News Archives - Page 11 of 12

National Pizza Day at Sherborne House

Posted on 17 February 20176 January 2025 by dukadmin

Regular group activity within a care setting provides residents with opportunities to engage with others as well as providing a creative outlet. Ensuring that residents are regularly involved in group tasks not only contributes to overall wellbeing but also aids stimulation and maintains an active mind.

Participation in a variety of group tasks ensures that residents regularly feel involved, happy, and at ease.

This month, residents and staff at Sherborne House marked National Pizza Day on the 9th February by making their own pizzas together. Everyone enjoyed tucking into their home-made creations!

Photo: residents Amy and Raymond prepare to layer on the cheese!

Wellbeing at the core of care

Posted on 14 February 20176 January 2025 by dukadmin

Wellbeing; the new concept for quality of life, covering both physical and mental capabilities & emotions.

As we age, we experience more aches and pains than before, we might not be able to walk as far as we once did or stay up as late as we used to. But what does this mean for the quality of our lives? Will we become more isolated because of it, will this make us lonely and how might we cope if we lose a loved one?

Understanding wellbeing and its importance to an individual’s life is at the very core of personal centred care.

The fundamentals for wellbeing may sound basic to some, but if they are not met they can have an astounding effect on somebody’s life. These fundamentals include:

• Personal – Feeling safe and being listened to, valued and respected
• Physical – Able to get the help they need, when they need it and how they need it
• Comfort – Live in a place that suits them and their lives
• Lifestyle – Are able to participate in the things that matter to them and that they enjoy

Person centred care is based on the care worker understanding your own individual life; this includes many aspects such as your needs & wants both physically and mentally and your favoured lifestyle choices. Understanding, appreciating and being considerate when caring for someone will be key to helping them maintain good wellbeing.

Altogether Care’s perfect balance was coined to ensure our personal approach embraces physical and emotional needs to deliver just the right balance between independent living and professional care. Enabling you to enjoy life as you want with the assurance of us at your side.

With a complete range of care options available from Altogether Care you can select the right choice for you and as your needs change over time, it is simple to change your care options to suit you. To find out more get in touch on 01305 300 161 or visit our homepage.

An exercise class where nobody drops out!

Posted on 18 January 20176 January 2025 by dukadmin

Residents at Steepleton Manor Care Home started the New Year with a healthy exercise regime that includes a keep fit class with a difference.

‘Parachute class’ involves all participants holding onto a piece of the circular parachute and making waves by moving their arms up and down. Once a mushroom shape is achieved by each person lifting above their head a beach ball is added to incorporate volleyball to the class creating team work. Residents try to pass the ball underneath the raised parachute. Encouraging team work, exercise and interaction between residents and staff.

Rachel Lewis, from Steepleton Manor said, ‘Parachute games provide a good opportunity not only to exercise, but to have a good laugh and enjoy a bit of competition between each other. It’s a popular activity with the residents as well as the staff’.

Steepleton Manor – Highlights of 2016

Posted on 6 January 20176 January 2025 by dukadmin

Residents and staff enjoyed a bumper year of fun activities in 2016.

Here are just a few:

Oscar the therapy dog enjoys a visit to see the residents.

Biscuit the Barn Owl sits happily on the arm of a resident. Woodlands Hatch Wildlife Haven took several birds along in April to mark the Queen’s birthday.

‘Cheers’ to tea and cake. Residents and staff raised money for Macmillan’s Coffee Morning.

Resident John Redhead welcomes a friendly Alpaca from Longthorns Farm, near Wareham.

Resident Mara McGregor with just one of her famous portraits. Mara has painted HRH The Queen along with other members of the Royal family. She also enjoyed a trip to see the Queen again in Dorchester this year.

Happy and scary faces for Halloween.

Art and craft is a favourite at Steepleton Manor.

The Christmas Carol service by candlelight with local vicar, Jean Saddington.

Sarah-Jane with her dog ‘Trousers’, who visited this Christmas to help residents make festive decorations.

Looking forward to more fun and excitement for residents and staff in 2017!

