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Tag: complex care

What is Hypotention ?

Doctors measure blood pressure using two numbers – the first and higher of the two is called the systolic blood pressure, and it occurs when the heart beats and fills the arteries of the body with blood. The lower number is called the diastolic blood pressure, and it’s the pressure in the heart when it rests between heartbeats. A normal blood pressure is said to be in the region of 120/80mmHg (systolic/diastolic) and doctors spend a lot of time dealing with people with high blood pressure. Use a blood pressure chart to see what your blood pressure means.

Low blood pressure (hypotension) on the other hand often requires no treatment but elderly people in particular can find it a problem, especially when standing up from sitting or lying down. In general terms, the medical advice is that the lower the blood pressure the better, and for most people their blood pressure rarely falls below 90/60.

Recognition

However, low blood pressure can sometimes mean there’s not enough blood flowing to your brain and other vital organs, which can lead to symptoms such as:

What to do if you have symptoms

If you think you may be experiencing an episode of low blood pressure, you should:

  • stop what you’re doing
  • sit or lie down
  • drink some water

The symptoms will usually pass after a few seconds or minutes.

When to see your GP

You should see your GP if you have frequent symptoms of low blood pressure. Your GP can measure your blood pressure and help identify any underlying causes of the problem. Read more about diagnosing low blood pressure.

Low blood pressure after suddenly standing up

If you experience symptoms of low pressure after changing positions, such as standing up, it’s known as postural, or orthostatic, hypotension. Symptoms shouldn’t last longer than a few seconds, as your blood pressure will adjust to your new position. This type of low blood pressure tends to affect people more as they get older, when it can lead to more frequent falls. Similar symptoms may also occur after exercise.

Low blood pressure after eating

If you experience symptoms after eating, it’s known as postprandial hypotension. It occurs more often in older people, particularly in those who have high blood pressure or conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes mellitus. After a meal, your intestines need a large amount of blood for digestion. If your heart rate doesn’t increase enough to maintain blood pressure, your blood pressure will fall, causing symptoms.

Low blood pressure after standing for long periods

Some people experience symptoms after standing up for long periods of time. This is sometimes known as neutrally mediated hypotension, and most often affects children and young adults.

Read more about the causes of low blood pressure and High blood pressure in the elderly

What is Hypotention ?

Doctors measure blood pressure using two numbers – the first and higher of the two is called the systolic blood pressure, and it occurs when the heart beats and fills the arteries of the body with blood. The lower number is called the diastolic blood pressure, and it’s the pressure in the heart when it rests between heartbeats. A normal blood pressure is said to be in the region of 120/80mmHg (systolic/diastolic) and doctors spend a lot of time dealing with people with high blood pressure. Use a blood pressure chart to see what your blood pressure means.

Low blood pressure (hypotension) on the other hand often requires no treatment but elderly people in particular can find it a problem, especially when standing up from sitting or lying down. In general terms, the medical advice is that the lower the blood pressure the better, and for most people their blood pressure rarely falls below 90/60.

Recognition

However, low blood pressure can sometimes mean there’s not enough blood flowing to your brain and other vital organs, which can lead to symptoms such as:

What to do if you have symptoms

If you think you may be experiencing an episode of low blood pressure, you should:

  • stop what you’re doing
  • sit or lie down
  • drink some water

The symptoms will usually pass after a few seconds or minutes.

When to see your GP

You should see your GP if you have frequent symptoms of low blood pressure. Your GP can measure your blood pressure and help identify any underlying causes of the problem. Read more about diagnosing low blood pressure.

Low blood pressure after suddenly standing up

If you experience symptoms of low pressure after changing positions, such as standing up, it’s known as postural, or orthostatic, hypotension. Symptoms shouldn’t last longer than a few seconds, as your blood pressure will adjust to your new position. This type of low blood pressure tends to affect people more as they get older, when it can lead to more frequent falls. Similar symptoms may also occur after exercise.

