adult care Archives - Altogether Care

A Career With a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Posted on 8 July 20228 July 2022 by Access Performance

The pandemic changed the way a lot of people work, perhaps permanently. Many found working from home preferable to commuting to and from a fixed place of work.

But was it just the change of setting that made people happier in their work? Research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) suggests that some aspects of homeworking are actually less attractive. In particular, people found it harder to collaborate with colleagues. And there’s no doubt that some people miss the social aspects of the workplace.

The biggest positive according to the ONS data was unquestionably an improved work-life balance. Being home based gave people opportunities to take or collect kids from school and generally enjoy more family time, rather than arrive home late each day after a tiring commute.

Will Work From Home Last?

The future of home working is unclear. Some organisations are already calling staff back into the office full or part time. And in other occupations such as retail there’s no option other than to be present in the workplace for a fixed number of hours.

When people say they’re looking for jobs that allow them to work from home is it that they really want to turn part of their home into a place of work? Or is it just that they want to balance work and life a little more in their favour?

Where Else Can You Find Work-Life Balance?

If the most important goal is to have a better work-life balance there are alternatives. A new job that offers flexibility to blend work and family life more harmoniously might be all you need.

In which case the care sector is an excellent place to start looking. People don’t just need care within normal office hours. So working for Altogether Care usually allows people to choose work patterns that fit best with their home life and commitments. This can take a lot of stress and pressure out of everyday life as it’s easier to fit your work around the things you need and want to do.

If you’d like to find out more about how working in the care sector can improve your work-life balance, contact Altogether Care on 01305 230488 or email careers@altogethercare.co.uk, or check out our current vacancies.

How Would You Know if Your Elderly Relative Needed Care Support?

Posted on 24 June 2019 by dukadmin

Deciding when is the right time to have a conversation about care with an elderly relative can be a sensitive issue. For all of us, our ability levels will decline over time – that’s completely natural. What’s also natural is that many of us will resist any idea that we’re struggling to cope and that we need a bit of help. All of which means that we might miss the signs that our relative has a care need.

Here are a few signs that might indicate that it’s time for a serious talk and possibly a care needs assessment.

Declining Mobility

Mobility levels often drop off slowly so we don’t notice the change. Take a good look at how easy your relative finds it to do routine things like cleaning, shopping and walking. Are they struggling more than they need to?

Hygiene

If somebody takes less care over their appearance than they used to, it might mean that arthritis or some other physical condition makes tasks like laundry or washing themselves difficult or painful. It might also mean that they are getting forgetful, perhaps due to the early stages of dementia.

Missing Meals

Weight loss could be a sign that your relative isn’t able to prepare meals or may be forgetting to have them. Care at home support will help make sure that they maintain a good level of nutrition, which is essential for physical and mental wellbeing.

Changing Behaviour

Warning signs are when people become withdrawn, uncommunicative, angry, forgetful, confused or paranoid. These could indicate deteriorating mental health.

Medication Management

Confusion over what medication is a strong signal that care support may be necessary. Clearly, it’s important that prescribed medications are taken according to the instructions.

Financial Management

Financial problems and unpaid bills can be highly stressful in themselves. They can also be signs of failing memory and indicators of underlying mental health issues.

Injuries

Bruises, burns and other injuries can be some of the clearest signs that there are care issues that need to be looked at. It might be problems with balance, difficulty with cooking, memory loss or declining physical ability.

If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to remember that care isn’t about taking away independence. It’s about providing targeted support to help people stay safe and enjoy life as fully as possible.

Websites such as Age UK have plenty of useful information about different care options, costs and financial support. You can also contact the team at Altogether Care who will be happy to talk through the options available.

What Could the Care Home of the Future Look Like?

Posted on 19 June 2019 by dukadmin

As the population continues to age there’s little doubt that, in future, more people will need or opt for residential care. Meanwhile, the amount of public funding available to pay for care seems unlikely to grow in real terms. Alongside all of this we have the continued development of new technologies designed to save effort and improve productivity.

Many have speculated on what these trends mean for the care home of the future. The only thing we can say for certain is that whatever is being predicted, the reality will probably prove to be rather different.

Will care home residents really be patting robotic pets while robotic helpers clean their rooms, serve their meals and dispense their medication? Surely the value of technology and innovation is in supporting, rather than replacing the human elements of care.

Here are a few of the technological advances that we see playing a role in the care home of the future.

Assistive Technology

Various types of assistive technology are being developed that could improve safety, wellbeing and quality of life for people who need care. Ambient monitoring systems have the capacity to monitor movement, temperature, falls and spills and other data that indicate health and activity levels. This can all provide useful data to complement observations by care staff to ensure that everyone gets the most appropriate care and can live as independently as possible.

What is unquestionable is that people are becoming more focused on the quality of care and the opportunities offered to live fuller and more active lives.

Robotics

It also seems likely that robotic aids of various kinds could help people enjoy greater freedom of movement and maintain more of their physical capabilities. Similarly, augmented reality is proving its worth in providing immersive reminiscence experiences for people with dementia. And robotic pets can indeed help dementia sufferers cope with the stress their condition can cause. We have recently introduced an electronic interactive cat at Sherborne House. The cat demands attention, but this is in no short supply, the interaction and care from residents has been surprising for us and beneficial for residents.

Mobile Technology

Where technology is already helping is in the organisation, delivery and monitoring of care tasks. Within our care homes and or care at home service we are already using mobile technology that is helping to eliminate paperwork and manual effort from many aspects of what we do. Everything from patient care, to medication, incident reporting and food safety can be streamlined and better organised through technology.

A good care home of the future may look different from a care home of today. It will use different technologies. But what won’t change is the personal relationships and interactions that good care has always and will always depend on. To arrange a visit to one of our care homes to find out more information, contact us today on 01305 300161.

A New Home, Not a Care Home

Posted on 12 March 2019 by dukadmin

People have different ideas of what life in a care home is like. Some fear a loss of independence and having their individuality hidden in a corporate style institution. But is this what care home residents really experience?

Concerns possibly arise because of the way that many care homes are owned and operated. As The Guardian recently reported many care homes are in the hands of large companies that operate tens or hundreds of homes. These corporations are often owned by financial institutions that took on substantial levels of debt to buy into the market.

However, alongside the large corporate players, there are still many smaller care home businesses. These are often run as family businesses or charities. Altogether Care is a good example. We are family-owned and operate three care homes alongside our home care services.

Luxury Residential Care

Steepleton Manor is one of our homes and could be described as a luxury residential home. It’s as far removed as you could get from any image of a faceless corporate institution. The setting is idyllic – a former country house nestling in beautifully landscaped grounds. And while the home is large enough to have all the care and social facilities you could ever want, it’s also small enough for everyone to know everyone else and for each resident to feel like an individual.

Independence is encouraged and supported. Residents can grow their own food in our kitchen garden and some even choose to cook for themselves in the Manor.

When residents come to Steepleton Manor we like to think of it as moving to a new home, rather than moving into residential care. The care you need is available, but the focus is on continuing a fulfilling and enjoyable life. Being smaller means that we know all of our residents as individuals and they know us too. This means we can work together so that everyone enjoys the best standards of care alongside the best possible quality of life. If you’d like to see what this looks like in reality we’d be happy to show you around Steepleton Manor and our other care homes.

Tag: adult care

What Could the Care Home of the Future Look Like?

A New Home, Not a Care Home

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