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The staff at Steepleton Manor Care Home were getting into the festive mood just before Christmas by wearing Christmas jumpers to raise money for charity. The selected charity was Dorchester-based People First.

This charity is centred around people with learning disabilities, supporting each other to speak up and lead change. People First believe that everyone has a right to independence, choice, safety, good health, friendships, relationships and transport. They run projects and work alongside people with learning disabilities to achieve good lives for all. They also produce information and training to help organisations work more effectively with people with learning disabilities.

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – our service will be running as normal throughout the festive season!

If you need to speak to someone throughout the Christmas period, please head to our contact page for all the information you’ll need: http://altogethercare.co.uk/contact-us/

Thank you for all your support
throughout 2016!

Nutrition is important in any stage of life. We are encouraged from an early age to eat a varied diet in order to ‘grow big and strong’. But as we get older and our bodies begin changing again, re-evaluating how nutrition affects us is important – good nutrition makes a difference to our health, appearance and our overall mental wellbeing.

Clearly older adults have different nutritional needs and will have different struggles when it comes to their relationships with food.  As we age we may experience perceptual changes such as the loss or a lower impact of smell and taste – this can have a huge impact on our relationship with foods, our appetite and eventually our nutrition.

We may also experience bodily functional changes such as the loss of teeth, how our bodies react with food or becoming newly allergic to certain food – these changes can be embarrassing when eating in a social environment and may encourage some older adults to eat less or avoid meal times all together.

Circumstantial changes such as financial concerns, loss of a partner or personal safety concerns may also be experienced by some of us – and for those affected by this it can hit them worse with the stress affecting their appetite, interest in food and ultimately the amount of nutritious food that is consumed.

Age UK predict that over 1 million people over the age of 65 are either malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. For those receiving care, a person centred approach to help tackle this becomes key. Understanding an individual’s relationships and potential struggles with different food gives you the ability to craft a diet that can provide nutrition without causing potential difficulties.

This understanding, attention to detail and individual driven approach is what will really make the most impact on an older adult receiving care. To cater for individuals, promoting healthy wellbeing that suits their needs should be at the top of any care settings agenda.

Staff at Sherborne House Care Home in Yeovil raised almost £80 for The Alzheimer’s Society by dressing up as Christmas Elves for the day, on Thursday 8^th December.

Caroline Sharp, Manager at Sherborne House said, ‘We are all in the Christmas spirit and our festive fun has raised £79.40 with donations still coming in. The residents and staff had a great time’.

Sherborne House is soon to expand its facilities and currently has 24 residents. The home provides residential care for local people with dementia.

Weymouth Care Home resident Gwen Lloyd-worth celebrated a very special birthday on 28^th November, reaching the impressive age of 102 years old.

Gwen, who has a daughter and a son, three grandchildren and five great grandchildren lived in Weymouth and in the past worked within the family business running skating at The Sidney Hall in Weymouth. Sadly her husband Stuart passed away several years ago.

Gwen puts her longevity down to healthy eating and at one time grew and ate her own fruit and vegetables and fresh herbs. She has enjoyed eating salad for lunch for many years and adored travelling, including a trip to Australia and a holiday via the Channel Tunnel. A keen dog lover, Gwen once bred Yorkshire Terriers whilst living in Yorkshire.

Born in Southampton in 1914, Gwen later moved to Weymouth where she spent the majority of her life with her family.  As a hobby, Gwen often enjoyed flower arranging and was a member of various local flower clubs.

She moved to Weymouth Care Home three years ago and now enjoys a wide variety of social activities with the other residents and staff.

Gwen’s daughter, Babs Masters said, ‘Mum has always enjoyed leading a healthy lifestyle eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. She also has a great sense of humour.  We are delighted that she continues to lead a fulfilling life at Weymouth Care Home. She really enjoyed her party and we are grateful to staff for making her day so special’.

