Category: blog

You may be aware that you are a carer, but may not be aware of the different avenues of support that there is out there for you to help you both financially and mentally. Perhaps you need a break or are a young carer looking to make friends, there are a number of options for you to research which could help make life a little easier.

Firstly, what is a carer?

Carers help with daily needs and activities that people in need might find difficult or impossible to do alone, like feeding, bathing, dressing, toileting, lifting and moving and administering medications. Some people in need of care benefit from less support as they like to live fairly independent, but they may need someone to keep an eye on them, or help them with tasks like banking, transport, shopping and housework. In terms of the different types of carers, there are unpaid carers who might be a partner, family member, friend or neighbour who cares for the person in need, volunteer carers who are provided by some charities and non-profit organisations, then there are professional carers who are professionally trained and routinely monitored under stringent medical guidelines, and that is what we provide here at Secure Healthcare Solutions.

The NHS explains that if you are a carer you can have a council assessment to see what help might be available to help make your life easier. The results of the assessment might recommend things like someone to take over caring so you can take a break, a gym membership and exercise classes to relieve stress, help with taxi fares if you don’t drive and putting you in touch with local support groups so you have people to talk to. A carer’s assessment is free and anyone over 18 can ask for one. To get a carer’s assessment you need to contact adult social services at your local council and ask for a carer’s assessment.

If money is an issue, your council might be able to help with the costs. You might need a financial assessment and this can be arranged for you after the carer’s assessment. You might also qualify for benefits that can help with costs. This can include Carer’s Allowance if you look after someone for more than 35 hours a week, Carer’s Credit, Carer Premium or Disability Living Allowance for children. If you’re told you don’t qualify for help and support, your council should give you free advice about where you can get help in your community. Ask if this doesn’t happen.

If you are struggling with the stress of caring for a loved one everyday, there is such a thing as “respite care”, which a Carer’s Assessment can advise you on whether you qualify for this support. Respite care gives carers a much needed break, and this can be for any period of time, from an hour or two to a longer period, which could be a week or more. Respite care can provide companionship and conversation for the person in need, personal care such as help with bathing, dressing and toiling, cleaning and cooking, driving and shopping.

If you are a young carer, Carers Trust’s local Network Partners are carer services across the UK, offering information, advice, practical support and/or care in the home. The Children’s Society can also help you find a young carers service near you and it has lots of advice and resources for young carers on its website. Carers UK is the UK’s membership charity for carers of all ages offering advice, information and an online forum for carers over 18.

If you are a young carer wanting help getting work, the Carers Trust offer a “getting into work” handbook for if you are looking for work for the first time, have been out of work for a while or if you are in work but looking for a new job: https://carers.org/article/getting-work-guide-young-adult-carers

For young carers in need of help working out the legalities of the person you are looking after, for example helping them with a will, LawStuff gives free legal information to young people. LawStuff is run by Coram Children’s Legal Centre, which provides more detailed information both over the phone and online. The Children’s Society’s website also has information on your legal rights.

Read more at about the support you are entitled to as a carer here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/

Struggled to get out of bed this morning? All you wanted to do is stay in your Pyjama’s or your dressing gown? Well at Secure Healthcare Solutions we’ve had a PJ day for Pancreatic Cancer.

As an agency that provides temporary staffing solutions to the NHS and private hospitals, we feel it’s best to help spread awareness for causes such as these as our nurses, healthcare assistants and support workers can play a key part in them successfully recovering and helping them feel better.

With the survival rate of pancreatic cancer (Pancan) being sufficiently low due to it being detected at a late stage, it becomes difficult to remove due to the tumour being unable to be removed as surgery isn’t an option any longer.

As Pancan needs to be detected early we feel it is necessary to inform as many people as we can reach so that you can see the warning signs and be checked and if so diagnosed at an early stage to give you more of a chance to beat cancer. Even though it is in the top 5 for the UK’s worst cancers it
only receives less than 3% funding!

At Secure Healthcare Solutions, we are helping to raise awareness of Pancan day and proud to work with our agency healthcare professionals in looking after people suffering with Cancer.

