Housing and health are closely linked and health related work has become a key part of what we in Care & Repair do, both to improve people’s overall health and to make them safer in their home by preventing accidents and potential hospital admission. Because we visit older people in their own homes, we have the ideal opportunity to discuss a range of healthy issues as well as their housing needs.
The Healthy @ Home Casework service is a partnership project, funded by the Welsh Government’s Intermediate Care Fund, which works with GP surgeries across Cardiff to offer the Care & Repair service to their patients on their 75th birthday. During the home visit to the client, we can offer a range of services that may be of interest to them now or in the future. Our aim is to support the client to stay safely living at home for longer, thus having a long term positive impact on their health and wellbeing.
We all know the saying: prevention is better than cure. Our service gives us access to older people who may benefit from our services and those of other organisations at an early stage to support them living independently and to prevent them from reaching a crisis situation in their home.
As well as discussing home repairs, maintenance and adaptations, we provide assistance with welfare benefits, home safety and fire safety checks and information on health and well being. If relevant, people are assessed for falls and referred back to their GP for a follow up appointment. Our project is unique in Cardiff and of real benefit and help to older people.
During our home visit, the Healthy @ Home Caseworker will listen to what the client wants and needs, will make suggestions and offer solutions to address these issues. By addressing the needs of clients, we undertake and organise a variety of direct interventions or make referrals to existing voluntary and statutory agencies to draw in and co-ordinate with other services as appropriate. Through partnership working with other voluntary and statutory agencies, we can provide the right assistance at the right time.
There is so much information available, much of which is, or seen by our clients as, complex. Many clients are not accessing schemes due to a misunderstanding of the referral process.
It is our experience that our clients still prefer a home visit where someone speaks to them face to face, someone who is willing to understand and discuss their needs. That someone is a Care & Repair Healthy @ Home caseworker.
Julie Swain
Senior Caseworker, Care & Repair Cardiff
Showing posts with label independence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label independence. Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 July 2014
Monday, 7 July 2014
Who says health, housing and social care can't work together?
I heard about The King's Fund ‘Innovations in the delivery of care for older people’ conference through Twitter. The King's Fund wanted to showcase different innovative projects at the event and were inviting submissions. I immediately thought of the Rapid Response Adaptations Programme (RRAP). While it's not a traditional ‘care’ project, it is an excellent example of a successful partnership between housing, health and social care sectors, which are usually more 'fragmented'.
The majority of referrals to the RRAP programme are received through social care and health practitioners such as occupational therapists, social workers, physiotherapists and discharge nurses, who are happy to place their trust in our voluntary sector organisation to support their work. It is a real achievement that each Care & Repair agency, across all of the 22 local authority areas in Wales, has been able to develop such positive relationships with their health and social care teams.
The Rapid Response Adaptations Programme is funded by the Welsh Government and allows Care & Repair agencies to carry out minor adaptations, such as ramps and handrails, to enable people to return safely to their own homes following hospital discharge. These adaptations can also prevent the need for admission to hospital or residential care. The programme requires these adaptations to be completed within 15 working days, although jobs can be carried out immediately in response to a crisis.
For health professionals, not only are ‘hospital beds unblocked’, allowing clinical scheduling and prioritisation to improve, there are clear indications of cost savings through the programme. It has been estimated that £7.50 is saved in Health and Social Care costs for every £1 of public funding invested in RRAP.
A recent report found that, by 2017, demand for unpaid care will begin to exceed supply, and the ‘care gap’ will grow sharply from then onwards. In turn, pressures on A&E departments and hospitals are likely to increase, as fewer older people receive the care they need and more are likely to slip into crisis (IPPR 2014).
Care & Repair Cymru carried out a survey of stakeholders in 2011. One hundred per cent of respondents felt that RRAP had helped to delay or prevent the need for social care services.
Stakeholders told us:
• RRAP promotes independence in the home and therefore reduces long term dependency on care. 'People are able to remain in their own homes for longer and it reduces the demand for more costly support from social services.'
• 'There is benefit (from RRAP) to the quality of service users’ lives which is greatly overlooked but of great significance.'