Residents at Sherborne House Care Home in Yeovil, showed their support for Children in Need by participating in a fun-filled, adventurous eating challenge. All the residents involved enjoyed a wide variety of dishes from around the world.

The residents tasted nine different international dishes and enjoyed bobbing along to music by staff member, Tasha King.

Caroline Sharp, Manager at Sherborne House said, “We always like to find new ways of raising funds for charity and it’s important that residents get the most from each of these activities. Food is always popular and it’s been interesting for everyone to try new dishes that are not normally served on our menu.”

Sherborne House currently has 24 residents and will soon celebrate completion of an additional nine bedrooms to provide residential and nursing care for local people with dementia.

It has been said many times that Dementia is one of the most heart breaking diseases for a person and their family to go through.  The disease is progressive meaning that that the structure and chemistry of the brain become increasingly damaged over time. So a person’s ability to remember, understand, communicate and reason gradually declines. Which means in many cases you lose the person you knew long before you actually lose the person you love.

The statistics that surround Dementia are both staggering and frightful, it is estimated that there are around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. And sadly although many charities are working hard to find preventions, prolonging medications and cures – we simply aren’t there yet.

But this does not mean a person should be defined by the disease they are suffering, individual’s progress at different speeds, and should be treated exactly like that, as individuals. At the stage when more regular or more involved care is required there are many considerations needed to choosing the right care home to ensure a smooth move. Dementia sufferers can become confused more easily and when they are confused this can lead to anxiety or outbursts of unintentional aggression.  So communication, reassurance and person-centred care throughout the whole process is key.

At Altogether Care we see the person first not the illness.

Our Sherborne House has been furnished and decorated with dementia in mind, incorporating sensory touches and memory triggers that research has shown really benefits the cognitive process. Person-centred care is principle in our philosophy, believing that those living with Dementia who are well supported by a professional team giving them their time and energy are more likely to lead fulfilling lives for longer. Clinical care is supported with a healthy diet, using fresh ingredients and menus to suit all tastes and requirements and at times we will also call upon various alternative therapies such as; physiotherapy, reflexology Reiki and aroma-therapy to complement clients care needs.

To find out more on how Sherborne House could help you or your loved one visit our website or contact us directly on 01305 300 161/contact@altogethercare.co.uk.

Mara McGregor, a resident at Steepleton Manor Care Home took a trip to see the Queen in Dorchester yesterday which bought back special memories as Mara was once a familiar face within the Royal household.

Mara, 89, has been privileged to paint three portraits of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and two of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, as well as HRH Princess Anne and other members of the Royal family.

One of her pictures, a full size portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was commissioned to hang in the Houses of Parliament in Sydney.

Mara McGregor was born in Malaysia in 1927, the only daughter of a rubber planter, and moved to South Africa when she was three, where she grew up under the influence of her father’s commercial art studios. Mara excelled at Art while at school but never thought of making it a career as she was interested in acting and singing. She later moved to East Africa to join her parents and while there, she met her husband Alan, an ex-Battle of Britain pilot. They came to England in 1950 and Alan re-joined the RAF in 1952. Sadly, Alan passed away in 1997.

Trying to establish herself as an artist was not an easy task being a serving Officer’s wife as she was continually on the move. However, when stationed in Scotland, she painted a picture of Kenneth McKellar which was displayed in a House of Fraser store. As a result of this, Mara was asked to paint two grand-daughters of Lady Fraser of Allander and she was so delighted with them that it resulted in an introduction to Harrods who held a large exhibition for her from which several commissions resulted.

She was then commissioned to paint Black Rod for RAF Cranwell which led to her being commissioned to paint her first Royal portrait of HRH the Prince of Wales in 1970 while he was a student at the RAF College.  Her portrait of the Queen Mother took place in 1981. Her last royal portrait took place in 1997, which was of the Duchess of Kent.

Mara has lived at Steepleton Manor Care home for the last four years and has two daughters and a son. She lived in Hampshire for a large part of her life before coming to Dorset.

