Tag: care home

Employees of the Month – October

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We are delighted to reveal October’s Employees of the Month for our care homes. Each month, care home managers at Sherborne House, Steepleton Manor and Weymouth Care Home will hand pick team members who demonstrate a passion for their role and go above and beyond to provide excellent standard of care and support to residents.

Our Employees of the Month for October are:

Steepleton Manor

Richard Sowden

Richard is Steepleton Manor’s Employee of the Month and was nominated for his hard work and dedication to going above and beyond to help all his colleagues. Richard always ensures that residents are happy and he always has a cheerful attitude, with a great work ethic and high standards.

Sherborne House

Sacha Kingshott

Employee of the Month for Sherborne House is Sacha who has been nominated as she works amazingly at the home, always taking time to catch up with the residents and plan activities when she has an idea- all while completing her Level 2!

Weymouth Care Home 

Maggie

Maggie is Weymouth Care Home’s Employee of the Month. Maggie works very hard as a kitchen assistant and is always very kind and caring to the residents and staff.

Many congratulations to all of our Employees of the Month!

Halloween art class

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Residents at Weymouth Care Home have decorated their surroundings spooky-style this Halloween and created some autumnal art work to celebrate the season.

Using a variety of art tools, pictures included pumpkins, leaves and Halloween greetings.

Photos:

  1. Joyce King creating posters
  2. Jean Murray and her pumpkin picture
  3. Sarah and David during art class
  4. ‘Leaves’ by Margaret White

10 Year Success Story

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A special awards evening took placed on 22nd September at The Labour Club in Yeovil for staff at Sherborne House, who have achieved ten years’ service with Altogether Care.

Sixteen members of staff attended along with their families and enjoyed food, drinks and lots of dancing. The party was enjoyed by everyone and special Congratulations are given to the following staff for their dedication throughout the last 10-years: Caroline Sharp, Saji George, Wei Ji Gao, Vesela Stoycheva, Li Li Su and Elna Nioda.

Congratulations to you all!

Activities galore at Weymouth Care Home

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Residents at Weymouth Care Home have been enjoying a wide spectrum of activities this month including ‘Chair Zumba’, songs from the accordion and live piano music.

Becky Wells visits every fortnight to take a Zumba class with a difference.  Louise Dukes visits monthly and in addition to being an excellent accordion player, sings a variety of well-known songs.

Mark ‘the piano man’, also a monthly vistor, is very popular with both residents and staff frequently telling a few classic jokes to add humour to the occasion. Joy can be seen having a dance to one of his catchy tunes.

Chloe May at Weymouth Care Home

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Local singer Chloe May visited residents at Weymouth Care Home once again to sing, dance and play a variety of songs which encourage everyone to join in and sing along to their favourite tunes.

Chloe is a regular at the home and is familiar with artists such as Vera Lynn and Elvis Presley.

The residents enjoyed Chloe’s performance and look forward to her visiting again soon.

Paint Pals at Steepleton Manor

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Residents at Steepleton Manor have started their own ‘paint pals’ class which takes place each week in partnership with Portesham CEVA Primary School.

Pupils and residents send pictures that they have created, and share comments of how each weeks’ pictures make them feel. The pictures create a variety of emotions, with residents getting to choose their favourites from all the different pictures the primary school pupils create.

Seven Pups Steal Hearts at Care Home

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Seven eight week old Terrier Cross Puppies have stolen the hearts of residents at Sherborne House Care Home in Yeovil.  Amy Trowbridge-smith, who works at the care home owns the seven puppies and was having difficulty deciding on names so she took them to meet the residents who suggested suitable names for them after a play session with the three boys and four girls.

Treacle, Sky, Bella, Marley, Patch Nunock and Magic have all found loving homes and enjoyed their visit to meet the residents for a play session.

The puppies were an ideal tonic for the residents who always enjoy meeting animals, birds and any other friendly guests that visit.

Employees of the Month – September

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We are delighted to share September’s Employees of the Month for our care homes. Each month, care home managers at Sherborne House, Steepleton Manor and Weymouth Care Home will hand pick team members who demonstrate a passion for their role and go above and beyond to provide excellent standard of care and support to residents.