Terry celebrates his 80th

Posted on 4 January 20176 January 2025 by dukadmin

Terry Harknett, a resident at Steepleton Manor Care Home celebrated his 80^th birthday on 14th December.

He marked the occasion with a special white chocolate birthday cake, golden balloon and a party which he shared with his friends and staff at the 29 bedroomed, Grade II listed Victorian manor house in the village of Winterbourne Steepleton, near Dorchester.

Find a home where you can keep being you

Posted on 21 September 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

Whatever our age or standard of health, we never lose the desire to be ourselves and to be respected.

That might involve projecting our personality, doing activities we enjoy, socialising, being treated with dignity, and having choice and control over the way we live.

These fundamental needs don’t suddenly stop because you move into a care home – or if you have special requirements, like dementia or nursing care.

In fact, when certain aspects of our health decline, maintaining what makes you ‘you’ is more important than ever. You might find it more difficult to move around, communicate, express yourself or, perhaps, make sense of certain situations, but that doesn’t mean your desire to do so is reduced.

In these circumstances, your choice of care home is particularly important. That’s because staff require a greater level of training and experience to provide the care, environment and opportunities you need to maintain your individuality.

So how do you find out if a home is right for you or your loved one?

Arguably, the most important aspect to check is how effectively it applies the principles of person-centred care.

Person-centred care is industry-speak for shaping care around your needs, rather than making you fit in with the care.

In practice, it involves providing care that takes into account your qualities, abilities, interests, preferences and circumstances – or learning about them from loved ones.

This is in contrast to a one-size-fits-all approach, like imposing a rigid schedule on someone, because it fits with staff rotas, for instance. After all, the right care for one person, might be unnecessary, or undesirable, to another. It may also change over time, as the individual’s needs change.

It’s vital to find a home that commits to person-centred care, because it gives you a say in your care and your life, as well as helping you maintain habits and preferences you’ve built up over your life.

Plus, an environment where you’re encouraged to project your personality and character also provides benefits to your physical health, not to mention boosting your general well-being, happiness and confidence.

What to consider before moving into a care home?

Posted on 18 July 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

If you think the time has come to move into a care home, choosing the right one is an important and often difficult decision.

But before making that choice, there are often other questions and considerations to take into account. And one of the most common, is whether to get any financial help?

Local authority support

Contrary to what many believe, care homes and in fact, all social care services – aren’t free. That said you may qualify for support from your local authority.

To find out, you first need to apply for a ‘care assessment’, to confirm the level of support your local authority believes you need. If you’re assessed as needing a care home place, you’ll then be means tested to find out if you can afford to pay or contribute towards the cost of your stay.

Means test

The means test looks at your regular income (pensions, benefits or earnings) and other capital (savings and investments, land and property and business assets).

As it stands, if you have capital of over £23,250, you have to pay the full cost of your care home stay. However, if you own your own home and your spouse still lives there, the property isn’t taken into account in the means test. If your capital is between £14,250 and £23,250, you’ll be expected to contribute some of the costs but if it’s below, you qualify for the maximum level of support.

Care home figures

Around 240,000 care home or nursing home residents qualify for financial help.

That’s out of a total of 426,000 elderly and disabled people in residential and nursing care according to a recent market survey by Laing and Buisson. Around 405,000 of them are aged 65 or over, although only 16% of people aged 85 or over in the UK live in care homes.

Interestingly, even though the number of people aged 65 rose 11% between 2001 and 2011, the care home resident population has increased by just 0.3% in that time. One explanation is the general improvement in people’s health as they age which therefore means they do not need to go into a care home as quickly or for as long compared to earlier years.

Choosing the right home

When it comes to making the decision about which home to choose the importance lies with the research that is done beforehand. A mixture of recommendations, reputation, the internet and actually visiting the home is likely to be used. But with 13685 care homes in England as reported by the CQC, it can be difficult knowing where to start.

It’s important to get the perfect balance between professional care and a personal approach. So that you feel at ease with your surroundings & the care workers and that you are getting the care that you need.