She has also painted various equine portraits including one of the 1981 Grand National winner ‘Aldaniti’ which she donated to an auction in aid of The Bob Champion Cancer Charity.  In 2004 Mara visited Kenya and produced two paintings, one of a cheetah with her cub and one of a lion cub.

Rachel Lewis from Steepleton Manor said, ‘Mara is a wonderful lady with a remarkable talent which has led her to meet many members of the Royal family. She was so happy to see the Queen visiting Dorchester yesterday even though she did not get chance to speak to her. All of her portraits are amazing’.

Residents at Sherborne House Care Home in Yeovil celebrated Hallows’ Eve on 31st October, by carving pumpkins into a range scary faces and spooky creatures. All the pumpkins looked fantastic lit up outside the home, getting everyone in the mood for autumn.

Caroline Sharp, Manager at Sherborne House said, ‘Our residents love to celebrate each special event of the year by taking part in activities including art and craft. They have made a grand job of their pumpkin carving’.

Sherborne House specialises in Dementia care and is currently home to 25 residents. It is owned
by Altogether Care.

It is always interesting reflecting on trend reports from earlier in the year. We recently came across an assisted living trend report put together at the start of 2016 by The Senior List. It’s interesting to see that although the nine predicted trends have not necessary taken over the industry you can begin to see changes happening towards some of these trends.

The most obvious advances in this industry and many others is the impact of technology on our lives. As listed in these trend predictions – the increase in using memory care therapy and technology automation in both care homes and elderly peoples own homes have been seen this year and will no doubt continue to be seen in the coming years.

Technology

Ever evolving and developing technology is allowing the older generations to stay at home independently with more ease and safety, for longer than ever before. With the introduction of technology such as the internet of things, older people are able to easily manage everything from re-stocking the fridge without leaving the house to health monitoring with wearable technology that can be monitored by family/friends or health professionals.

For those who are unfortunately no longer able to be independent due to deteriorating health conditions, technology is increasingly becoming a comforting therapy or even friend that can be available to them. In some cases it is simply the ability to Skype family/friends using a device to beat loneliness and encourage interaction. But increasingly the industry is developing new technologies to comfort health deterioration to improve mood and restore personality – especially for patients with Dementia.

New developments in therapy style technology are happening all the time – the industry and healthcare providers are increasing understanding the results of using this form of therapy and how this can help people suffering with this complex disease. Reminiscence therapy has been seen to improve mood, cognitive ability and wellbeing to those who are suffering from Dementia. This therapy is often in the form of digital life story books or memory boxes which include images, videos and music from their life. There is research going into this area all the time with recent research by Leeds Beckett University released showing that recording regular audio diaries can boost the confidence of people with dementia and help to reduce stigma.

With the most recent trend showing the divergence between need and resource, technology could also be the future to bridging that gap.

The future

This really is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the technical ability that can be brought to our lives. What will the future bring? Assisted living may well become the norm for ageing generations.  And devastating diseases such as Dementia could be softened or even progression slowed down thanks to therapy developments. Ageing is inevitable but if we can implement technologies to make it more comfortable that has got to be a positive for the future.

Weymouth singer Chloe May struck a special note with care home residents recently when she sang a variety of well-known songs by artists such as Vera Lyn and Patsy Cline. Twenty five year old Chloe visited Weymouth Care Home in August to entertain the 35 residents.

Paula Hartley, Manager at Weymouth Care Home said, ‘Our residents enjoy a good sing-a-along and Chloe has a wonderful voice. She was able to sing songs that they remembered and enjoyed. It was great fun to see them all having such a good time’.

Chloe May understands the benefits of activity for older people as she has recently started training as an occupational therapist herself at Bournemouth University.

Chloe said, ‘I have just finished a dementia placement so I realise how important occupation is to older people. Regular therapy is a tonic for everyone and I feel privileged to be able to entertain such a lovely group of people’.