It is recognised that most people, as they grow older, would like to remain living in their own homes (Wanless, 2006). The demand for services such as RRAP which contribute to enabling older people to remain living independently in their own homes is likely to increase as the ageing demographic increases. The programme has proved to be extremely cost effective and yet the service remains unique to Wales.
The benefits of the RRAP programme were recognised by The King's Fund panel and were presented to the audience at the conference on 18 June.
Whilst attending the conference, it was clear that most of the innovations showcased, all immensely exciting and inspiring, were mostly carried out within the confines of one local health area. Care & Repair, however, supported by Welsh Government funding, work across the whole of Wales, ensuring equity of service for older homeowners and not confined by boundaries. Hopefully, by sharing good practice through such events, older people across the UK will gain greater access to excellent services such as those showcased at the conference.
NB. In the previous year, Care & Repair agencies carried out almost 15,500 works through the Rapid Response Adaptations Programme.
Rachel Gingell, Policy and Research Officer
Care & Repair Cymru
The majority of referrals to the RRAP programme are received through social care and health practitioners such as occupational therapists, social workers, physiotherapists and discharge nurses, who are happy to place their trust in our voluntary sector organisation to support their work. It is a real achievement that each Care & Repair agency, across all of the 22 local authority areas in Wales, has been able to develop such positive relationships with their health and social care teams.
The Rapid Response Adaptations Programme is funded by the Welsh Government and allows Care & Repair agencies to carry out minor adaptations, such as ramps and handrails, to enable people to return safely to their own homes following hospital discharge. These adaptations can also prevent the need for admission to hospital or residential care. The programme requires these adaptations to be completed within 15 working days, although jobs can be carried out immediately in response to a crisis.
For health professionals, not only are ‘hospital beds unblocked’, allowing clinical scheduling and prioritisation to improve, there are clear indications of cost savings through the programme. It has been estimated that £7.50 is saved in Health and Social Care costs for every £1 of public funding invested in RRAP.
A recent report found that, by 2017, demand for unpaid care will begin to exceed supply, and the ‘care gap’ will grow sharply from then onwards. In turn, pressures on A&E departments and hospitals are likely to increase, as fewer older people receive the care they need and more are likely to slip into crisis (IPPR 2014).
Care & Repair Cymru carried out a survey of stakeholders in 2011. One hundred per cent of respondents felt that RRAP had helped to delay or prevent the need for social care services.
Stakeholders told us:
• RRAP promotes independence in the home and therefore reduces long term dependency on care. 'People are able to remain in their own homes for longer and it reduces the demand for more costly support from social services.'
• 'There is benefit (from RRAP) to the quality of service users’ lives which is greatly overlooked but of great significance.'
It is recognised that most people, as they grow older, would like to remain living in their own homes (Wanless, 2006). The demand for services such as RRAP which contribute to enabling older people to remain living independently in their own homes is likely to increase as the ageing demographic increases. The programme has proved to be extremely cost effective and yet the service remains unique to Wales.
The benefits of the RRAP programme were recognised by The King's Fund panel and were presented to the audience at the conference on 18 June.
Whilst attending the conference, it was clear that most of the innovations showcased, all immensely exciting and inspiring, were mostly carried out within the confines of one local health area. Care & Repair, however, supported by Welsh Government funding, work across the whole of Wales, ensuring equity of service for older homeowners and not confined by boundaries. Hopefully, by sharing good practice through such events, older people across the UK will gain greater access to excellent services such as those showcased at the conference.
NB. In the previous year, Care & Repair agencies carried out almost 15,500 works through the Rapid Response Adaptations Programme.
Rachel Gingell, Policy and Research Officer
Care & Repair Cymru
Monday, 12 May 2014
Older People's Commissioner for Wales: An update
Earlier this year, I released a report calling for the preservation of community services which are essential for helping older people to maintain their health, independence and wellbeing.
The report, entitled ‘The Importance and Impact of Community Services within Wales’, outlines the importance of provisions including buses and community transport, public toilets, pavements, public seating, outdoor areas, libraries, leisure facilities, community and day centres.