Our Employees of the Month for September are:

Steepleton Manor

Kate Mauger

Kate is Steepleton Manor’s Employee of the Month. Kate has worked hard throughout the month and everyone at the home can always depend on her. Kate is an efficient, punctual staff member who has great attention to detail and always has time in her day to chat to the residents.

Sherborne House

Natasha Curr

Natasha has been nominated as Sherborne House’s Employee of the Month. Natasha always has a smile on her face, and nothing is ever a bother.  Our residents have nothing but praise for how amazing she is.

Weymouth Care Home 

Jackie

Employee of the Month for Weymouth Care Home, Jackie has managed exceptionally well in the absence of her colleague. Jackie keeps the home’s domestic team organised and Weymouth Care Home clean and tidy.

Congratulations to all of our Employees of the Month!

Floral Tributes brighten lives of residents

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Staff and residents would like to thank the families of the late Mrs Yeatman and Mr Sewell for the beautiful flowers which were kindly donated to the care home.

Both Mrs Yeatman and Mr Sewell will be much missed and remembered by all who knew them at Steepleton Manor.  Their families wanted their floral tributes to remain at the care home to add some colour and cheer for residents, staff and visitors to the care home.

Puppy Love at Sherborne House

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Residents at Sherborne House fell in love with a cute and friendly puppy who belongs to one of the staff members when he visited recently.

One of a litter of seven, the little Jack Russell Terrier cross pup was an ideal lap companion for both residents and staff.  It was smiles all round thanks to the tiny bundle of fur!

Why Care at Home Deserves Appreciation and Nurturing

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Home care services seem to be continuously in the news. Mostly the coverage focuses on the struggle the sector is having to secure a sustainable future. But away from the headlines it’s clear that there is a continuing and growing need for home care services.

Some care homes are closing, social care budgets are tightening, and some service users are choosing to spend personal care budgets to help them continue living in their own homes. All of these factors, alongside the target to speed up the transfer of care from hospitals to care services, drive an increasing need for care at home.

It isn’t just the ageing population and the projected growth of conditions like Alzheimer’s that affect people’s ability to live completely independently. Many other people find that they need help to live independently in their own homes either in the form of care visits or live in care.

Care at home delivers vital support to people with mental health issues, physical disabilities and learning difficulties. The range of support offered is far wider than many people imagine, spanning everything from temporary re-ablement care for people recovering from serious medical conditions, to long term high dependency care.

The scope of the service is extremely broad and could include practical support to live independently as part of a community, help with personal care, dementia care and end of life care.

Care at home plays a vital role, not just in the context of social care but within the social fabric of the country. And it could do much more given the right support and funding. It’s time that role was more widely recognised and appreciated.

In some circumstances, home care can be more cost effective and better for the emotional wellbeing of service users than residential care, particularly when they are part of a supportive community of carers and neighbours. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where care at home doesn’t play an increasingly significant role in supporting people with additional needs at any stage of life.

It isn’t the best option for everyone but we believe strongly that it should be the needs and circumstances of each individual that determines the care they receive, rather than what is available or less expensive.

If you are currently considering the care options for your loved one and would like to discuss what would best suit their needs, contact Altogether Care. Our diverse range of care options can be tailor made to suit your individual needs, from care at home and live-in care to high end residential homes and specialist dementia care homes. Our experienced and caring team are here to help you, call 01305 300 161 or visit our website for more information.

Employees of the Month – August

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We are delighted to share August’s Employees of the Month for our care homes. Each month, care home managers at Sherborne House, Steepleton Manor and Weymouth Care Home will hand pick team members who demonstrate a passion for their role and go above and beyond to provide excellent standard of care and support to residents.

Our Employees of the Month for August are:

Steepleton Manor

Adriana Banceanu – Senior Register Nurse

Adriana has been nominated as Steepleton Manor’s Employee of the Month for her determination, hard work, and effectiveness. She never hesitates to take on any challenge or difficult task, and always maintains a very positive and friendly attitude towards all.

Sherborne House

Adam Plunkett – 2nd Chef

Adam has worked for Altogether Care for the past 3 years, and was originally employed as a kitchen Assistant. Recently promoted to 2nd Chef, Adam is this month’s Employee of the Month for Sherborne House. Adam produces a high standard of cooking for all the residents, taking into account their likes and dislikes.