Chloe started singing professionally at the age of sixteen and works in and around Weymouth singing to small and large audiences. Her love of musical theatre was responsible for her wanting to sing. She hopes to sing at more care homes in the future and can be contacted on 07515 283196.

Weymouth Care Home has already booked Chloe for another event in the near future.

Residents at Weymouth Care Home opened its doors to a selection of creepy crawlies this month when Bugfest dropped in with a variety of creatures. From the small exotic bugs to an impressively large snake, the residents were able to get up close and learn all about the amazing animals. Bugfest, who are based in Dorset, provide educational visits for schools and care homes.

Paula Hartley, Manager at Weymouth Care Home said,

‘Our residents were very excited about our visitors, and I have to say, much braver than I was! Although they seemed a little nervous at first, they were soon put at ease by the handlers and it made a change seeing something that we all normally shy away from’.

Weymouth Care Home is owned by Altogether Care, a Dorset based care provider that encourages their residents to live life to the full.

  

If you’re choosing a care home for yourself or a loved one, your top priority will probably be finding somewhere which provides high-quality care.

But it’s also important to consider the activities that homes offer.

The physical benefits of staying active are obvious. But as you get older, being able to take part in activities and maintain interests can also help you retain independence, mental well-being and self-esteem.

Care home activities

An activity is anything that helps stimulate your body or mind. And as we’ve mentioned, many have a physical aspect, like ball games, walking or exercise classes.

But clearly, certain physical activities will not suit everyone. As we get older, eye sight and hearing can diminish, while conditions such as arthritis can also limit your movement.

If that’s the case, it’s important to choose somewhere which offers other ways to stay active – in the broader sense of the word. This might include sensory activities or mental stimulation, like a daily crossword, music, aromatherapy, arts, crafts, puzzles or even listening to a regular radio programmes.

It also makes sense to find out if a home organises trips and excursions because having a regular change of scenery provides variety and breaks up routine.

The benefits of activities

Staying physically active helps you feel more energetic and so provides a greater sense of well-being.

It helps strengthen bones and muscles – reducing the risk of falls & fractures and helps to maintain a healthy weight. Being active is also effective in managing high blood pressure and stimulating a poor appetite.

But it goes beyond physical fitness.

Being able to maintain activity helps boost your self-esteem and confidence as well as making you feel happier and more satisfied in your life.

Moving into a care home can be a frightening and intimidating experience – and it can be easy to become withdrawn. But by choosing somewhere which provides a broad range of activities you’ll be able to make new friends, as well as maintain the interests and hobbies you’ve enjoyed throughout your life.

And even though you’re moving into a residential home, it doesn’t mean you should be wholly reliant on others. Taking part in events and activities you enjoy means you have more choice in how your days are structured and maintain control of your life.

So when considering and looking around at your options of care homes, make sure to check out the activities that are available. If you’d like to find out more on the activities that we provide in our care homes please get in touch: altogethercare.co.uk & 01305 300 161.

Residents at Weymouth Care took part in a lively Zumba class this month to help improve their fitness and wellbeing. Everyone in the home was encouraged to get involved, enjoy the upbeat music and appropriate exercises, which included moving beautifully coloured ribbons around in their chairs.

Paula Hartley, from Weymouth Care Home said, ‘Our residents enjoyed ‘Chair Zumba’ which is a more realistic version for older people. It’s still energetic and lots of fun so it creates lots of laughter which can
be a health tonic in itself.  Any kind of fitness is a good thing and they all had a great time’.

Weymouth Care Home currently has 30 residents and is part of Altogether Care, a Dorset and Somerset care provider.

To celebrate Care Home Open Day, Sherborne House had a garden party on Wednesday 15^th June. Unfortunately due to weather it became a lounge party instead but it was enjoyed by all who attended.

We proudly raised £190.45 altogether throughout the afternoon. The residents enjoyed many activities which included, guess the weight of the cake (made and decorated by our chef Julie and residents), match the baby picture of the staff member and forget me not badges on sale in the name of the Alzheimer’s Society.