There is real concern among many older people that these vital services are disappearing, which will have a devastating impact on their lives.
The evidence in the report was drawn from a series of focus groups that took place with older people around Wales, as well as from a range of partners with expertise in specialist areas.
Many of these older people are housing association tenants and I meet them at home, in their residential complexes and schemes, as well as at the various clubs and groups which they are members of, through my ongoing Engagement Roadshow.
The community services that older people consistently talk about are not luxuries, but are lifelines to helping them stay independent, healthy and connected to their local communities, their friends and families.
I understand the current budgetary pressures being placed upon Local Authorities and that difficult decisions on expenditure and savings must be made. It is vital, however, that as spending decisions are made, essential community services are recognised as being as impactful and as important as statutory services and that older people are able to continue to access them.
Building on the report, I will publish a toolkit later this year to help housing association residents and all older people to engage with Local Authorities and influence the decisions that affect them.
I am also planning a number of seminars for key local authority staff, to present the case for the retention of community services, facilities and infrastructure in Wales and to discuss and agree an effective way forward.
For a copy of ‘The Importance and Impact of Community Services within Wales’ or to find out more about my work across the country, visit www.olderpeoplewales.com or call 08442 640670.
Sarah Rochira
Older People's Commissioner for Wales
The report, entitled ‘The Importance and Impact of Community Services within Wales’, outlines the importance of provisions including buses and community transport, public toilets, pavements, public seating, outdoor areas, libraries, leisure facilities, community and day centres.
There is real concern among many older people that these vital services are disappearing, which will have a devastating impact on their lives.
The evidence in the report was drawn from a series of focus groups that took place with older people around Wales, as well as from a range of partners with expertise in specialist areas.
Many of these older people are housing association tenants and I meet them at home, in their residential complexes and schemes, as well as at the various clubs and groups which they are members of, through my ongoing Engagement Roadshow.
The community services that older people consistently talk about are not luxuries, but are lifelines to helping them stay independent, healthy and connected to their local communities, their friends and families.
I understand the current budgetary pressures being placed upon Local Authorities and that difficult decisions on expenditure and savings must be made. It is vital, however, that as spending decisions are made, essential community services are recognised as being as impactful and as important as statutory services and that older people are able to continue to access them.
Building on the report, I will publish a toolkit later this year to help housing association residents and all older people to engage with Local Authorities and influence the decisions that affect them.
I am also planning a number of seminars for key local authority staff, to present the case for the retention of community services, facilities and infrastructure in Wales and to discuss and agree an effective way forward.
For a copy of ‘The Importance and Impact of Community Services within Wales’ or to find out more about my work across the country, visit www.olderpeoplewales.com or call 08442 640670.
Sarah Rochira
Older People's Commissioner for Wales
Friday, 21 February 2014
Helping clients to surf the information superhighway
The aim of Care & Repair is to enable clients to remain safely and independently in their own homes. Part of the service we offer is for caseworkers to visit clients at home - many of whom are socially isolated, live in rural areas or where there is limited public transport. Some find it difficult to get out and about and rely on family and friends for support, and other clients’ families and friends live too far away to be able to offer the support needed. However, many of the things our clients find harder to do can all be done online - shopping, chatting to family and friends, sending and receiving photos.
Not everyone wants to be online! However, often people are unaware of the benefits or just need extra support to get online. Sometimes the cost of getting online can also be a major barrier.
It is important that we as caseworkers help clients to understand how the internet can be relevant in their everyday lives. One way we do this is by explaining how convenient the internet is. Like all my colleagues across Wales, I use an iPad for work as part of the Care & Repair myPad project. This means I can show clients the benefits of using digital technology and explain the importance of being ‘digitally included’. Once clients see how easy the tablets are to use, it breaks down one of the biggest barriers – the fear of using IT.
I explain how money can be saved by shopping online, as many items are cheaper and price comparison websites can help find the best deals. Some of my clients now order their prescriptions online, have shopping delivered, and speak with family and friends. Some have contact with their social and church groups (through Skype and face time), and use social networking sites to keep in touch and to learn new skills. One client is doing a degree course online, others download reading and audio books, some do their banking online and many enjoy games and puzzles.