When Sherborne House’s head chef was away on annual leave, Adam coped exceptionally well. He was present on the day environmental health conducted their yearly unannounced inspection and helped ensure that Sherborne House maintains their 5 star hygiene rating.

Weymouth Care Home

Poppy Macnair – Kitchen Assistant

Poppy is the Employee of the Month for Weymouth Care Home. Poppy always has a radiant smile and always goes above and beyond to help all of her colleagues. Residents enjoy her lovely manner when she spends any spare time chatting with them or making drinks. She is a genuine asset to the team at Weymouth Care Home.

100 Years Happy!

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Steepleton Manor resident Daphne Morrison celebrated being 100 years old on 7th May and enjoyed a special party alongside family and friends.

Born on 7th May 1917 in Guernsey she later moved to London to work as a school teacher. Daphne has two sons and a daughter and a number of grandchildren.  Her love of books continues to this day and she reads on average around 25 books a month. Her favourite being thrillers.

Around 40 people attended Daphne’s party complete with a live jazz band and buffet. In addition to having a special cake, flowers and lots of cards she received a telegram from Her Majesty, The Queen.

Photo: Daphne Morrison (centre) with Brian Westlake (right), Lazlo Bartus (left) and Peter (Daphne’s Son), centre back.

Happy Birthday to West Moors

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Care at Home’s West Moors Office marked their first birthday this month.

Celebrations took place last week with tea and cake to mark the occasion.

Clients came to join the office staff for the celebrations and everyone enjoyed a chat over a cup of tea and some delicious home-made cake! Here’s to many more birthday celebrations to come.

 

Why Sherborne House?

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Making the decision to put your loved one into a care home is never going to be easy. There are many things to consider and weigh up before you can even begin looking at potential care homes. How much will it cost, how will we fund it, what care do they require, where is best to be located – and the list goes on. So what makes a care home individual and well catered for your loved one? This is likely to depend on your and their priorities, but having well trained caring staff, located in a homely well equipped environment, with a range of stimulating and life enriching experiences to enjoy – might begin to look like an option for consideration.

Sherborne House was created with residents in mind. Specialising in Dementia with a newly opened dedicated nursing care wing, the home is furnished and decorated for you to feel at home and at ease, but also with Dementia in mind, sensory touches and memory triggers have been incorporated that research has shown really benefits the cognitive process. Sherborne House is uniquely set-up to provide the highest standard of physical, emotional and mental care available with a sensitive and supporting approach – never patronising, but always encouraging.

Keeping your loved one stimulated and continuing to provide life enriching experiences are also a priority for Sherborne House.  A daily activities programme is designed around our residents, with opportunities to get to know other residents better, activities include mental and physical stimulation – and a change of scenery with seaside trips and visits to places of local interest. Where required, we also call upon various alternative therapies such as; physiotherapy, reflexology Reiki and aromatherapy to complement residents care needs.

At the start of May we opened our new nursing wing at Sherborne House, this features spacious living areas and access to landscaped gardens to enhance resident’s facilities inside and outside.  We are accepting new residents for this wing now.  So why not come and visit us to take a look for yourselves at the facilities Sherborne House has to offer? To arrange a visit please contact us on 01935 423210.

We understand how difficult it can be to organise financing your loved ones care, so to make the process easier we have put together some guidance outlining the current Government arrangements for the assessment process and funding towards care home fees, you can take a look at this guidance here. To find out more about Sherborne House or our other selection of care options please visit our website.

Seaside Trip is a breath of fresh air

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Getting out and about is essential to a person’s wellbeing and ensures that individuals can still enjoy life outside of a care home.

Residents at Steepleton Manor regularly hop on the bus to enjoy twice weekly trips to nearby attractions including Weymouth, West Bay, Castle Cove, Abbotsbury, Portland and the beautiful Dorset surroundings.

A picnic box and flask are essential companions and residents enjoy singing favourite songs on the way, which certainly brings a smile to everyone’s face!