This is why Altogether Care are committed to providing the perfect fit care solution to meet your personal needs. Believing that care should always be person-centric, shaped around what is best for you and what you prefer.

If you or a loved one are considering what the best form of care may be for the future, contact Altogether Care who can discuss the range of care solutions available which can be tailored to your needs and requirements. Whether that is care at home, respite, specialist dementia or care homes – our commitment to your care is clear with every option.

To find out more visit the website or contact us directly on 01305 300 161.

Ivy and Riley share special birthday

Posted on 29 June 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

Sherborne House Care Home in Yeovil enjoyed special celebrations on 24^th June when one of their much loved residents celebrated her 101^st birthday.

Ivy Platt, moved to Sherborne House Care Home in February of this year but was born in London. She has a daughter and two grandchildren. Now a widow, she once worked as a secretary and enjoys a glass of sherry and some milk chocolate. Ivy is a keen knitter and still wears cardigans she knitted herself.

On the same day Riley Marshall turned one and enjoyed meeting Ivy at Sherborne House Care Home. Riley’s Dad who works at the care home allowed him to come and join in the celebrations for Ivy’s big day. The two of them immediately hit it off.

Caroline Sharp, Manager at Sherborne House Care Home said, ‘It was a big day for both Ivy and Riley and they both enjoyed having some fun with their families and friends’.

Alpacas visit care home

Posted on 24 June 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

Residents at Weymouth Care Home were treated to a visit from two Alpacas named Ollie and Hurry. The happy pair visited some residents at their bedside and merrily trotted around making new friends.

Weymouth Care Home currently has 33 residents and provides residential care for those with dementia. It is part of Altogether Care, a Dorset and Somerset care provider.

Owl is a hoot at Weymouth Care Home

Posted on 23 June 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

A barn owl proved to be popular at Weymouth Care Home when he dropped in to visit residents. The visit was one of many planned activities at the care home which is owned by Altogether Care.

Manager, Paula Hartley said, ‘We like to organise lots of interesting events and visits for our residents and birds and animals are always very popular. We have an Alpaca coming to visit soon. We’d like to thank The Owl Academy for allowing our residents the pleasure of seeing such a beautiful bird’.

Respite care for you and your carer

Posted on 8 June 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

Respite care is for people who need to stay in a care home temporarily. It might be because you need extra care for a period of time or to give your regular carer a break from their responsibilities.

It’s different from residential or nursing care, which is for people who need a more permanent arrangement, or require more in depth nursing care.

Respite – or replacement care as it’s sometimes known – might be planned or used to help you through a difficult time.

For instance, if you’re recovering from an injury or illness and it’s not safe for you to stay at home, a short stay in a care home might be the answer. You’ll get the specialist, around-the-clock care you need whilst you recover, and can then move back home when you feel ready.

Or if you’ve recently become disabled, you might need temporary support while you adjust to your new lifestyle. It would also provide some time away from your home while special adaptations and aids are fitted.

It can also be an opportunity to experience a home. So that should you need residential care in the future it can help you choose somewhere you feel comfortable, adjust to life in care and get to know the staff.

Caring for someone – whether it’s a family member or loved one – is a big responsibility and can be stressful. So taking a break is important for you and the person caring for. Respite care allows you to go on holiday, catch up on sleep or simply have some time alone with peace of mind that your loved one is being well looked after.

Which home you choose for respite care will depend on the person’s needs. For instance, you may need somewhere that provides specialist nursing or dementia care.

Some residential homes provide places for people who need to stay temporarily, while others are specialist respite facilities. They’re set up to provide a balance between independent living and professional care; offering activities and events to give residents an enjoyable and refreshing break.

If you are considering respite care for a loved one, Altogether Care provide a range of services to cater for individual needs, from care at home services to care homes such as Steepleton Manor. A stay at Steepleton Manor provides an individual with the finest accommodation, alongside professional care and a wealth of activities to ensure it is an enjoyable break.

To find out more about how Altogether Care can help you and your loved one you can visit the website or contact us directly on 01305 300 161.