The majority of these new skills also improve the client’s self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing, and ultimately help to reduce a feeling of social isolation.
Beverley Evans
Caseworker, Blaenau Gwent Care & Repair
Watch our video for Care & Repair Week here. Helping nannies and grampies all over Wales!
Not everyone wants to be online! However, often people are unaware of the benefits or just need extra support to get online. Sometimes the cost of getting online can also be a major barrier.
It is important that we as caseworkers help clients to understand how the internet can be relevant in their everyday lives. One way we do this is by explaining how convenient the internet is. Like all my colleagues across Wales, I use an iPad for work as part of the Care & Repair myPad project. This means I can show clients the benefits of using digital technology and explain the importance of being ‘digitally included’. Once clients see how easy the tablets are to use, it breaks down one of the biggest barriers – the fear of using IT.
I explain how money can be saved by shopping online, as many items are cheaper and price comparison websites can help find the best deals. Some of my clients now order their prescriptions online, have shopping delivered, and speak with family and friends. Some have contact with their social and church groups (through Skype and face time), and use social networking sites to keep in touch and to learn new skills. One client is doing a degree course online, others download reading and audio books, some do their banking online and many enjoy games and puzzles.
The majority of these new skills also improve the client’s self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing, and ultimately help to reduce a feeling of social isolation.
Beverley Evans
Caseworker, Blaenau Gwent Care & Repair
Watch our video for Care & Repair Week here. Helping nannies and grampies all over Wales!
Thursday, 20 February 2014
Only the lonely...
On a wild windy day, only 50m from the crashing waves of Cardigan Bay, Sarah Rochira (Older People’s Commissioner) and her colleague Kelly came to visit Mrs Jones in Aberystwyth, whose terraced house nestles snugly against the castle walls.
We have been helping Mrs Jones to reduce her eye-watering £318 per month Direct Debit from Scottish Power. Mrs Jones had reached the end of her tether in trying to contact Scottish Power since August, when her payments went up to this incredible figure. We hit the same impenetrable brick wall, and only found a way through by using the Welsh language service. Having given the helpful Scottish Power officer the updated meter readings, we have reduced her Direct Debit to a still painful £192 per month. We are working with the client to tackle her inefficient heating scheme.
The Commissioner’s conversation with Mrs Jones, however, uncovered a wider and far more personal issue, common to far too many older people, even in close knit urban areas. Loneliness and isolation was her real heartache. 'I've always been such a sociable person, I loved going out... I've only been out of the house once in the past year, and that was only up the road to St Michael's Church for a funeral.'
The house is accessed via numerous steep, uneven, and varying height steps and, whilst a handrail has been fitted, Mrs Jones still sees the climb back up as an Everest too daunting to face.
Why doesn't she find a more suitable property? A flat or a sheltered scheme?
Herein lies the problem. This is not Mrs Jones's house, it is her home! Her home, which was bought nearly 50 years ago when she was newly married. 'We put in an offer on it and were worried sick all night, but it was the best thing we ever did.... We’ve raised our children and grandchildren here and my grandson still lives with me. I do not want to leave my home.'
The third sector, including us at Care & Repair, must continue to work together to help older people in all aspects that affect their ability to remain independent. That means far more than repairs and adaptations alone, it's all about the 'Care'.
Lesson relearned!
Dafydd Pugh-Jones
Rheolwr Gofal a Thrwsio / Care & Repair Manager
We have been helping Mrs Jones to reduce her eye-watering £318 per month Direct Debit from Scottish Power. Mrs Jones had reached the end of her tether in trying to contact Scottish Power since August, when her payments went up to this incredible figure. We hit the same impenetrable brick wall, and only found a way through by using the Welsh language service. Having given the helpful Scottish Power officer the updated meter readings, we have reduced her Direct Debit to a still painful £192 per month. We are working with the client to tackle her inefficient heating scheme.
The Commissioner’s conversation with Mrs Jones, however, uncovered a wider and far more personal issue, common to far too many older people, even in close knit urban areas. Loneliness and isolation was her real heartache. 'I've always been such a sociable person, I loved going out... I've only been out of the house once in the past year, and that was only up the road to St Michael's Church for a funeral.'