The month of April is Stress Awareness Month – so all this month, we will be taking a look at stress and providing you with some hints & tips of healthy coping mechanisms for you to implement. Here are our first top 5 tips to help reduce stress:

1. Start your day with Breakfast
2. Find 10 minutes during your day to meditate or listen to relaxation track
3. Keep changing your daily routine, meet a friend or colleague for lunch and allow time to relax and enjoy it
4. Switch from drinking coffee to a healthier alternative such as green tea or fruit juice
5. Organise your work by setting priorities

We will be uploading some more tips throughout the month to help you manage your stress and some practical steps on how you can relax your mind and body.

With World Parkinson’s awareness day upon us we are coming together for #uniteforparkinsons. his incurable disease affects nearly 10 million people in their everyday lives and we are joining their communities around the world to raise awareness on a larger scale. Parkinson’s is a neurological condition which develops progressively differing in speed and stages for
each individual. People who have this condition aren’t able to produce the chemical dopamine due to the nerve cells that create this could have died. Even though there isn’t a definitive reason as to why this happened, researchers believe it is a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

As these conditions continue to develop these individuals could be reliant to care at home including domiciliary, palliative and respite care. Secure Healthcare Solutions work with clients with similar situations and we thoroughly enjoy providing a service which benefits our clients living at home as well as those in nursing homes. Living with Parkinson’s can vary from person to person however in the severe cases full time live in care are required which not everyone is able to cater for. As care at home is becoming more appealing, domiciliary carers are able to help out as and when needed.

Secure Healthcare Solutions are joining together to show our support for #uniteforparkinsons why don’t you show your support and spread the word!

Welcome to April! What a beautiful month it is. This month we have stress awareness month and with stress being such a common strain that affects everyone every single day, we are spreading the
word across April to help you understand the signs and symptoms of stress. With confrontational circumstances being the cause of an individual’s mental and emotional strain it
leaves people feeling deflated, depleted and low energy levels which are all common symptoms of stress. There are many different symptoms that can cause a person to feel stressed which stems
from different situations.

Working within the healthcare industry and providing to a range of different clients working within NHS hospitals and private homes we are fully aware of how these settings can be quite stressful. With
our temporary staffing solutions, we are able to take the stress off of you and help you find the solution to your problem. With healthcare professionals struggling to cope with their stress levels;
normally being overworked with not enough time away, we as an agency are happy to help relieve stress and help all allied healthcare professionals have a happy, balanced life.
Over the month, Secure Healthcare Solutions are going to be spreading the awareness of stress and how to cope with it to help you feel as happy and confident as our agency workers.
Social media tips So I was thinking this could be put either on the instagram and facebook stories or in a branded square similar to the training one posted across the month to help people know how to prevent
stress.

Summer is coming! Who else is glad that winter is over? I’m sure our Registered Nurses and Healthcare assistants are glad that they aren’t waking up to the cold. With constant work coming in for our temporary staff we have been able to provide our clients with a high-quality service.

Our agency nurses and carers work within client’s homes, private healthcare and within the NHS, they have shown their dedication to providing a bespoke service and professionalism in every scenario they are placed in. At Secure Healthcare Solutions, we pride ourselves on our excellent RGN’s, RMN’s, RNLD’s, HCA’s, Support workers and NHS staff as they are our community. They are the reason Secure Healthcare Solutions are one of the leading agencies within the UK and continuously represent the company the highest standard.

This month we have selected our carer of the month due to her dedication to her work, dropping things at the last minute to cover urgent shifts and to her applauding reviews from clients who constantly asking for her back we have selected Dorothy for HCA of the month. Our nurse of the month has shown a high-quality service within nursing homes and throughout the NHS being able to be placed on a block booking and moving on to different wards to help accommodate for the hospital, for this we have selected Patience.

We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for the temporary staff that helps solve our client’s solutions. A massive round of applause and thanks is shown not just to these wonderful ladies but also to our Secure Healthcare Solutions family. Thank you for your support.