Yeovil Care Home is a finalist

Posted on 10 May 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

Sherborne House Care Home in Yeovil reached the finals of the Care Awards 2016 which was organised by Care Focus (South West). An awards evening took place on 22^nd April in Taunton with a total of twelve separate awards for those employed in the care sector. Sherborne House employs forty two staff and was short-listed for the Outstanding Care team Award.

Caroline Sharp, Manager at Sherborne House said, ‘Although we didn’t win we were delighted to be nominated and attend the event. My staff always work hard in everything that they do and they are all winners every day’. Sherborne House specialises in Dementia Care and is part of the Altogether Care Group.

Ben McGrail from BBC Somerset hosted the awards evening and presented each category winner with flowers. Guests enjoyed a three course meal and a disco.

For more information please contact Ellie Phillips PR on 07834 752200

Why choose Altogether Care?

Posted on 16 March 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

As they say, you work for the majority of your life and you are at your work more than you are at home. So it is vitally important to do a job that you love and are passionate about for an employer who appreciates what you do for them.

A career in care is hugely satisfying, having the ability to make a positive difference to an individual and their families’ life. Positions in care offer varied work and with everyday being different it gives you the chance to develop your skills and knowledge further. Working so closely with individuals receiving care gives you the opportunity to develop rewarding relationships whilst providing the company many crave.

Altogether Care, are an independent family owned business that has been running for over 30 years. We have strong family values which are embedded within all of our Care Homes and Care at Home services. But what are the advantages of choosing us?

We aim to be the employer of choice; being caring, honest, open, involving, creative and ethical. We recognise that every member of our staff are our biggest asset and are therefore always striving to develop rewards and benefit initiatives to demonstrate this. Our benefits include a Government recognised pension, training and development programme, mileage allowance plus more.

Altogether Care has recently introduced a staff benefit scheme which includes: retail discount vouchers, child care vouchers, discounted holidays and travel insurance, various leisure and restaurant vouchers, a hospital plan and much more.

We are committed to providing the very best in terms of quality care, the same we would want for our own family, ensuring our residents are treated as individuals and with respect and dignity.

If you’d like to find out more on pursuing a career in care with Altogether Care please get in touch.

See what some of our staff have to say about working for us:

Ami (Field Care Supervisor, Care at Home, Bournemouth)

I love my job with Altogether Care because I am able to interact with both carers and clients whilst developing my supervisory skills. Working as a Field Care Supervisor has been a big confidence booster, as I have to communicate with a wide range of people; health and social care professionals, family members and fellow colleagues. I am seen as the ‘face’ of Care at Home (Bournemouth) and I get great job satisfaction dealing successfully with any staff or client queries or concerns.

I particularly enjoy completing the initial assessment with a new client as you really get to know them and their past history – it’s both rewarding and fascinating.

Altogether Care has opened up a lot of opportunities for me. I have completed the Level 5 in Health & Social Care & have attended various training courses to build my portfolio.

Above all, probably the best aspect of my job is that I am not just sitting in an office. I am out there, in the ‘field of care’ ensuring that our carers are delivering a consistently high standard of care to our service users, something which really enhances their comfort and day to day standard of living. It’s a great reason to get up in the morning!

Live-in Care – The modern solution to care

Posted on 22 February 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

It is predicted by a report from Age UK, that there are now 11.4 million people aged 65 or over in the UK, with more people aged 60 and above than there are under the age of 18. With an ageing population there is great importance placed on providing flexible care pathways to cater for individual’s needs where they feel most comfortable.

Age UK predicted last year that around 350,000 people were waiting for a place in either a residential or nursing home. With so many people waiting to receive a place for full time care, we have in turn seen an increase in care at home as a positive alternative. Home care is able to provide a flexible range of assistance dependant on how much or little you may require, tailored to suit your individual needs. This could be providing one-to-one live-in care to enable you to continue living in your home or perhaps popping in to provide companionship and occasional assistance with shopping or domestic tasks. With an arrangement that suits you and your needs, you can continue to enjoy life in your own home.