The house is accessed via numerous steep, uneven, and varying height steps and, whilst a handrail has been fitted, Mrs Jones still sees the climb back up as an Everest too daunting to face.
Why doesn't she find a more suitable property? A flat or a sheltered scheme?
Herein lies the problem. This is not Mrs Jones's house, it is her home! Her home, which was bought nearly 50 years ago when she was newly married. 'We put in an offer on it and were worried sick all night, but it was the best thing we ever did.... We’ve raised our children and grandchildren here and my grandson still lives with me. I do not want to leave my home.'
The third sector, including us at Care & Repair, must continue to work together to help older people in all aspects that affect their ability to remain independent. That means far more than repairs and adaptations alone, it's all about the 'Care'.
Lesson relearned!
Dafydd Pugh-Jones
Rheolwr Gofal a Thrwsio / Care & Repair Manager
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Why the Care & Repair Service is essential to Occupational Therapy intervention
Being discharged home from hospital can be an anxious and worrying time for some individuals. At times people are concerned that they may be unable to get around their home and care for themselves as they did previously, and individuals are often concerned about how they are going to meet the financial burden of not only maintaining their home but also for funding essential care services. The Care & Repair service has played an integral role in enabling occupational therapists to discharge people home from hospital efficiently and safely and in alleviating some of these concerns.
Care & Repair is a reliable and efficient service that, through the installation of small adaptations such as handrails and stair rails or through major building work such as adapted bathrooms, allows people to live in their own homes independently. The comprehensive service that Care & Repair provides enables smooth transition from hospital to home, reducing their length of stay in hospital and preventing readmissions.
Work is consistently completed to a high standard and in a timely manner by qualified technicians who understand the needs of the patient.
As well as providing practical assistance with repairs and adaptations, Care & Repair also provides advice and information regarding benefits, home safety and security.
Without the Care & Repair service, occupational therapists would be unable to address many of the concerns and needs of their client group.
Rachael Gdesis
Advanced Practitioner Occupational Therapist
Princess of Wales Hospital
Care & Repair is a reliable and efficient service that, through the installation of small adaptations such as handrails and stair rails or through major building work such as adapted bathrooms, allows people to live in their own homes independently. The comprehensive service that Care & Repair provides enables smooth transition from hospital to home, reducing their length of stay in hospital and preventing readmissions.
Work is consistently completed to a high standard and in a timely manner by qualified technicians who understand the needs of the patient.
As well as providing practical assistance with repairs and adaptations, Care & Repair also provides advice and information regarding benefits, home safety and security.
Without the Care & Repair service, occupational therapists would be unable to address many of the concerns and needs of their client group.
Rachael Gdesis
Advanced Practitioner Occupational Therapist
Princess of Wales Hospital
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
We can help you
During Care & Repair Week, we want to get a simple message out to the many thousands of older homeowners in Wales who live in poor housing. That message is: 'We can help you'.
If you are having difficulty getting up the stairs, if you can’t get in and out of the bath, if you are cold but afraid to turn on your heating because it costs so much, if your roof leaks, if your walls are damp, if your house is in disrepair, if you’re scared of falling on the steep steps to your house… whatever your housing problem, we can help you.
Last year, we helped 30,000 older people with their housing problems, 12,000 of whom lived alone. Most of the people we help are aged over 60 and their average age is 75. 10% of the people we help are over 90. Last year, 20 of our 22 Agencies helped people aged 100 years old or more.
We provide our services across the whole of Wales so wherever you live, we can get out to you, assess your housing problem, make sure you are claiming everything you are entitled to, talk to you about what you want, find out what grants or other funding is available to help you, find you a reliable builder, supervise the work, or do the work ourselves with one of our in-house handy-persons.
Our services are important. Not only do they help improve older people’s quality of life by keeping them safe, warm and independent in their own home, but they also keep them out of places they don’t want to be - ambulances, hospitals, GP surgeries and residential care homes. And we work with others to get it right, such as important partners like Welsh Government, occupational therapists, local authority housing staff, housing associations and health professionals.