Social Media
As we reflect on March we couldn’t be any prouder to select Patience and Dorothy for their dedication, hard work and passion for their job. Here’s to the selected HCA and Nurse of March!

Dementia is now the first and second leading cause of death in females and males in the UK.
Over 850,000 people are living with dementia and this is set to rise to over 1 million by 2025.
With no known cure for dementia, caring for someone with dementia can be difficult and
present a whole host of unforeseen challenges as the disease can cause changes to a person’s
memory, cognitive ability and communication. Assistive technology can help with anxiety,
establish a routine and boost the quality of life for everyone involved. With new technology
being developed each day, more devices are becoming available to advance caring for people
with dementia.

Apps That Help With Dementia

Perhaps the most obvious new technology, but there are a whole range of apps specifically
developed for either people with dementia or their caregivers. Research has shown
that these apps can be hugely beneficial as they target various aspects that affect
people with dementia such as balance, medication reminders, memory training or
even just an app to connect to others to help with isolation. There are hundreds
available, such as MindMate, Nymbl and Elevate.

How Amazon Echo Help Dementia Sufferers

Amazon’s Echo has had a big impact on those with dementia as it offers the very
thing they’re losing – memory! Amazon’s Echo doubles as a personal assistant and a
companion who never gets bored or frustrated with being asked the same questions
repeatedly, making it perfect for people with dementia.
As well as this, “Alexa” offers people with dementia a source of entertainment as well
as company. With the ability to play music and audiobooks, it can offer caregivers a
welcome respite and can even be connected to smart devices to control lights,
switches and thermostats giving the person even more independence and control.

Xenoma Smart Clothing – Pyjamas That Measure Vital Signs

The Japanese smart fabric company Xenoma aims to develop smart pyjamas
specifically for people dementia within hospitals. The idea is rather than confining
them to their rooms or keeping them in for observation, the clothing monitors motion
and vital signs such as breathing, pressure and body temperature. The company claims
they won’t show wear for 100 washes and don’t require any liquid or gel to keep
conductivity with your skin. While the e-skin pyjamas aren’t available just yet,
Xenoma hopes the hardware is ready for release in 2020, by which point the cost per
garment will be less than $100 (£75).

Personal Alarms & GPS Tracking Devices

People with dementia can be known to wander. Coupled with memory loss, they can
often end up lost and confused as to where they are or how they arrived there. To
counter this, a personal alarm and GPS tracker which can be easily kept in your
pocket or attached to a lanyard around your neck or wrist can be incredibly beneficial.
These usually include two-way calling that allows the person with dementia to talk to
their emergency contacts just by pressing the SOS alarm button and vice versa. These
can be useful for emergencies or if their mobile runs out of battery. The good news is
there’s plenty of these available such as Unforgettable personal alarm and tracker,
Yepzon One GPS locator & tracker or Pebbell personal alarm and tracker. There’s so
many variations that you are bound to find one tailored to your needs.

A Robotic Pet Companion!

Definitely the most unusual device on our list, Robotic pet companions are a great
way to reduce stress and anxiety in dementia patients. These cuddly critters usually
have built-in senses and artificial intelligence which allows them to ‘learn’, even to
respond to their given name and best of all, they will always behave. There are many
different ones available such as PARO the Seal or Hasbro’s Joy for All companion
pets which offers the user a choice between a puppy or cat companion.

While technology can help to maintain independence for those suffering from dementia, it is also important that physical needs are attended to alongside offering human company. That’s why here at Secure Health Care solutions, we offer a range of care at home services to assist you or the person you care about to live well in their own home.

As our loved ones age, taking care of them becomes intertwined more and more with our everyday lives. When they develop diseases like dementia, it often brings a slew of unforeseen changes which we must adapt to quickly and this often includes making changes to their home environment. Dementia causes changes to the person’s judgement, behaviour, sense of time and place, physical ability and anticipating these changes will allow you to minimize the risk of potential injuries and accidents.