Spending time with your family and friends and engaging with the wider community is a priority for most people regardless of age and ability, to continue with your hobbies, interests and social activities is crucial in reducing the potential for social isolation and loneliness. A support package focussed not just on what’s important for you but also what is important to you, you can continue to live your life as fully as you’d like knowing that should you need us, we are there.

We understand the importance of providing a person focussed care service and have a range of flexible options available should your care needs change.

Talk to us now about how we can help you remain independent and get the most from life.

Taking a fresh approach

Posted on 2 February 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

As we live longer the question of how we will cope with the challenges of old age is becoming more and more pertinent to an ever increasing number of people in Britain.

Across Dorset and South Somerset, Altogether Care a leading provider of age related care is taking a fresh approach.

Offering a range of residential, nursing centres and community based Care at Home services reaching from Bournemouth to Yeovil, this family run organisation puts emphasis on recognising that as individuals we are all different and there should be no one size fits all approach to care and support.

Altogether Care is able to offer a broad range of outcome based care that is firmly focused and tailored to each person as an individual.

Altogether Care supports and enables individuals to be active participants in their support rather than simply passive recipients of care. For most people maintaining independence is of huge importance and Altogether Care’s flexible care routes are designed to support this.

Offering an integrated care pathway, from regular home visits which are fundamental in reducing social isolation for those who need a relatively low level of support and monitoring, progressing then to live-in care options for those who may be more dependent but very much want to stay at home, to specialist residential, nursing and dementia care for those who may ultimately need a higher level of support. In addition, Altogether Care is a well regarded provider of palliative and end of life care.

Prominent in Altogether Care’s portfolio of services are Sherborne House in Yeovil a specialist dementia and high dependency service, Weymouth Care Home providing residential and nursing services and Steepleton Manor.

Steepleton Manor must be almost unique in so far as this service it is able to offer; residential, nursing and end of life care in the setting of a late Victorian Manor house, in the idyllic Dorset countryside of Thomas Hardy.

Wherever the setting Altogether Care’s commitment is to delivering high quality care based on not only what is important for an individual but also what is important to an individual.

Expert care and support

Posted on 22 January 20166 January 2025 by dukadmin

As you grow older, you may begin to discover you need a little support with the day to day tasks than you did when you were younger; this of course is a natural cycle of life. There may come a time when you would like to receive a more comprehensive level of support and begin to consider the options available; assisted living, residential care and nursing care. When considering what is right for you or someone close to you it is likely that the priorities will be ensuring it is within the location you’d prefer, with the facilities you require, that the staff team are experienced and qualified to provide the support and that it feels like somewhere you could call home.

When you are seeking support in later life, it’s important to find a home that will offer assistance and activities which keep you stimulated and that contributes positively towards a good quality of life. The importance for us is to always provide support that is person focussed, treating you as an individual and shaping the support provided around your care needs and those things which are important to you which make life fun and enjoyable. Altogether care’s residential and nursing home Steepleton Manor is an example of a service which meets both of these priorities admirably.

The Grade 2 listed Victorian manor house, benefits from a well-stocked library, fine food freshly prepared each day, hair dressing salon, kitchen garden, swimming pool and croquet lawn.

The in-house activities co-ordinator facilitates a variety of programmes designed to help you to stay active, alert and engaged. Our team of qualified experienced elder care nurses and support staff can support you with residential, respite and nursing care in a setting that has character and charm located in the heart of Thomas Hardy’s Dorset, worlds away from the feel that so many other services in the care sector offer.

For more details on Steepleton Manor or any of our other care options please contact us today. We welcome visitors and would be really happy for you to come by and meet the team to see the manor for yourself. Over tea and homemade biscuits in the library our experienced and supportive team can explain how the care and support will work for you, they can offer you an assessment of your needs and clearly explain how much the support will cost and the options available for payments.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Balanced, personal and professional

Posted on 21 December 20156 January 2025 by dukadmin

The nature of assistance with later life care has become one of the challenging issues within society; it is crucial for people to properly research all the options available to them.