But for older people, our biggest message for Care & Repair week is… We can help you! If you would like to contact us, you can call 0300 111 3333 anywhere in Wales and be connected to your local Care & Repair Agency.
Chris Jones
Chief Executive, Care & Repair Cymru
Help us to generate maximum exposure for Care & Repair Week on Twitter by signing up to our Thunderclap campaign... click here for further information!
If you are having difficulty getting up the stairs, if you can’t get in and out of the bath, if you are cold but afraid to turn on your heating because it costs so much, if your roof leaks, if your walls are damp, if your house is in disrepair, if you’re scared of falling on the steep steps to your house… whatever your housing problem, we can help you.
Last year, we helped 30,000 older people with their housing problems, 12,000 of whom lived alone. Most of the people we help are aged over 60 and their average age is 75. 10% of the people we help are over 90. Last year, 20 of our 22 Agencies helped people aged 100 years old or more.
We provide our services across the whole of Wales so wherever you live, we can get out to you, assess your housing problem, make sure you are claiming everything you are entitled to, talk to you about what you want, find out what grants or other funding is available to help you, find you a reliable builder, supervise the work, or do the work ourselves with one of our in-house handy-persons.
Our services are important. Not only do they help improve older people’s quality of life by keeping them safe, warm and independent in their own home, but they also keep them out of places they don’t want to be - ambulances, hospitals, GP surgeries and residential care homes. And we work with others to get it right, such as important partners like Welsh Government, occupational therapists, local authority housing staff, housing associations and health professionals.
But for older people, our biggest message for Care & Repair week is… We can help you! If you would like to contact us, you can call 0300 111 3333 anywhere in Wales and be connected to your local Care & Repair Agency.
Chris Jones
Chief Executive, Care & Repair Cymru
Help us to generate maximum exposure for Care & Repair Week on Twitter by signing up to our Thunderclap campaign... click here for further information!
Monday, 17 February 2014
Care & Repair did my forward thinking for me!
In September 2013 I slipped and badly tore the ligaments in my ankle. An X-ray showed no fracture and I was given crutches and codeine by A&E!
No thought was given as to how I would cope at home. I live alone in a house with an upstairs bathroom and it was ENORMOUSLY difficult. I was in pain++ and trying to manage stairs on my bottom!
I felt very vulnerable. Not a good feeling for a fiercely independent 69 year old!
Care & Repair came to my aid quickly and fitted rails up my stairs and in my bathroom so I could access my shower. However, my injury was so bad that in spite of rails etc, my daughter whisked me off to London for 5 weeks. Whilst there, Dafydd (C&R) emailed me to check if I needed any more help, and on returning home he convinced me to have a step and rails at my front door. Little did I know that I would really need them soon.
January 2014, in the wars again! An acute knee problem necessitated another two nights in hospital. You cannot believe how grateful I was that all the aids to help my mobility at home were already in place. With a painful and stiff knee, I was still able to cope at home on my discharge from hospital with my C&R rails.
Care & Repair did my forward thinking for me! I am so grateful to them and have recommended them to friends, and retweeted their posts on Twitter. Perhaps we could all try to prepare for the worst that could happen, whilst hoping that the need will not arise.
THANK YOU Care & Repair!
Penny Murfin
Client of Gofal a Thrwsio Ceredigion
This is the first in a series of five blog posts published during Care & Repair Week. Pop back tomorrow to read the next post!
Thursday, 19 September 2013
Why we need to make every visit count
During such difficult economic times, with public service budgets under severe pressure, there are many reasons why we must make every visit count. First and foremost, for our clients. Care & Repair in Wales visit around 30,000 clients every year and this is the opportunity for our caseworkers and technical officers to discuss what their concerns are and take action, either directly through Care & Repair’s services or in partnership with others who can help. We need to make visits count by comprehensively tackling the range of problems and concerns identified. These include: 'I’m worried about paying my gas and electricity bill'; 'what will I do this winter when it’s freezing again?'; 'how am I going to get my leaking roof seen to?'; 'I can’t use my bath anymore' and 'who can help me repair my broken steps?' For the sake of our clients, we aim to efficiently resolve as many of these problems as we can, either directly or making sure that we refer to other third sector organisations, local authority and health professionals if we can't.
