There are many benefits to respite care or short stay.
Respite care means taking a break from caring, while the person you care for is looked after by someone else.
It lets you take time out to look after yourself and helps stop you from becoming exhausted and run down.
For our guests, it can offer increased social interaction, new experiences and a change of scenery which can improve health, welling and uplift mood. For carers, it can often provide the opportunity to attend an event, take a holiday or simply enjoy a few days to rest.
Respite care and convalescent care is short term care designed to help people recover from an operation or illness with the support of our dedicated care staff facilities. Respite stays are a minimum of two weeks and can last up to a few months. All of our Registered Care Managers are passionate about tailoring Care Plans to individual needs and requirements to help them recover as soon as possible.
What is more, respite breaks can be enjoyed on a regular basis to give people a chance to get to know other residents and colleagues and familiarise themselves with life in one of our homes as preparation for full-time residential care. A sort of ‘trial run’ so that transition is easier if/when the time comes to make the permanent move into a home.
Our aim is to give peace of mind as well as providing quality care, we take the time to get to know our residents and understand their likes and dislikes, even those who are only with us for a few weeks. That way loved ones can enjoy peace of mind while their loved ones truly feel ‘at home‘.
Get more info about us
Undoubtedly you’ll want to do your due diligence before exploring this option more. We’re here to help – offering complimentary Care Need’s Evaluations. These are zero obligation and, from experience, give prospective residents a good steer on what their best option looks like.
If we feel like we aren’t the right fit for you, we won’t hide that. Our job is to arm you with the best information to make your decision.
Get in touch
For questions or more information regarding our Care & Support services, we’d love to hear from you.
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We’ve read so many blogs, articles and watched so many videos on Caring for Dementia. And what they don’t go into it just how hard it can be. It’s a brutal, unforgiving and cruel disease. The common promise from typical care homes is an ‘easier time, stress-free and alleviation of your pain. But, what you know is that’s not completely true.
We can (and do) help as much as we can. Everything from the best environments down to meal plans (We’ll go into this later) but we can’t sit here and pretend we take away your pain.
So, before we get right into everything, we wanted to start by saying the most important thing to take with you as you care for a loved one with dementia is to lead with empathy, compassion and love. It’s hard, we won’t lie. But this part isn’t about you, its about caring for them.
What is it?
Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere with doing everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal ageing.
There are many different types of dementia. It is not always clear why some people get dementia while others don’t, it depends on a combination of genes, age, health and lifestyle.
There are several types of Vascular dementia. One type is caused by a stroke (called stroke-related dementia) another is caused by the poor blood supply to parts of the brain (called subcortical vascular dementia)
The word ‘Vascular” relates to blood vessels and is the result of problems with blood supply to the brain. Nerve cells need oxygen and nutrients from the blood to survive. Vascular dementia sometimes follows a large stroke (called post-stroke dementia) more often though it comes after a number of small strokes (called multi-infarct dementia)
How can you spot it?
Many loved ones and friends can find dealing with this more difficult than adjusting to changes such as memory loss. Some common changes you may see include:
Restlessness – for example, pacing or fidgeting
Repetition – for example, asking the same questions, or repeating an action, over and over
Night-time waking, sleeplessness. Also known as ‘sundowning’ – is a term given for increased agitation or confusion in the late afternoon and early evening
Putting things in unusual places, and then forgetting where they are
Lack of inhibition, such as socially inappropriate behaviour in public. This is particularly common in the behavioural form of frontotemporal dementia
Suspicion – for example, the person thinking someone has taken something which belongs to them when they have actually mislaid it.
How do you find the right home?
While some aspects are subjective, the core are not. Here are some of The Best Indicators of a Good Care Home:
Foreword: At the beginning of a search for a home, it is evident that rarely do they know what type of care is necessary i.e. residential or nursing, and so often they have had no help from social services and do not realise that an assessment needs to carried out before placement. It is essential that a person is not admitted to the wrong type of home as a move can be traumatic for both resident and relative.
The best indication of a good home is that the residents appear happy & responsive and that individuals are treated with dignity and respect:
Do staff speak to residents in a way the residents like?
Are residents involved in activities or chatting?
