June 2020 - Altogether Care

Is Now the Time to Consider Live-in Care?

Posted on 18 June 2020 by dukadmin

While the number of cases is declining, the battle against COVID-19 in the UK is far from over. A vaccine is, at best, many months away. Most health experts are still concerned about the possibility of a second wave of the virus when we move into autumn and winter. These are the seasons when viral infections spread most easily.

Fortunately, medical science is learning more about the virus every day. Even so, the most effective measures currently available are physical distancing and good hygiene. And for older people with care needs, distancing presents difficulties. It is more difficult and stressful for relatives and informal carers to visit to help with personal or medical care if we are in lockdown.

Even as most of the country eases its way out of lockdown, the advice for vulnerable people with underlying health issues is to be cautious about going out or receiving visitors. In these circumstances the problem isn’t just lack of caregiving, it’s also lack of companionship.

Residential or Live-in Care?

So, if friends and family are not able to help with care, or are not willing to visit for fear of infecting a vulnerable person, what’s the best option?

Care homes could be a less attractive option for many people than before the pandemic. A recent poll showed that 40% of over 65s are less likely to consider moving into a care home due to the pandemic. While many homes have had zero or very low numbers of cases, the sector as a whole was severely affected. It will take some care homes a while to recover.

Perhaps Live-in Care offers a more suitable option.

Live-in care means that a carer lives in the client’s home. It is an effective way to make sure that older people with care needs are looked after and that there is always somebody around for the equally important aspects of companionship and conversation, that play such an important part in someone’s mental wellbeing.

You can find out more about our Live-in Care service on our website. Or call us on 01305 206 140 to discuss your needs and options.

Care At Home – Here to Support You Now and in the Future

Posted on 18 June 2020 by dukadmin

The coronavirus pandemic hit the care sector hard in many ways. The emotional cost of dealing with people who became infected and of staff putting themselves at risk to continue delivering care was huge.

Some care providers were already finding life hard before the pandemic and several are starting to worry about whether they will be able to stay in business.

Expanding at a time when others are contracting

But, despite what many papers print, it’s not all doom and gloom in the sector. Altogether Care remains in a strong position both in terms of performance and of the wellbeing of our teams. This is important, because we know that the thing that people who use care services value most of all is stability.

Choosing an organisation to look after your care needs is a big decision. The relationship with your home care provider is both important and personal. The last thing anybody wants is to keep changing care providers when their current one is no longer able to provide a service.

We have grown by over 50% in the last 3 years and are a preferred provider for numerous local authorities. We are continuing to develop our services and expand our network of Care at Home branches to meet the growing demand for care in the UK. The fundamentals of an ageing population with more disparate family units means that more people will continue to seek support in their lives to a lesser or greater degree. And we are ready with more staff, more local offices and more services to help with the house and garden as well as care.

Financial Stability Brings Reassurance

In a recent survey, three quarters of directors of adult social care said they were concerned about the financial stability of home care providers in their area. Some of these concerns were there before coronavirus came to the UK but they are now more acute. Enquiring about the financial stability of a care provider you are thinking of using is more important than ever.

For people living in Dorset, South Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire who are considering care there is the flexibility of using a care at home service where a carer visits on a regular basis to help, or Live-In Care for full time support. Altogether Care will be able to meet your needs now and in the future as a stable, family run provider with over 30 years experience. Call us to discuss your care needs in more detail and find out what type of support will suit you best.

For more information about Altogether Care and our care services, click here. Alternatively, speak to our team on 01305 206 140 or email contact@altogethercare.co.uk.

Covid-19 Didn’t Take the Care Out of Care Homes

Posted on 17 June 2020 by dukadmin

How quickly COVID-19 changed the lives of our staff and care home residents. Almost overnight, things we had taken for granted, such as outings and family visits, were no longer possible.

Naturally, the priority was to help everyone stay healthy and protect residents and staff at our three care homes against the virus. But care is a much bigger picture. As well as taking care of physical health and providing personal care, a care home is also there to promote good emotional and mental wellbeing. Our care teams were determined to carry on doing this despite the changes forced on us by both of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Good nutrition is the foundation of good physical and mental health. The early days of the lockdown emptied supermarket shelves and led to national shortages of some foodstuffs, Altogether Care worked closely with our suppliers to ensure we could continue serving healthy meals to the residents of our three care homes.

Keeping the Activities Going

A normal week in our homes would feature a range of activities such as art, crafts and music. We have been pleased to welcome organisations into our homes to run these activities for many years. The pandemic meant that this was no longer possible – so our staff stepped in to make sure these highly valued activities could carry on.

Some of our staff brought other skills into play so that residents could still experience the feel-good factor of having their hair and nails done.

Family visits were, of course, much missed. Like many organisations across the world, we’ve become experts in using Zoom. A video call is never quite the same as seeing a loved one in person and getting a big hug. But until the hugs make a comeback, helping our residents to make Zoom calls is a vital way to help them stay connected with family, friends and the world outside.

Hopefully the UK can get on top of the virus and everything can get back to normal soon. In the meantime, you can be reassured that we’re doing all we can to look after the wellbeing of our residents.

For more information on COVID-19 and Altogether Care, find out more here. For any other queries, contact the team at Altogether Care on 01202 894 925 or email contact@altogethercare.co.uk.