Low blood pressure after eating

If you experience symptoms after eating, it’s known as postprandial hypotension. It occurs more often in older people, particularly in those who have high blood pressure or conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes mellitus. After a meal, your intestines need a large amount of blood for digestion. If your heart rate doesn’t increase enough to maintain blood pressure, your blood pressure will fall, causing symptoms.

Low blood pressure after standing for long periods

Some people experience symptoms after standing up for long periods of time. This is sometimes known as neutrally mediated hypotension, and most often affects children and young adults.

Read more about the causes of low blood pressure and High blood pressure in the elderly

” It’s Dementia Awareness Week and we are standing united with @alzheimerssoc against dementia

#DAW2017 #UniteAgainstDementia ”

Dementia currently affects around 850,000 people in the UK, with a staggering one in 14 people over the age of 65 living with the condition. To coincide with Dementia Awareness Week, running from 14-20 May, get to know the symptoms and causes of the health condition, along with the treatments and how it can possibly be prevented.

The word ‘dementia’ describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia they have become severe enough to affect daily life. A person with dementia may also experience changes in their mood or behaviour.

“Everyone, from banks and supermarkets to the local corner shop and hairdresser, share responsibility

for ensuring that people with dementia feel understood, valued and able to contribute to their community.”

What causes dementia?

There are a number of diseases that result in dementia, with the most common cause being Alzheimer’s disease. This is where an abnormal protein surrounds brain cells and another protein damages their internal structure. Over time the chemical connections between brain cells are lost and cells begin to die.

Another common type of dementia is vascular dementia; this occurs when the oxygen supply to the brain is reduced because of narrowing or blockage of blood vessels, leading to brain cells becoming damaged or dying. The symptoms can occur suddenly, following a stroke, or develop over time after a series of small strokes.

What are the symptoms of dementia?

The different types of dementia can affect people in different ways, especially in the early stages. However many of the problems will be cognitive, and a person with dementia will often have problems with some of the following:

Day-to-day memory: Including difficulty remembering events that happened recently.

Concentrating, planning or organising: This could include having difficulty making decisions, solving problems or carrying out tasks.

Language: A person may have trouble following a conversation or finding the right word for what they want to say.

Orientation: They may lose track of the day or date, or become confused about where they are.

Visuospatial skills: This could include problems judging distances and seeing objects in three dimensions.

A person with dementia will also often have changes to their mood. They may become frustrated, irritable, easily upset or unusually sad. The symptoms will gradually get worse over time as dementia is progressive, however how quickly this happens varies from person to person.

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How is dementia diagnosed?

There is no single test for dementia; a diagnosis is based on a combination of factors, including…

Case history: The doctor will talk to the person and someone who knows them well about how their problems developed and how it is affecting their daily life.

Physical examination and tests: Blood tests and other physical examinations will help doctors to rule out any other possible causes for the person’s symptoms.

Mental ability tests: Some tests may be carried out by a doctor or psychologist to assess a patient’s memory and thinking.

A scan of the brain: This can help to confirm a diagnosis and assess which type of dementia a patient has.

Read more about diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.

What is the treatment for dementia?

There is currently no cure for dementia, however there is ongoing research into how to help symptoms or to slow down their progression. Non-drug treatments available include advice, support and therapies for dementia patients. Talking therapies, cognitive behavioural therapy and cognitive rehabilitation may help some patients, while people with dementia are also encouraged to stay as active as possible – both mentally and physically.

There are some medications available to dementia patients including memantine, a drug that may be offered in the moderate or severe stages of Alzheimer’s disease to help with attention and daily living. Meanwhile people with vascular dementia are likely to be offered drugs to treat the underlying medical conditions that cause dementia, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or heart problems.

How can dementia be prevented?

While there is no proven way of preventing dementia, following a healthy and active lifestyle could reduce the risk of developing the condition. This includes maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet, staying active and avoiding excessive alcohol and smoking, which can lead to narrowing of the arteries. It has also been suggested that staying mentally and socially active into later life may reduce a person’s risk of dementia.