Are they properly dressed and well-groomed?
Do they seem alert and interested?
Do they talk to you as you walk around?
Are they encouraged to do as much for themselves as they can – and if so, can you see any examples of this?
Do they cater to the individual needs of residents? Food plans, to personalised environments.
Before this, there are of course other things to take into account:
How close is the home, can you visit easily?
What is the area like? Is it easily accessible?
What are people saying about them? Word of mouth is so powerful, have you had a recommendation? What are their reviews like?
Have they got room? If not, how long is the waiting list?
Do you need full-time care, or are you looking for a respite care break?
How do you care for Dementia?
1) Specialised & Personalised Environments
A good indicator right off the bat, have they passed the “The King’s Fund Dementia Assessment“? This is an assessment tool guide on Dementia studies by The University of Worcester, which reflects the latest research evidence, best practice and survey responses from those who have used the tools in practice.
Toilets and bathrooms
By understanding that toilets and bathrooms need to be safe and easy places for a person with dementia to use. The right design and colour can help a person with dementia to maintain their independence and dignity for personal care. Our purpose-designed wet rooms and adapted baths offer extra peace of mind.
Lighting
Do you/ can you leverage natural daylight? Bright and airy space makes is particularly important for people with dementia as it can help them make sense of their environment.
Gardens
Specially adapted gardens to allow for easy (and safe) access. For example, our gardens are designed to be both “wheelchair and Dementia-friendly” we have specialist adaptations, such as “grab rails” low-level ramps and low easy to access flower beds, which residents can enjoy attending too.
Personalised environments:
Personalised Doors
Woodland Walk
A personalised environment is very important in a Care home. Part of making sure residents have the dignity and respect they deserve is freedom of choice. The freedom to decorate their space the same way they would if they were completely independent.
2) Maintaining Dignity
All staff need to be professionally trained in Dignity and Respect for quality person-centred caregiving. Each care plan needs to be specially tailored to their needs. Maintaining dignity can be approached in many different ways:
Involve Residents and families, to tailor their presences of care and support
Respect all personal space and possessions
Handle hygiene activities sensitively and discreetly
Understand how to detect pain and to respond with medical assistance
Promote social activities, which are meaningful to the individual
Let people make their own decisions which give them empowerment
Be available to always listen to how another may feel.
3) Exercise and a Healthy Diets:
Activity/ Exercise:
Activity is crucial. Not only exercise, but keeping the mid active with hobbies and interests. For example:
Creating a scrapbook or photo album
Playing games or cards and doing word, number or jigsaw puzzles
Reading books, newspapers or magazines
Listening to audiobooks, the radio or music
Doing arts and crafts – for example, knitting, painting, singing, dancing, writing and poetry
Gardening, which could be inside or outside, for example – tabletop gardening
Studying – for example, open university or Udemy. Any free (or paid) courses online or by postal
Exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle. The important thing is to find exercises that are enjoyable and safe for their ability level. Breaking exercises down into Simple, Moderate and advanced, you can tailor plans to individual capabilities/ requirements. Some examples include:
Short walk (Simple)
The sit to stand exercise (Simple)
Stretches and/or strength exercises (Moderate)
Gardening (Moderate)
Dancing (Advanced)
Exercise class (Advanced)
More examples, and a comprehensive breakdown here.
Healthy Diet:
Setting a meal plan, listing all favourite meals and dietary requirements, and setting out a familiar, regular routine is crucial to maintaining a healthy diet.
Setting the scene for Dementia Friendly mealtimes
A familiar, sociable environment can help a person with dementia to feel more comfortable eating and drinking. At Atkinson’s Private Nursing Home’s we strive for Mealtimes to be an enjoyable experience.