Making every visit count is also about making it count in financial terms. Our services prevent or reduce admissions to hospital and residential care by making the home environment accessible, warm, safe and secure. What counts here is the way in which helping older people to live independently in their own homes can take pressure off Health and Social Care services by preventing falls, preventing cold-related respiratory and circulatory illness, or by preventing the need for residential care by making the home safe and accessible. This makes every visit count for public finances.
Making every visit count is about providing comprehensive solutions to older people who need our help. It’s about being efficient and about working in partnership with others. And finally, it’s about providing solutions to help older people to live independently and reduce demand for Health and Social Services who find themselves under increasing pressure.
Chris Jones
Chief Executive, Care & Repair Cymru
Care & Repair Cymru's conference, Every Visit Counts, took place on 18/19 September in Wrexham. Did you attend? Look out for a blog post on issues discussed at the conference!
Making every visit count is also about making it count in financial terms. Our services prevent or reduce admissions to hospital and residential care by making the home environment accessible, warm, safe and secure. What counts here is the way in which helping older people to live independently in their own homes can take pressure off Health and Social Care services by preventing falls, preventing cold-related respiratory and circulatory illness, or by preventing the need for residential care by making the home safe and accessible. This makes every visit count for public finances.
Making every visit count is about providing comprehensive solutions to older people who need our help. It’s about being efficient and about working in partnership with others. And finally, it’s about providing solutions to help older people to live independently and reduce demand for Health and Social Services who find themselves under increasing pressure.
Chris Jones
Chief Executive, Care & Repair Cymru
Care & Repair Cymru's conference, Every Visit Counts, took place on 18/19 September in Wrexham. Did you attend? Look out for a blog post on issues discussed at the conference!
Monday, 16 September 2013
Hospital to Home
Living independently is a reality if homes are secure, safe and warm and people over 60 have enough resources to maintain a healthy lifestyle. While in hospital, it seems issues of concern surrounding housing are magnified.
With this in mind, the purpose of our Hospital to Home scheme is to ensure that Care & Repair services are targeted at the most vulnerable in our society, especially those who are high on the falls agenda.
The scheme is aimed at not only clients but the professionals working with the most vulnerable and those at risk of falls such as Nursing staff, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Hospital Social Workers. The scheme enables these professionals to understand the services the agency can offer to clients to assist them with ensuring that a safe discharge is paramount.
On wards that cater for the over 60s, our caseworkers undertake monthly 'ward Rounds' during visiting periods, enabling engagement with patients and their families to introduce them to the services of Care & Repair.
The ‘Hospital to Home’ scheme is limited in its current form and funding is required to sustain the scheme further. The scheme is not just the 'packs' that are distributed containing information on housing options but the whole 'package' of Care & Repair, encompassing the ability of the staff delivering the scheme, the Caseworker service offered to patients in hospital to discuss concerns regarding housing and the network of organisations supporting the agency to deliver a holistic service post hospital discharge.
Many patients admitted to hospital are there due to falls within the home. The agency services such as the ‘Healthy Homes Check’ and Benefit Checks offered as standard can address housing issues that are of concern to clients and could be preventing a safe discharge from hospital. These can be undertaken whilst the patient is in hospital, thus cutting down time spent in hospital and consequently bed blocking.
Health needs to recognise the scheme’s benefits and allocate sufficient funding to support it. The scheme needs a dedicated Hospital Caseworker who will work alongside a multi disciplinary team of health staff and other organisations to ensure that housing is placed on the safe discharge agenda.
If this is facilitated by a strong financial commitment by government and rolled out throughout Wales, results would be a drastic cut in the amount of re-admissions to hospital and making an impact on reducing over-stretched Health Board budgets.
Nicola Eccles
Agency Manager
Conwy Care & Repair
With this in mind, the purpose of our Hospital to Home scheme is to ensure that Care & Repair services are targeted at the most vulnerable in our society, especially those who are high on the falls agenda.