Adapting a person with dementia’s home can allow them to stay in a familiar and comforting environment without worry and reduces the stress for everyone involved. The list of adaptions is endless but there’s many things you can do to dementia proof their homes and allow them to continue living independently.

1.Reduce clutter and simplify walkways

It’s important to ensure that walkways are clear and not blocked. Remove rugs and carpets to prevent falls as the person with dementia could see this as an object and trip or fall. If you’re worried about falls, think about purchasing a personal alarm for them. Perform a walkthrough to identify the different things that could cause injury.

2. Put away dangerous appliances and toxic substances

Remove any electrical appliances from the bathroom and kitchen and lock scissors and knives away in a secure place. Secure lock cabinets that contain medications, chemicals and any other toxic substances that could be mistaken for food. You may want to consider getting stove knob covers or removing them altogether and switching to devices that use heat instead

3. Utilize child-proof locks and door knob covers

Being able to rationalize between safe and unsafe may not always be possible for a person with dementia so it’s vital to lock doors that lead to areas that contain tools, equipment or chemicals that may be dangerous. On the flip side, removing bedroom and bathroom locks may be necessary to prevent accidentally locking themselves in.

4. Lighting

The way a person with dementia’s home is lit can have an impact on their visibility. Changes in light levels can be disorienting so make sure their home is evenly and well-lit, particularly in the evenings. Night lights can be handy in hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms and stairs to prevent accidents. Reduce glare by covering polished surfaces, mirrors and glass tops.

5. Colour contrast

Contrast can be beneficial in helping people with dementia distinguish space and depth within their home, having contrasting colour furniture to the walls will make objects stand out more but avoid using dark colours as these can often look like a black blur and be disorienting.

6. Labels

Labels can help determine what’s inside a room, cupboard or drawers. For example, a sign with a picture of a toilet on the bathroom door. Remember as well to CHECK labels on food! People with dementia often develop issues with taste and smell and are unable to identify fresh food so routinely check to see all their food is still within date.

Of course, even with adaptations, sometimes your loved one will require a little help – and here at Secure Healthcare Solutions, we want to help you or your loved one to stay at home in your comfortable environement, which is why we offer a range of home care options, from respite care to give you a break, to holiday help to enable you to take your loved one away. Our fully trained and qualified staff are always here to help you. Find out how we can assist with care at home.

It’s that time of the year again. Today is said to be the most depressing day of the year. Christmas is a long forgotten memory, while payday still seems a long way ahead. It’s cold, you’re miserable, and those diet resolutions you made in good faith back on the 1^st are now making your stomach rumble.

Originally coined by a PR Firm 13 years ago, Blue Monday seems to have slipped into common vernacular, however mental health charities warn that Blue Monday trivialises depression, with Mind’s Head of Information commenting that ‘Depression is not just a one day event’.

However, it really is that case that the factors mentioned above can spiral into feeling down at this time of year. So what can those who do feel down at this time of year do to try and beat those winter blues.

1. Get Outside

As the temperatures drop, it can tempting to stay indoors wrapped up warm, however the lack of sunlight in the winter can contribute to feeling down. The NHS suggests trying to take a one hour walk in the middle of the day when it’s brightest outside.

2. Eat Well

While it’s easy to eat up salads and light meals during the summer, our natural inclination during the winter is to turn to stodgy comfort food. Eating healthy will help to boost mood and allow you more energy. Try to balance your diet by eating plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit.

3. Try Light Therapy

While getting out in the natural daylight is always the best option, many of those who suffer with seasonal depression have seen boosts from using lightboxes – electric devices that simulate natural daylight.

4. Keep Both Mind and Body Active

In the depths of winter, many people find themselves less active – just sitting in front of a TV or computer screen indoors. Try and keep as active as possible. Get out and see friends and family, or perhaps take up a new hobby. By keeping both your mind and body active, you can help to boost your mood.

5. Seek Help

Whether a support group, a phone line, or going to see your GP – depression is a serious illness that can have a heavy impact on your life. If your symptoms are interfering with your ability to live normally, speak to you GP, or contact MIND.