wood near Saltaire.

As part of the plans, Brookfield Care Home will also benefit from a major extension and improvements programme in order to merge with Fairmount Nursing Home, which will be demolished to make way for eight new purpose-built retirement houses and apartments.

Ten years on from its burial, a time capsule has been unearthed at Hartford Care’s Malden House care home in Sidmouth, Devon. Many memories were uncovered, including a selection of newspapers from 2013, photographs of previous residents, pictures by local school children and mobile phones.

Home manager Tabitha Donovan said: “It was great fun opening up the time capsule, many of our team members were present when we buried it 10 years ago, so it’s brought back wonderful memories of some of our past residents. 2013 was also the year Prince George was born, so we had copies of the national newspapers with his first photograph. It was interesting to see what the local school children thought life would be in 2023 from their pictures of the future, probably not quite as advanced as most thought – although it’s amazing how mobile phones have adapted over just 10 years.”

The family owned and run Czajka Care Group was granted planning permission for the development in 2021 and has been liaising with the residents and families at Fairmount Park and Fairmount Nursing Home to plan for the expansion.

Czajka Care Group’s managing director Konrad Czajka said: “As always, we are putting the needs of our residents first and having regular meetings with our residents and their families to detail our plans, discuss how they would like to move forward and involve them in shaping our timescales.

“As part of the development, we will create an additional eight new and modern rooms with first class facilities, at Brookfield Care Home and can’t wait to welcome people here.

“All the team at Fairmount Nursing Home will also be offered roles within Czajka Care Group at our other care and nursing homes. In fact, as part of this investment, we will also be creating at least a dozen new jobs,

which is welcome news for the local economy.

“These exciting plans will help us meet the huge demand for purpose built, high quality, assisted living retirement homes in the area, whilst also providing invaluable residential care for 48 residents at our extended Brookfield Care Home.”

Currently there is no availability at Czajka Care Group’s existing purposebuilt retirement homes at either Fairmount Park, which has 37 houses and apartments or at Currergate Mews, which has 14 houses. The two retirement developments both have long waiting lists, with some people reserving a property years in advance of their planned move date.

Konrad added: “We have long waiting lists for our retirement houses and apartments because people love their locations, property styles, leisure facilities and the support available.

“By delivering eight new homes for people over 55 at Fairmount Park, we hope to meet some of this demand and provide people with an individual home that gives them privacy and independence, but with all the benefits of being part of a wider community with assisted support as and when they need it.

“At Fairmount Park, another really popular pull is the crown green bowling and putting greens, and many of our residents are also members of our clubhouse, where they can enjoy a host of services.”

The team with their incus training certificates.

Fairmount Park retirement development in Nab Wood, Shipley.

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Janet astonished and overjoyed to ‘host’ her son’s wedding

A LYMINGTON care home secretly transformed a resident’s room into a wedding chapel, to enable her to see her son exchange vows with his fiancée.

Janet Towers, a resident of Colten Care’s Belmore Lodge, is no longer able to travel. But it was her dearest wish to see her son John’s wedding to his partner Sarah-jane.

Janie Wilkins, home manager of Belmore Lodge said: “When we learned that Janet may have to miss the wedding, we knew that simply wouldn’t do.

“So, we told a little fib and asked Janet if we could dress her room for a marketing promotion, to show how we can accommodate special occasions.

“Janet agreed and this gave us the opportunity to transform her room and of course dress her accordingly, as the beautiful mother of the groom.

“One significant detail was left out though, and that was that we would be re-creating John’s upcoming wedding.”

Janet’s room was adorned with flowers and had a wedding arch.

“Just before the ‘photoshoot’ I told Janet we had a surprise and gave her the order of service for John’s wedding,” added Janie.

“She said: “But I can’t go” and I said: “No, so they are coming to you.

“When John and Sarah-jane came into the room, with Sarah-jane’s two sons Joshua and Gabriel, everyone was so overwhelmed and emotional.

“We left them together for a few minutes to hug and compose themselves.”

The happy couple went on to read the same vows they would say be saying in their Register Office ceremony and exchanged rings. There was also a reading by one of Janet’s fellow residents, Davina Shelley.

“It was absolutely beautiful with lots of happy tears and of course Janet was overjoyed,” said Janie.

Everyone then enjoyed cake and toasted the newlyweds with pink fizz.

Janet said: “I had no idea this was going to happen, but I can’t thank everyone enough.

“I didn’t think I would be able to part of John and Sarah-jane’s wedding, but I was, and I loved every single moment of it. Thank you so much to everyone who made my wish possible.”

Janet’s son John said: “My wife and I are extremely grateful to Janie and all the staff at Belmore Lodge who made our special day so memorable. To have mum at our wedding was truly the icing on the cake (wedding).”

Janie continued: “We always try to achieve the impossible, ensuring that our residents continue to live a fulfilled life surrounded by their family and friends.

“We all feel deeply privileged to have been able to see Janet share this precious day with John and Sarahjane.

“And in an added twist, we have also been delighted to welcome a new ‘Mrs Towers’ to Belmore Lodge:

“Sarah-jane has been so impressed by everything she has seen at Belmore Lodge she has joined our companionship team and will now be spending even more time with her new mum-in-law Janet.”

Residents learn the ropes at bell ringing challenge

A 50-day marathon bell ringing challenge concluded with residents from Care South’s Sussexdown residential care home in Storrington learning the ropes at Storrington Church.

