Macmillan first started these events in 1990, and since then their annual coffee morning has
raised over £113 million to become the world’s biggest such event. This year, Sova Healthcare and Rix House Care Home were happy to contribute to this great occasion. Both residents and staff thoroughly enjoyed the coffee morning and we raised a total of £121.21, which will be donated directly to Macmillan Cancer Support.
From left to right: Alastair Lodge, Paula Lodge (Project Worker), Jane Risdale (Project Worker), Rachael Shackleton (Project Worker) and Mark Downey enjoying Sova Healthcare's Macmillan Coffee Morning.
Macmillan Cancer Support is a fantastic charity, and one very close to those of us in the healthcare industry, as it provides an invaluable source of knowledge, practical and financial support to those affected by cancer. This support isn’t just limited to the cancer victims themselves, but is also available to their families and carers.
At Sova Healthcare we understand just how important care services are, and in the case of our
clients at Rix House, we provide a unique daily money management programme with Sova’s Appointeeship Service. We also provide Personal Care assistance, tailored to individuals’ needs, to help you, or your family member, get the most out of life.
If you’d like to find out more about the wide variety of care services we offer, please
get in touch with us today.
Following last week's blog post - which revealed that 46% of people believe they will have no option but to enter a residential care home in their old age - we at Sova Healthcare would like to highlight some of the ways in which elderly people can be cared for in the comfort of their own dwellings.
We appreciate that professional home care is, by and large, more costly than the alternative, but this needn't be a reason to cross it off your list of options. If your own income will not cover the cost of home care, there are several different ways to claim
financial support that will allow you or your loved ones to enjoy a bespoke home care package (and all the
benefits that this entails).
In the first instance, the best course of action is to contact your local ASS (Adult Social Services) department and inform them of your circumstances. They will perform an assessment to find out if you are eligible to claim financial support for home care.
As mentioned, there are multiple types of funding, including:- Attendance Allowance: For over-65s with mental and/or physical disabilities.
- Personal Independence Payment: For people aged 16 to 64 with long-term health conditions.
- Continuing Care: NHS-funded care (given outside of a hospital environment) for those with complex medical conditions.
- Direct Payments: Government payments for the elderly and/or disabled. Available to anyone over 16.
Of course, the above list is only a brief summary of the different funding options that may be available to you. For a more detailed overview of potential options, we recommended calling 0800 688 8866 and asking to speak with Sova Healthcare's specialist benefits advisor. We will discuss your specific situation and do our best to recommend a financial support route that will work for you.
A recent study reveals that we need to think more carefully about old age and what will happen when we get there.
It seems like old age is something of a taboo subject in modern society. We don't want to think about getting old, and so we don't talk about it - we just push it to the back of our minds and try to forget about the fact that nobody stays young forever.
But recently-published statistics suggest that we should be talking about this topic a lot more. According to
this article from PR Newswire...
- ...97% of people aged 75+ would prefer to live in their own homes (as opposed to a residential care home).
- ...only 54% of people believe that they will have the option of living at home in their final years.
- ...23% of people have no idea what will happen to them in their old age.
- ...86% of those polled have never discussed their wishes regarding old age care with loved ones.
These numbers are very revealing. Firstly, they prove something that most of us already suspected: very few people (only 3% of those polled) would choose to leave their homes behind and live in a care home. Beyond that, though, the report shows that we need to talk more openly about old age.
Here are two reasons why:
- Almost half of those polled did not think that there would be any alternative to living in a residential care home. This is not true - companies like Sova Healthcare work hard to provide high-quality care in the client's own home, and even difficult circumstances such as dementia and terminal illness can be catered for. We need to change people's perspective on old age care, and this will not happen unless we start talking about it.
- According to this survey, most people do not discuss old age with their loved ones and make a plan for their later years. Sitting down with your family and having a conversation about your wishes could well make the final years of your life far more pleasant - after all, if you tell them what you want, this puts them in a far better position to help you get it.
A recent study by the Welsh older people’s Commissioner has
brought to light some pressing matters of care-home malnourishment that have
been reported nationwide. The study brought to attention some rather alarming
details and incidents that supported some of Sova’s own views about the negligence
that takes place in some of our
country’s care-homes.
The report reviewed 100 care homes and after evaluating their
results they deemed the whole situation ‘unacceptable’. In fact, the problem
was so apparent that Commissioner Sarah Rochira demanded an increased emphasis on
providing nutritionally balanced meals, and sufficient choice for the
vulnerable in care.
Many of the homes reviewed were providing poor quality meals
and little to no choice for their residents. One particular case reported that
there was a gentleman who required a soft foods-only diet, and the only food he
was given was mashed potato. In the afternoons many patient’s only food option
was cold, dry sandwiches, leaving many care-home residents hungry and unfulfilled.
This news was particularly unsavoury to us here at Sova, as
we know how important food can be to our clients, both for genuine nutrition,
and for morale too. Our staff help clients to cook and prepare balanced, nutritional
meals, as well going out and purchasing the food in the first place.
Even more shockingly, some trading standards officers found
that certain care homes were offering just 800 calories worth of food to their
residents a day – bearing in mind the recommended level is some 2,000 calories
per day, this is more than a bit worrying! This kind of negligence would never
occur with Sova home care, as our staff can help manage a diet or meal plan to
ensure clients are kept healthy and well-fed.
The good thing about a study such as this is it brings to
light failings in the care-home system which will now hopefully get address
sharply! What reports like this also do however is highlight some of the
negative aspects of sending your loved ones to a care home – of course not all
care homes are guilty of these malpractices, but such incidents go unnoticed
due to the short-staffed structure of many establishments.
If yourself or a loved one require that extra level of
support or care, but you’d rather receive a professional service in the comfort
of your own home, our personal care service is everything you’re looking for –
and you needn’t ever worry about malnourishment.
(source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-29448187)