turning off noisy TVs and radios, or playing some soothing, familiar music
being flexible about mealtimes, avoiding times when the person is tired or distressed
giving the person lots of time to eat, so there is no rushing
eating with the person if they enjoy the social side of this. It might be encouraging for them to see you eating, but bear in mind some people may be self-conscious and embarrassed eating with company
making sure the room is well-lit and describing the food. This might help the person recognise the food they are eating more easily
using plain coloured plates and cups so they can see the food easily. Specially adapted cutlery is available for people with dementia
Encouraging a person with dementia to eat
Involve the person by asking them what they would like to eat. If they struggle to decide, you could give them two options of simple things you know they like and can manage. If appropriate, you could involve them in the food preparation. You could try:
offering something easy to eat, that you know the person likes
giving the person small, regular portions rather than large meals
being flexible: a person with a sweet tooth might like to eat their dessert first. You could add sweet condiments like ketchup or apple sauce to savoury food
offering a small snack before a meal to see if that helps the person realise, they are hungry
using different tastes, smells, and colours to stimulate the appetite
Encouraging a person with dementia to drink
A person with dementia may not always be able to recognise when they are thirsty, or they might not be able to communicate their thirst. But nevertheless, it is recommended to aim for about eight glasses of fluid per day. You could try:
having a drink beside the person always
adding a little flavoured squash if the person is not keen on water
offering a choice of hot and cold drinks
helping the person if they are struggling to pick up or hold a cup
offering the person different shapes and sizes of cup
finding out if they have a favourite cup, they like to drink from
If you have any questions regarding your current situation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’d be delighted to find a way to help. We also published a blog on finding the right home.
4) Day to day
Having dementia doesn’t mean you need to stop doing the things you enjoy, but it can make things more difficult. Here are some quick tips on planning the day to day:
Put a regular routine in place – you might find it easier and more reassuring to do things at the same time each day or week. If you find you feel better at certain times of the day try to arrange activities for this part of the day.
Keep things straightforward – simplify your routine or daily tasks to make them more manageable.
Take things one step at a time – try to focus on one thing at a time and break each task down into smaller steps.
Put out the things you need before starting an activity so that you have a visual prompt – for example, tools for gardening or ingredients for cooking.
Try to reduce any distractions – for example, background noise if you are trying to read.
Thank you for reading!
By no means have we covered the complete complexity that is Dementia Care. But, this is a working blog – meaning we will constantly be updating and adding to it.
A bit about us
We are a proudly independent, family owned and managed Care Group, offering Respite & Full Time Care in the Heart of Royal Berkshire. We have three care homes:
Just before Christmas, we elicited the creativity & compassion of the local students at College Town Primary, Sandhurst. Each asked to write a letter to our residents.
‘I am writing to brighten your day.’
After learning about Age UK in one of their lessons, they started to think about what they could include in their letters. The letters have been a great educational tool. Helping students to develop their literacy skills and promote their social and emotional development through building relationships with older generations.
One student started their letter with:
“Dear Reader,
My name is ____ and I am ten years old and live in Sandhurst. I am writing to brighten your day.”
Student, College Town Primary.
How lovely is that?
During these COVID times, our Care and Nursing homes have pioneered many ways in which we can all stay connected, mainly through technology, but a handwritten letter can mean so much more.
Writing letters freezes that moment in time. It’s a personal, caring way of having a distant conversation. Much more thoughtful than simply texting or emailing – it’s more effort and thus more appreciated – especially over the slightly different Christmas period we’ve just had.
Letter writing is a lost art. Previously a staple of communication, now seen as ‘inefficient.’ I think, in these weird times, we could all use a bit of old-fashioned, personal communication.
They are a fantastic way of easing isolation during the lockdown, especially for the older generations. Whether you’re writing to a loved one, a long-distance friend, or even to your future self – there’s no doubt there are benefits for both emotional and mental health.
A special thank you to College Town Primary for your lovely letters. Each one was cherished. Kindness, small or big, has a wonderful way of going further than you could imagine.
If you’d like to get involved with writing letters, our addresses are listed below. Anything from an ‘I’m thinking of you’ letter down to a conversation of personal struggle – I think we could all use a little bit of community kindness as we proceed through 2021.
Fourways Residential: 45 Scotland Hill, Sandhurst, GU47 8JR
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At Atkinsons Homes, we will help you guide through all the information.
A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document which allows individuals to give people they trust the authority to manage their affairs if they lack the capacity to make certain decisions for themselves in the future.