Photo: Joyce Webb and Emily Burr

 

 

Marion turns 97

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Celebrations took place at Sherborne House last week when resident Marion Percy celebrated her 97th birthday on the 2nd May.

Marion received a special cake- and a visit from an ice cream van!

Marion enjoyed celebrating with her friends at Sherborne House who were delighted to be part of her special day.

Fred is an unsung hero

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Fred Snelling, 96 from Yeovil had a double celebration recently when he scooped a special award at the Care Focus (South West) Awards and also raised a glass to his 75th Wedding Anniversary with wife, Connie, 97, who is a resident at Sherborne House Care Home.

Fred won ‘Unsung Hero’ award at a glittering ceremony that took place in Taunton on Friday 6th April. The awards are open to all individuals involved in care, support, health and housing either employed or voluntary.

Staff at Sherborne House nominated Fred, who visits his wife Connie every day and insists on supporting the team of care staff in various ways including making cups of tea and spending time talking to both staff and residents.

Caroline Sharp, Manager at Sherborne House said, ‘Fred is amazing and enjoys being part of our family here at Sherborne House. He brings a smile to our faces every day
when he visits. Whilst the care awards generally recognises excellent care that staff provides, it has a special category
for somebody that makes a positive difference to everybody and Fred is definitely that person’!

Planning for the future

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As we age, we understand that our needs are going to change and our circumstances will change with this but when it comes to that time, the emotional impact of all these changes can hugely affect our outlook, personality and health. Many individuals will experience the downsizing of space and boxes – after living in a good sized family home, which is then reduced to a small bungalow or flat and then downsized again to fit within a room in a care home. This can be difficult to deal with; changing your environment, in some cases sharing your environment for the first time and accepting that you now need assistance.

So when it comes to choosing the right care home or nursing home it is likely to be a very difficult decision.

What to consider when choosing a care home?

There are many things to consider, ask and check when looking into care homes. Everybody will have different priorities, but some considerations are likely to include:

• The type of care required for your loved one, can it be provided at this care home?
• The cost of the care home?
• Does the home offer stimulating activities and common living areas for social interaction?
• Can all your food and dietary requirements be met?
• Is there enough room to make the space your own, with possessions?
• Do you have easy access to services, such as GP’s, hairdressers, opticians etc?

How can the transition to a care home be eased?

Having a mixture of homely private space, spacious shared environments and the escape of outside facilities will provide the options of finding a space that suits an individual best – making this transition easier. Some will be excited by the prospect of sharing environments with others and having new company, others will find this initially overwhelming, craving private space instead.

Staff within any home should encourage all residents to continue living and enjoying life in their new home, whether that is keeping up a hobby, socialising with other residents, or keeping active with a range of activities and events. The more ‘normal’ the home can feel, the easier the transition is, leading to more relaxed residents.

The person-centred approach

At Altogether Care we see the person first not the age. We call it ‘person-centered care’. Our range of care options are based around best fitting your needs, to encourage you to continue living the life you love, just with the assistance you now need.

With this in mind, we have recently completed a major refurbishment and extension to Sherborne House. This brand new extension wing offers nursing care alongside the current Dementia care that we already offer at Sherborne House. This home features spacious living areas and access to landscaped gardens to enhance resident’s facilities inside and out.  To find out more about Sherborne House visit our website, or for more information on how to reserve a room within the new wing opening on May 1st contact us on 01935 423210.

Mad Hatters!

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Residents and staff at Steepleton Manor Care Home enjoyed a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and spent an afternoon making and decorating hats using cardboard templates, with feathers, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, ribbons, paint, stickers, jewels and buttons.

Home-made jam tarts went down well and residents helped staff decorate the hall with large tissue paper pom-poms, balloons, bunting and posters the residents had coloured, as well as some quotes from Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

A table was also decorated in a suitable style for a ‘Mad Hatter’s type of tea party – with a chess board in the middle of the table, daffodils, pinwheels, a white rabbit and an array of teapots and cups and saucers.
For the tea party, everyone enjoyed being entertained with some card tricks by one of the residents, Peter Bentley, and had a go at ‘pin the grin on the Cheshire Cat’. Special name labels with ‘nonsensical names’ (names backwards), were worn to add to the occasion.

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Some recent day to day activities

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