The scheme is aimed at not only clients but the professionals working with the most vulnerable and those at risk of falls such as Nursing staff, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Hospital Social Workers. The scheme enables these professionals to understand the services the agency can offer to clients to assist them with ensuring that a safe discharge is paramount.
On wards that cater for the over 60s, our caseworkers undertake monthly 'ward Rounds' during visiting periods, enabling engagement with patients and their families to introduce them to the services of Care & Repair.
The ‘Hospital to Home’ scheme is limited in its current form and funding is required to sustain the scheme further. The scheme is not just the 'packs' that are distributed containing information on housing options but the whole 'package' of Care & Repair, encompassing the ability of the staff delivering the scheme, the Caseworker service offered to patients in hospital to discuss concerns regarding housing and the network of organisations supporting the agency to deliver a holistic service post hospital discharge.
Many patients admitted to hospital are there due to falls within the home. The agency services such as the ‘Healthy Homes Check’ and Benefit Checks offered as standard can address housing issues that are of concern to clients and could be preventing a safe discharge from hospital. These can be undertaken whilst the patient is in hospital, thus cutting down time spent in hospital and consequently bed blocking.
Health needs to recognise the scheme’s benefits and allocate sufficient funding to support it. The scheme needs a dedicated Hospital Caseworker who will work alongside a multi disciplinary team of health staff and other organisations to ensure that housing is placed on the safe discharge agenda.
If this is facilitated by a strong financial commitment by government and rolled out throughout Wales, results would be a drastic cut in the amount of re-admissions to hospital and making an impact on reducing over-stretched Health Board budgets.
Nicola Eccles
Agency Manager
Conwy Care & Repair
Thursday, 20 June 2013
'Don't panic, Mr Mannering!'
How often have we laughed at that phrase on ‘Dad’s Army’ and the craze of mugs and tea towels which echoes the war-time ‘Keep calm and carry on’?
But if you fall, how easy it is to panic! A slip or trip can send you to the ground so unexpectedly and hurt so much that we panic and try to rush to our feet. If we can’t and are really hurt, this can destroy our self confidence, take away our liberty and make us lose our independence in our own homes when we are at an age where we should enjoy our surroundings.
We curse the fact that we did not get those hand rails and supports put into place… and why? Because we thought it would never happen to us. However, here we are on the floor, the Care-Line still on the bedside cabinet and no phone in reach! Only now do we realise that it’s not silly to admit that we’re older, by realising that these aids are out there to help anyone who needs that little extra reassurance when walking indoors or outdoors which rails and other services provide.
It’s best not to fall at any age, but when you’re that bit older it’s never a good idea! Trips and slips rob so many of their self-confidence and independence. Do you want to be one of those, or will you take advantage of ‘Falls Awareness Week’ and seek a little extra help?
Care & Repair is here to help. Any delay might change your life, so stay safe and give us a call!
To contact your local Care & Repair Agency, simply call 0300 111 3333
Lynda Colwell
Agency Manger, Denbighshire Care & Repair
But if you fall, how easy it is to panic! A slip or trip can send you to the ground so unexpectedly and hurt so much that we panic and try to rush to our feet. If we can’t and are really hurt, this can destroy our self confidence, take away our liberty and make us lose our independence in our own homes when we are at an age where we should enjoy our surroundings.
We curse the fact that we did not get those hand rails and supports put into place… and why? Because we thought it would never happen to us. However, here we are on the floor, the Care-Line still on the bedside cabinet and no phone in reach! Only now do we realise that it’s not silly to admit that we’re older, by realising that these aids are out there to help anyone who needs that little extra reassurance when walking indoors or outdoors which rails and other services provide.
It’s best not to fall at any age, but when you’re that bit older it’s never a good idea! Trips and slips rob so many of their self-confidence and independence. Do you want to be one of those, or will you take advantage of ‘Falls Awareness Week’ and seek a little extra help?
Care & Repair is here to help. Any delay might change your life, so stay safe and give us a call!
To contact your local Care & Repair Agency, simply call 0300 111 3333
Lynda Colwell
Agency Manger, Denbighshire Care & Repair
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