To set up an LPA a person must be 18 or over and have the mental capacity to decide to do so. The person chosen to make decisions on behalf of the donor is known as the attorney. The attorney must be over 18 and must themselves have the mental capacity to act as an attorney. For property and financial affairs LPA’s, the attorney must not be bankrupt.
There are two types of LPA;
Health and Welfare
Property and financial affairs
Health and Welfare LPA
This LPA gives the attorney the power to make decisions about the donors health and care. It covers day-to-day decisions like food and drink, clothing and activities, and bigger decisions such as where to live, and whether to receive medical treatment. It can only be used when the donor has lost the mental capacity to make the relevant decision for themselves.
Property and Finance LPA
This gives an attorney the authority to make decisions about the donor’s property and money. Again, this can be day-to-day decisions, such as paying a bill, or more complex financial decisions, such as selling the donor’s property or shares. A donor can choose for it to be used when the individual lacks the capacity to make the relevant financial decision for themselves, or when LPA becomes officially registered.
Get in touch
We’d love to hear from you. More Advice & Information is available. Give us a call at our Head Office on 01276 31838.
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At Atkinson’s Private Care & Nursing Homes, Sandhurst, we are always looking for crafty ideas to make with our residents.
Angela, our activities co-ordinator at Fourways, will be recycling and reusing jam jars with the residents as a part of their weekly activities.
Here are her five ideas to get you crafty;
Pincushion and Sewing Kits – You can keep all your sewing bits together in a jar and you can even make the lid into a pin cushion
Memory Jars To keep all little mementoes like shells, dried flowers or small souvenirs, you can make a different memory jar for each trip, you can label the front with the dates you went.
Inspiration Jars – Write some of your favourite quotes, poems and pieces of advice down on separate scraps of paper and fill a jar with them. Whenever you feel in need of a boost, take one out a read it.
Jewellery Storage Jars If you’re always misplacing your jewellery, you can keep it all together in one place.
Grow your own herbs – Even if you don’t have a garden, you can get in on the grow-your-own craze by putting a thin layer of gravel in an empty jam jar, half-filling with soil and planting your favourite herb seeds, you can put on your kitchen window-sill, your own herb garden.
Get involved
Have you come across some some other uses? Comment below!
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Having dementia doesn’t mean you need to stop doing the things you enjoy, but it can make things more difficult.
The following tips might help:
Put a regular routine in place – you might find it easier and more reassuring to do things at the same time each day or week. If you find you feel better at certain times of the day try to arrange activities for this part of the day.
Keep things straightforward – simplify your routine or daily tasks to make them more manageable.
Take things one step at a time – try to focus on one thing at a time and break each task down into smaller steps.
Put out the things you need before starting an activity so that you have a visual prompt – for example, tools for gardening or ingredients for cooking.
Try to reduce any distractions – for example, background noise if you are trying to read.
For any more advice in living with Dementia, or you may be interested in our short-term Dementia breaks in our Care or Nursing homes, please call any of our homes individually or Head Office
Get in touch
We’d love to hear from you. If you have any question regarding the above info, or anything else don’t hesitate to contact us.
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Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. Symptoms of arthritis are primarily joint pain and stiffness. These symptoms usually progress with age. Two of the most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is characterised by the breakdown and degeneration of joint cartilage. It is the result of the ageing process and trauma to the joint from normal wear and tear.
On physical exam, the joints are tender and inflamed. There is often joint enlargement, pain with weight-bearing and decreased range of motion. Surgery and medication may relieve pain and restore function.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. RA is a chronic systemic disease that is characterised by inflammation and stiffness in the joints but may also affect major organs within the body especially the heart and lungs.
Psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis shares many features with rheumatoid arthritis and carries a similar risk.
Sjogren’s disease refers to symptoms of dryness in the eyes and mouth and is often seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Supporting Arthritis
Atkinson’s Care & Nursing Homes, understand how arthritis can affect a person’s day to day living. Supporting Arthritis:
To maintain a person’s independence, our care team with ensuring we support assistance in transfers and moving.
All our staff are trained in moving and handling techniques and to use adaption aids which promote empowerment for the person to continue walking and moving around.
It is important that they get plenty of rest, and their bodies are comforted.
All of our Care and Nursing homes have profile beds. They are controlled by a remote to ensure maximum comfort.