Caring for a loved one with dementia ?

For more information on dementia visit alzheimers.org.uk. If you think that you or anyone you know may have dementia it is important to visit your GP or talk to one of our care professionals at secure healthcare solutions .

How to Get Involved

As we get older, there are plenty of challenges to overcome. Mobility can be an issue. Your memory could begin to fade. The things you used to take for granted become more difficult. The development of a health problem or a condition such dementia may mean you need someone to watch out for you.

Most of us want to stay in our own home – it’s not only good for mental and physical wellbeing but allows us to stay connected to our local community, the friends and people we’ve shared our space with for so long.

Dementia and increasing frailty as the years go by naturally leads everyone to evaluate what’s best for the future. Decisions about what to do are usually down to close family members who can be torn between keeping mum or dad in their home and making sure they stay as safe and secure, and happy, as possible.

It’s easy to think there’s no real alternative but to move your loved one into a care home where they can receive professional, around the clock attention. For years, it’s been the traditional way we care for our older relatives. But for many people it’s simply not the right solution.

Live-In Carers

There can be numerous reasons why you don’t want to choose the care home option. Mum or dad may well want to stay in the family home for a start. If they’ve lived in the same location for most of their life, why wouldn’t they want to stay? You might be worried the care homes in your area are not up to the right standard or that they cope with too wide a range of residents and won’t be able to give your loved one the attention they need.

Another option is to hire a live-in carer. This is where a professional carer comes into your home and stays in the spare room, catering to your elderly parent’s needs on a full-time basis. While care homes are staffed with compassionate and caring professionals, they can’t normally give the kind of one to one care that older people need.

With a live-in carer, this is exactly what you get.

At Secure Healthcare Solutions we know that care isn’t a once size fits all issue. What works for one person, won’t necessarily be suitable for another. We also know that elderly relatives who remain in the familiar surroundings of their home have a better quality of life than those who find themselves uprooted to a care home.

Letting a stranger into your home to look after your mum or dad can be a big decision, of course. Our selection process is quite involved with a care assessment test and face to face interview as well as on the job monitoring. We make sure that all our staff are fully vetted and have a DBS check. Their job is to build a strong, caring relationship, not just with their ward but those around who have an emotional and familial connection. That’s why we take such care on who comes to work for us.

At Secure Healthcare Solutions, we believe t’s not just about having a full-time carer at home. It’s about the right plan tailored for your needs, getting the perfect match and a carer who essentially becomes a part of the family. Yes, they can handle all medical, health and personal needs but they also provide the companionship that so many of us need in later life.

If you wish to learn more about how we can support you, please contact us and let one of our advisers come to see you and your family for a more detailed plan on how we can support you.

Let us help you get the care you need for the life you want.

As we get older, there are plenty of challenges to overcome. Mobility can be an issue. Your memory could begin to fade. The things you used to take for granted become more difficult. The development of a health problem or a condition such dementia may mean you need someone to watch out for you.

Most of us want to stay in our own home – it’s not only good for mental and physical wellbeing but allows us to stay connected to our local community, the friends and people we’ve shared our space with for so long.

Dementia and increasing frailty as the years go by naturally leads everyone to evaluate what’s best for the future. Decisions about what to do are usually down to close family members who can be torn between keeping mum or dad in their home and making sure they stay as safe and secure, and happy, as possible.

It’s easy to think there’s no real alternative but to move your loved one into a care home where they can receive professional, around the clock attention. For years, it’s been the traditional way we care for our older relatives. But for many people it’s simply not the right solution.

Live-In Carers

There can be numerous reasons why you don’t want to choose the care home option. Mum or dad may well want to stay in the family home for a start. If they’ve lived in the same location for most of their life, why wouldn’t they want to stay? You might be worried the care homes in your area are not up to the right standard or that they cope with too wide a range of residents and won’t be able to give your loved one the attention they need.