Starting with basic ringing patterns, 10 residents from Sussexdown were given a lesson on how the skill is performed.

After some practice and careful instruction, the team were chiming bells together in harmony and performing short ‘methods’ –memorised ringing patterns that create a melodic tune.

The bell ringing activity was part of a challenge organised by the activities coordinator at Sussexdown care home, Vicky Chase, who wished to celebrate her 50th birthday by ringing 50 Sussex bell towers in 50 days in the run up to and on the weekend of her birthday.

Vicky learned to ring at St Giles in Graffham in 1986. She has been instrumental for Graffham’s bell ringers over recent years in co-ordinating ringers, novices, and a team of instructors at Tuesday training sessions.

She is a training and recruitment team leader for the Sussex County Association of Change Ringers, and also tower captain of St Mary’s

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Church in Billingshurst.

Vicky wants to encourage more people to train as bell ringers as the pandemic has left a shortage of those with the skill, whilst also recruiting ringers to ensure that all bells in West Sussex can be rung for the King’s Coronation.

She said: “Many ringers stopped during the pandemic, but I hope I’ve inspired others to pick up the skill.

“Residents at Sussexdown were very enthusiastic about joining in on the challenge and they certainly have a natural talent for it.

“With the Coronation of King Charles III, now is the perfect time to ring for The King.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this challenge.

“Bell ringing is a big passion of mine, and although it’s required a lot of work, I’m so pleased to involve so many new people in bell ringing. Bringing the challenge to a close with residents – people I already have lots of fond memories with – was a special way to end.”

Through the challenge, Vicky has raised funds for SCACR Bell Restoration Fund which provides financial assistance for the restoration, maintenance, and improvement of existing church bells, towers and belfries.

Eco cleaning brand awarded contract with group

ECO cleaning chemical brand Delphis Eco has been awarded a contract with luxury care homes group KYN.

The contract is a significant win for Delphis Eco as it enters into the highend care home sector.

KYN offers world class personalised, holistic care to its residents and has a new care home open in Bickley with two others planned for opening, Hurlingham in London in 2024 and Kensington in 2025.

Caroline Naidoo, managing director of KYN, said: “We are delighted to welcome Delphis Eco on board supplying cleaning products to our new care home in Bickley as well as our care homes opening in Hurlingham next year and Kensington the year after that.

“We aim for the absolute best standards of care for all of our residents and this extends into ensuring the very best hygiene and infection control standards in all

areas of our homes.

“We especially love the ethos of Delphis Eco’s products, in that they are not toxic and are kind to the environment, whilst being immensely effective.

“The packaging is another key point

for us – they are packaged in 100 per cent recycled plastic meaning everything about Delphis’ range supports our journey in carbon reduction and environmental best practice.”

Delphis Eco is supplying a range of

products which cover all areas of the home from public spaces, kitchens, to the residents’ rooms.

The home is making use of Delphis Eco’s strong, but kind to the user, hand sanitisers throughout.

Mark Jankovich, CEO of Delphis Eco, added: We are delighted to have secured this contract with KYN.

“I particularly love that the company was conceived following the personal experiences of the KYN team in their quest for care and the recognition that higher standards were necessary and achievable.

“The reason I left a banking career to set up Delphis Eco was because I recognised that the environment was under serious threat, and it needed individuals to stand up and make a positive difference.

“There’s huge synergy here in our thinking and I am sure that will lead to a very successful partnership in the years ahead.”

Bidfood hosts care home coronation party with a royal feast fit for all

WITH King Charles III officially on the throne, Bidfood celebrated this momentous occasion by supporting the care industry and hosting a coronation party for the residents of Tunstall Hall.

Like Tunstall Hall, many UK care homes have had to operate with tight budgets, rising food costs and understaffed kitchens.

The challenge increases when taking into consideration the varied dietary requirements of each resident, suffering from various medical conditions such as diabetes and dysphagia.

Taking their latest care home guide, ‘A Feast Fit for a King’, Bidfood’s culinary development chefs brought the guide’s Coronation-themed recipes to

life with a menu that is fit for all.

The regal spread of 12 dishes and four royal-themed tipples, allowed residents with difficulties swallowing, severe allergies, or a need to watch their blood sugar, to be well catered for.

In addition to this, the menu was developed with low-skilled but high impact, flavourful dishes, making it easier for those understaffed and low-skilled kitchens to produce regular meals for their residents.

Taking inspiration from some of King Charles’ favourite dishes, the menu included cheesy baked eggs, zesty cream of lemon and the king of puddings, a warm apple and blackberry upside down cake.

Bidfood customers can discover another layer of support through their free e-learning platform, Caterers Campus.

Designed by Bidfood’s chefs, for chefs, the online school equips care home caterers with the key skills they need to prepare the right offering for residents with modules on dysphagia, fortification, dementia and more.

Commenting on the coronation party, Wayne Wright, healthcare culinary development chef at Bidfood said: “This is a crowning moment in British history and it brought the perfect opportunity to bring everyone together and celebrate, especially as the care sector has to navigate under cost and

staffing pressures.

“We hope that our latest guide will evoke that feeling of celebration in residents and relieve some of the weight that care home caterers are currently under.

“Mealtimes are so important to a resident’s daily routine because it creates a sense of normality, as well as contributes to their wellbeing.

“It’s crucial that care home caterers get their offering right with delicious and costeffective meals, by taking advantage of the amazing tools we have available so they can cater with confidence.”