We have 24/7 call bells for care staff to assist with any care and support needs.
Maintaining a healthy and nutritious daily eating plan is vital to improving the movements of joints. Atkinson’s homes offer a wide range of dietary requirements and are chefs who have a full understanding of providing nutritious daily eating plans, we use fresh local produce.
Get in touch
We’d love to hear from you. If you have any questions on the above or would like to enquire about our respite/full-time care options contact us below!
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A focus on mouth care is a necessity of meeting fundamental care needs. It’s important to gain an insight into the oral health of the resident on admission to our homes.
An assessment of the health status of the mouth, lips, natural teeth and/or dentures will help establish the type of oral health support required, and ensure that this care is planned for:
Practice good oral hygiene. Brush teeth thoroughly twice a day and floss daily between the teeth to remove dental plaque.
Visit your dentist at least once a year, even if you have no natural. teeth or dentures.
If you have diabetes, work to maintain control of the disease. This will decrease the risk for other complications, including gum disease. Treating gum disease will help lower your blood sugar levels.
If your medication causes dry mouth, ask you, doctor, for a different medication that may not cause this side effect.
See your doctor or a dentist if you have sudden changes in taste or smell.
Get in touch
Our Care and Nursing home Managers complete a full in-depth assessment of all care and support needs including vital oral care, for a complimentary assessment or for more advice, please call any of our individual homes or head office.
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Another blog in our ‘Health Under The Spotlight’ Series. In this series, we’ll be dissecting some special conditions and explaining how, as a care provider, we would help to support our residents. This week, we’ll be dissecting Hypertension.
What is hypertension
Our blood pressure increases naturally as we grow older. Many cases of hypertension in elderly people can not be traced to one specific cause.
Though, in certain elderly people, it is caused by medication or some other medical issue. Generally, hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) can lead to several health issues. For this reason, it is also referred to as ‘the silent killer’. It can, for example, increase their risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack and the chances of developing kidney problems increases.
How we we check blood pressure in our Residents
We keep a recorded log of any changes noticed for our residents. Part of this process is the regular monitoring of blood pressure. As it is normal for blood pressure to rise and fall throughout the day, we will carry out checks a couple of times on different days. Hypertension in elderly people can only be diagnosed when repeated readings are high.
How we support you
When high blood pressure is detected, in any of our residents, we will inform your/our local GP. We’ll then continue to work in partnership with them to try and make changes to your lifestyle.
For starters, we can try to improve dietary intake by ensuring that we find alternatives for your favourite food. For example, if a person likes many puddings, we can ask our chef to make sugar-free puddings. If a person likes high salted food we can adapt portion sizes to limit the salt intake. We will discuss this of course first with you and family members.
We will design a tailored care plan around your blood pressure and put in targets for us to improve your hypertension.
Get in touch
We’d love to hear from you. For a complimentary pre-assessment for care, medical and support needs – please call our Care and Nursing homes individually or contact head office directly for more information.
Got time for another?
We think you’ll like this: “Kindness in Sandhurst – Start Small“
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There are many different types of dementia. It is not always clear why some people get dementia while others don’t, it depends on a combination of genes, age, health and lifestyle.
Vascular Dementia
There are several types of Vascular dementia. One type is caused by a stroke (called stroke-related dementia) another is caused by the poor blood supply to parts of the brain (called subcortical vascular dementia)
The word ‘Vascular” relates to blood vessels and is the result of problems with blood supply to the brain. Nerve cells need oxygen and nutrients from the blood to survive. Vascular dementia sometimes follows a large stroke (called post-stroke dementia) more often though it comes after a number of small strokes (called multi-infarct dementia)
Early Changes
Common early changes include difficulty planning, thinking quickly or concentrating. There may also be a sense of heightening anxiety, which can also be feelings of depression. Memory loss isn’t always common in the early stages.
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Lewy bodies are also found in people with Parkinson’s disease, which is called “ Parkinson’s disease dementia. Similar to the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s disease, they disrupt the way the brain functions, they reduce the levels of chemical messenger’s and cause nerve cells to die. This form of dementia gets its name from tiny clumps of protein that develop inside nerve cells, called LB.
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