Another option is to hire a live-in carer. This is where a professional carer comes into your home and stays in the spare room, catering to your elderly parent’s needs on a full-time basis. While care homes are staffed with compassionate and caring professionals, they can’t normally give the kind of one to one care that older people need.

With a live-in carer, this is exactly what you get.

At Secure Healthcare Solutions we know that care isn’t a once size fits all issue. What works for one person, won’t necessarily be suitable for another. We also know that elderly relatives who remain in the familiar surroundings of their home have a better quality of life than those who find themselves uprooted to a care home.

Letting a stranger into your home to look after your mum or dad can be a big decision, of course. Our selection process is quite involved with a care assessment test and face to face interview as well as on the job monitoring. We make sure that all our staff are fully vetted and have a DBS check. Their job is to build a strong, caring relationship, not just with their ward but those around who have an emotional and familial connection. That’s why we take such care on who comes to work for us.

At Secure Healthcare Solutions, we believe t’s not just about having a full-time carer at home. It’s about the right plan tailored for your needs, getting the perfect match and a carer who essentially becomes a part of the family. Yes, they can handle all medical, health and personal needs but they also provide the companionship that so many of us need in later life.

If you wish to learn more about how we can support you, please contact us and let one of our advisers come to see you and your family for a more detailed plan on how we can support you.

Let us help you get the care you need for the life you want.

Caring for a loved one with dementia poses many challenges for families and caregivers. People with dementia from conditions such as Alzheimer’s and related diseases have a progressive biological brain disorder that makes it more and more difficult for them to remember things, think clearly, communicate with others, or take care of themselves. From angry outbursts to more physical manifestations of behavior, understanding and dealing with our loved one’s dementia behaviors may be one of the most stressful parts of being a caregiver. Dementia involves more than just memory loss. A person with this disorder can be a challenge to take care of. Caring for a loved one with dementia poses many challenges for families and caregivers.

The cause of the disease can have a bearing on the type of care given. Before embarking on caring for such a patient consider the following questions.

Is the dementia part of a brain disease process?

Is there a history of brain injury?

Is it the so called senile dementia which is considered part of the aging process?

Where to care for the dementia patient

Depending on the severity and predominant symptoms, a person with dementia can benefit from either home care or institutional based care. Where only personal care issues are involved, a general carer may be able to offer care to the patient. However, where symptoms pose a risk to self and others, then a professional nurse may come in to offer at home care services.

Seven Tips for Communicating with a Person with Dementia

  1. Set a positive mood for interaction. …

  2. Get the person’s attention. …

  3. State your message clearly. …

  4. Ask simple, answerable questions. …

  5. Listen with your ears, eyes and heart. …

  6. Break down activities into a series of steps. …

  7. When the going gets tough, distract and redirect.

Emotional and Physical support

People with dementia feel anxious when they realize that they have mental related problems. Showing Care, patience and reassuring them will help them to cope better and enjoy improved self-worth. Other measures to help these patients lead a dignified life include:

  • Helping them remain clean
  • Helping them dress
  • Helping them eat a healthful diet
  • Assisting them to remain as physically active as possible. This will be determined by their degree of mental or physical disability.
  • Legal representation and protection. Some people may take advantage of the altered mental status of dementia patients. Help them get their rightful state support where necessary and protect their finances from potential fraudsters.

When dealing with difficult behaviors from someone with dementia, it’s important to remember that they are not deliberately being difficult. Our loved one’s sense of reality may now be different from ours, but it is still very real to him or her. As caregivers, we can’t change the person with dementia, but we can employ strategies to better accommodate any problem behaviors. Both the environment you create at home and the way you communicate with your loved one can make a significant difference.

