Dementia Awareness Week

This week is Dementia Awareness week, an Alzheimer’s Society initiative aimed at raising awareness of the effects of Dementia on people’s lives.

The theme this year is #dosomethingnew in order to highlight that life doesn’t end with a dementia diagnosis.

“Dementia can happen to anyone and there’s currently no cure. It can strip you of your memory, your relationships and your connection to the world you love, leaving you feeling isolated and alone.

At Alzheimer’s Society, we believe that life doesn’t end when dementia begins, and we do everything we can to help people living with dementia hold onto their lives and the things they love for longer.

We also believe it’s possible to do new things and have new experiences, too. And that’s what this year’s Dementia Awareness Week is all about.”

My contribution to the week, is to announce the start of a series of summer evening Dementia Friends Information Sessions in the walled Gardens of Cannington. Starting on 7th June at 7 P.M. To find out more, please contact me kris@scotting.org

To find out more about Dementia and Dementia Awareness week please visit the Alzheimers society website-

www.alzheimers.org.uk/remembertheperson

And for more about dementia friends- www.dementiafriends.org

You are welcome

    

Dropping the drugs: Who? What? Why?

Dropping the drugs: Who? What? Why?.

Polypharmacy has always been a bugbear of mine. It causes harm, isn’t effective for the conditions that the prescriber is attempting to manage, and of course is costly.

My mum and dad have a pharmacy worth of pills,potions and lotions n their kitchen cupboard. They are typical of folks of their generation, the GP adds to the list everytime they visit.

New quality standards to help care homes manage medicines safely and prevent falls in older people | News and features | News | NICE

New quality standards to help care homes manage medicines safely and prevent falls in older people | News and features | News | NICE.

Hospital admissions from care homes

Hospital admissions from care homes.

Some strong words and sobering facts in this article from the British Geriatric Society blog.

Residents of care homes have complex healthcare needs, reflecting multiple long-term conditions, significant disability and advanced frailty. Care provided to this complex cohort of people is often fragmented. Day to day care services are delivered to a variable standard often with high staff turnover and limited support from the wider health system.

I would like to know about the figures for admission compared to the general population. I think they need unpicking more to allow for the possible increased vigilance and potential risk aversion of care home staff. Both of which could contribute to the higher rates of admission.

What’s going on at BUPA?

February was a busy month for me, and I didn’t get to the keyboard often. So I’m having an office day catching up with this blog.

Fist thing first check on the bad care reports for February

It may take a while, because it looks like there are a lot. Yes CQC are rolling out their new inspection model, yes they have raised the bar, but I don’t see that as an excuse for any responsible provider. Clearly those that are good and outstanding have been rated as such.

So first week in Feb, two BUPA homes in trouble.

What’s that about, when BUPA clearly have resources, don’t they?

I can guess at the answers, having experience of working for large organisations, but I wouldn’t like to post them here without a lot more evidence to back up any claims and avoid a libel case.

So in general my experience in large organisations would suggest that maybe these areas need looking into-

1-Priorities of the organisation. What is the balance between providing good care and making money?

2-Central focus. Does the centre know whats happening on the floor and vice versa?

3-Branding. Are these BUPA homes or homes that BUPA run?

Home Care Cuts – “Inhumane”

Home Care Cuts – "Inhumane".

CQC Providers Handbook

CQC have completely overhauled the way they inspect care services, including Care and Nursing Homes.

Here’s the start of my guide to the new process.

Click to see the pages on my website

Dementia Friends in The Walled Gardens of Cannington Tea rooms

It was lovely to hear from Hayleigh at the Walled Gardens tea rooms today, about how attending a Dementia Friends Information session that I had run had changed her families approach to visiting granddad who has Dementia.

Hayleigh attended the walled gardens staff session and had taken on board one of the messages in the Bookcase analogy. Her family had been in two minds about visiting. However after Hayleigh explained to them what she had learnt about the different parts of the brain, and seeing the person as more than their Dementia, they have started to visit more often.

Job Done! Nice one Hayleigh.

For those who haven’t attended a session, see the video below.

To find out more: www.dementiafriends.org.uk

Inquest opens into death of resident at Immacolata Care Home, Somerton.

What's happening in Somerset Care Homes.

The Western Gazette reports the opening of the inquest on 19th January 2015. John Weldin, aged 83, was found hanging at the care home on 6th January 2015.

He had moved into the home after the death of his wife in 2011.

The inquest was opened on 8th January and adjourned for further investigation.

The Western Gazette Story can be found here

More about Immacolata Care Home, run by Notaro Care Homes, can be found on the company’s website.

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