A recent report from the Alzheimer’s Society found that of the people who did carry out research prior to choosing a support option; 74% of family members would recommend their loved one’s care home and 68% would rate the dementia care provided to their family member as good.

These figures very much reflect our experience of the delivering person centred elder care that enables individuals to maintain independence and enjoy a good quality of life.

It is extremely important to us that we achieve a positive balance between providing the personal, physical and emotional support needed whilst maintaining the highest level of professionalism.We remain a family business which allows us the freedom to continue to focus on the quality, integrity and personal nature of the care and support provided which places the personal wellbeing of our clients at the very heart of our business.

With a wide range of care and support options available you can be assured of the right level of care from either the comfort of your home or the comfort of one of ours. As your care needs change over time we can provide a service that fits around not only what is important for you but also what is important to you.

If you’d like to find out more about how we could help you or someone important to you, please get in touch.

Team Building Success

Posted on 4 August 20136 January 2025 by dukadmin

An afternoon spent enjoying the sunshine in the grounds of one of our most picturesque care homes (possibly the most picturesque in the county), with plenty of food, laughter and friendly competitive games, including a sack race, egg and spoon race, and the slippery slope, rounded off with the traditional casting into the pool of the CEO – what more could anyone want?

Rather wet (but still smiling) our CEO, Stephen Knell, (who incidentally organised the whole thing with the aid of the senior management team) proceeded to hand out awards for long service to all our well deserving staff with the directors, Debbie Reiffer and Edwin Inayat, and then thanked all who attended and helped to set up the afternoon of fun.

Steve would like to extend a special thanks to all our company chefs, who put a lot of their own time into the event, and to the residents of Steepleton manor for “…putting up with us…” and in some cases coming out to join in the fun.

To round of the day Steve reminded everyone to “please remember it’s only a game, and to us you are, ALL of you, winners!”

Congratulations, Laura and Sandra…

Posted on 29 July 20136 January 2025 by dukadmin

The awards were presented at a ceremony organised by Partners in Care in Bournemouth, Dorset & Poole (PiCBDP), and were held on Wednesday 10th July 2013 in Wimborne, by Councillor Malcolm Birr.

Laura and Sandra were accompanied by the Director of Care at Home, Debbie Reiffer, who said; “It was a pleasure to accompany Laura and Sandra at the awards ceremony and to hear such positive and inspiring words from both Partners in Care, and their tutor, May Lan Jefford.

Both Laura and Sandra have embraced the challenges of this course whilst juggling work and home commitments. Having completed the course, they both said that they have found it to be very beneficial in their day-to-day work, and are looking forward to sharing their knowledge and experience with their colleagues, to the benefit of our clients. Well done Laura and Sandra.”

All the photos are now available to download at:

http://www.picbdp.co.uk/events

To save an image, select the image you want to save, right click on the image, click ‘Save Target As…’ and choose the folder where you want to save the picture.

(If you click Save As… by mistake, you will only save the low resolution thumbnail you can see on the screen, and not the full size image.)

New Chief Executive

Posted on 18 November 20126 January 2025 by dukadmin

Altogether Care welcomes Steve Knell as their new Chief Executive. Two newly appointed Directors also join Steve providing a new Senior Management Team at their head office in Weymouth.

Debbie Reiffer has been appointed to Divisional Director (Care at Home) and Edwin Inayat, Divisional Director of Care Homes. Debbie previously worked as a Manager for Care within the home and Edwin was Manager of Cheverels Care Home, near Dorchester.

Steve has worked within the company for thirty years in a variety of roles with his most recent being Head of Management Accounts so he already has vast knowledge of the business, its staff and clients. Current Chairman, Brian Westlake retired as Chief Executive last month but will remain as Chairman. Steve is the son of the founding partners of the business and is looking forward to working within all levels in order to best understand each and every function and aspect of care.

“I have been involved with the Care sector since the opening of Weymouth Care Home in 1988 and previous to this worked within the business from an early age. Therefore, hard work, integrity and all the principles that my parents have used to build such a successful company, have been ingrained in me from an early age. I intend these principles to be the basis of my decision making over the coming years”, said Steve.

Category: News