Dementia can cause mood swings and even change a person’s personality and behavior. This Fact Sheet provides some practical strategies for dealing with the troubling behavior problems and communication difficulties often encountered when caring for a person with dementia. If you are the main carer of a dementia person, don’t forget to care for yourself. Burnout is a real possibility. To avoid this, always source for help and take needed break every now and then.

Be aware of the signs of dementia

Memory loss is one of the key symptoms, but others include:

  • increasing difficulty with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning
  • depression
  • changes in personality and mood
  • periods of mental confusion
  • difficulty finding the right words

If someone you know is becoming increasingly forgetful, you should encourage them to see their GP to talk about the early signs of dementia.

Finally, there are so many more behavior interventions, treatments and specialty care providers now than ever before. Don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to one of our qualified advisers.

You can read more top tips for talking about dementia on the UK Alzheimer’s Society website.

 

What is the DBS?

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps healthcare employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable candidates from working with vulnerable groups, including children and elderly . It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

For those posts that involve a greater degree of contact with children or vulnerable adults, ie the type of work that involves regularly caring for, supervising, training or being in sole charge of such people, candidates will require an enhanced DBS check.

If I have a criminal conviction, can I still be employed?

This will depend on whether your offence is considered to make you unsuitable to have access to patients. We conduct a greater level of checks on staff who work with certain patient groups, such as children and vulnerable adults. We will however consider a range of factors before making our decision to appoint -the nature of the offence -the age at which it was committed – its relevance to the post in question – whether the applicant has a pattern of offending behaviour – whether the applicants circumstances have changed since the offending behaviour – the circumstances surrounding the offence and the explanation(s) offered by the convicted individual.

Why does Secure Healthcare Solutions ask for an Enhanced DBS Check ?

We do this to protect our client and patients. In doing this, we balance the need to prevent unsuitable people from working in sensitive posts, against the threat of discrimination against rehabilitated ex-offenders. In addition to the information included in the Standard Check, an Enhanced DBS Check includes a consultation of the new lists of individuals considered unsuitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. The police will also check for any additional information held in their files that might be relevant to the position being applied for. It is then up to the police to decide what extra information is added to the report.

What is the definition of a vulnerable adult?

Whilst the term ‘vulnerable’ is no longer in use, this is defined as an adult person aged 18 or over who is in receipt of specific types of services, namely:

  • healthcare for adults provided by, or under the direction or supervision of a regulated healthcare professional
  • personal care for adults
  • social work – provision by a social care worker of social work which is required in connection with any health services or social services
  • assistance with an adult’s cash, bills or shopping because of their age, illness or disability arranged via a third party
  • assisting in the conduct of an adult’s own affairs under a formal appointment
  • conveying adults for reasons of age, illness or disability to, from, or between places, where they receive healthcare, personal care or social work arranged via a third party.

Can Secure Healthcare Solutions Help with the Costs of DBS?

If you are a professional healthcare assistant, support worker with a minimum of 12 months experience , a registered nurse looking for work and motivated to do well in the Care industry , then secure healthcare solutions would be more than happy to take care of all the costs of your full enhanced DBS check, usually worth just under £70 mark.

Looking for Full-time or Flexible agency work ?

Full-time agency workers are welcome, with block bookings and contracts available. Benefits of working with Secure Healthcare

 

High pay rates
Flexible shifts
Regular shifts
Block bookings
Online timesheets
Dedicated Consultant
Refer a friend scheme
Free Uniform
Free Training
Meet and Greet (First Shift)
Internal Taxi Service for shifts
Both Permanent and Temporary Jobs available
Onsite Financial Advice

Register with one of the fastest growing nursing agencies in West Midlands

Registration is really simple.

Please fill in the details on the left and one of our team members will call you within 24 hours.

There has never been a better time to join Secure Healthcare Solutions in a full or part time nursing job.

Register now

 

 

0121 285 9449 | info@securehealthcaresolutions.co.uk

Secure Healthcare Ltd - 09742364, Grand Station, Sun Street, Wolverhampton, WV10 0BF