Care Home News
Why are some care home providers still not paying care workers the National Minimum Wage?
27 May 2016
The care sector has been branded ‘high risk’ by the Low Pay Commission for failing to pay their employees the National Minimum Wage. I believe the National Living Wage is the least that care workers should.....
Dementia board game sparks conversation across generations
27 May 2016
In the early to mid-stages of dementia, lapses in memory and episodes of confusion may begin to affect the way in which a person communicates with their family and friends. Feeling frustrated, helpless,.....
Dragons' Den entrepreneur takes people with dementia back in time with interactive train carriages
27 May 2016
An entrepreneur, who managed to win a £100,000 deal on the TV show Dragons' Den, has added to his reminiscence tools for people with dementia, with an interactive train carriage and laundrette. Richard Ernest.....
TV presenter Penny Smith urges people to enter Age International's charity photo competition
27 May 2016
TV and radio presenter Penny Smith is encouraging people to enter Age International’s photo competition to raise awareness of and celebrate older people around the world. The theme of the competition ‘Strength.....
Delayed hospital discharges 'increasing at alarming rate', costing NHS £820m a year
26 May 2016
Delays in discharging older patients from hospital when they no longer need to receive acute clinical care is costing the NHS £820m every year, according to a report published by National Audit Office (NAO). The.....
Three-quarters of care homes rated Inadequate have shown improvement
25 May 2016
Nearly three quarters of care homes originally rated Inadequate have improved their ratings following re-inspection by the Care Quality Commission. The CQC has published an analysis which shows that during.....
Care homes can help cash-strapped councils by being an 'open book' says adult social care director
24 May 2016
With less money for social care, an 'open book' conversation has to take place with all care homes' care costs made transparent says Margaret Willcox, the adult social care director for Gloucestershire County Council. “I.....
Student photography project offers unique insight into life at a dementia memory café
24 May 2016
Memory cafés provide an important facility for thousands of people living with dementia across the UK. Often run by volunteers, they can cater for any number of people living with dementia, including those with different stages of.....
Health+Care Show: 'It's more important than ever for care providers to share best practice'
23 May 2016
Care home providers have been hit by social care funding cuts, the national living wage and tougher CQC inspections. This is why it is more important than ever for people in the care sector to come together and look at how they can.....
Welsh care home's nail bar so popular that care workers learn beauty therapy to keep up with demand
23 May 2016
A nail bar at a Flintshire care home has proved to be so popular with the residents that the home has had to train 10 members of staff in beauty therapy – just to keep up with the demand. Pen-y-Bryn care.....
Dementia-friendly BBC tools help trigger memories
20 May 2016
The BBC has created dementia-friendly tools and a season of programmes to mark Dementia Awareness week. BBC RemArc The broadcaster has decided to use its archived content to help.....
High blood pressure linked to vascular dementia, study reveals
19 May 2016
High blood pressure could ‘significantly raise’ the risk of developing the second most common form of dementia, according to a new study by The George Institute for Global Health, published in the journal Stroke. Researchers.....
Graduate invents 'smart' walking stick to help people with Parkinson's
18 May 2016
The granddaughter of a man with Parkinson’s has invented a ‘smart’ walking stick that could help thousands of people living with the condition. Neha Shahid Chaudhry was inspired to create the ‘smart’ walking stick to improve the.....
Fiona Phillips opens luxury Hampshire retirement village
18 May 2016
Journalist, broadcaster and television presenter, Fiona Phillips, officially opened Anchor’s new Bishopstoke Park Village in Hampshire last week. Best known for her 12 years on the GMTV sofa, Ms Phillips enjoyed a tour of the luxurious.....
Number of carers aged 80+ rises by over a third and most do a 35 hour week
18 May 2016
The number of people aged 80 and over caring for someone else has risen by 39 per cent in the last seven years (from 301,000 to 417,000), figures released by charity Age UK reveal. The majority of people.....
Care workers and nurses 'to learn together' in new Teaching Care Home partnership
17 May 2016
Care England, the largest representative body for independent care providers, has welcomed the launch of ‘Teaching Care Home’, a ground-breaking, nurse-led pilot to improve the learning environment for staff working in homes, undergraduate.....
More than half of people delay dementia diagnosis, fearing 'life is over'
16 May 2016
A new study has revealed that 56 per cent of people are putting off seeking a dementia diagnosis for up to a year or longer, according to research conducted by Alzheimer’s Society. The study launches as part of Dementia Awareness.....
Intergenerational project sees care home residents visit schools to teach children about dementia
16 May 2016
Residents from Care UK’s Cavell Court care home in Norwich recently visited pupils at Cringleford CE VA Primary School for a creative session to teach the children what it is like to live with dementia. The.....
Care home uses pygmy goats in innovative animal therapy
13 May 2016
A Leonard Cheshire Disability care home is pioneering new forms of pet therapy and has opened a pygmy goat centre at the home for people with disabilities. The Greathouse in Kington Langley, Wiltshire, has.....
Former WW2 pilot celebrates his birthday saying 'I don’t feel 103'
13 May 2016
A former WW2 pilot celebrated his 103rd birthday saying: “I have had a good day, I don’t feel 103.” Eric Lewiston, who has lived at Hallmark Care Home, Anisha Grange in Billericay, Essex for three years,.....
There 'will always be a need' for care homes despite current trend towards supported living
12 May 2016
A leading support provider for people with learning disabilities has suggested “there will probably always be a need for bespoke residential environments”, despite the current trend towards supported living. Supported.....
People encouraged to put 'end-of-life care plans in place'
12 May 2016
More than half of those living in the UK feel more comfortable talking about their own death or that of people close to them than they did five years ago, yet are failing to get their ‘affairs in order’, according to research compiled.....
Shropshire care homes deliver a 'Good' standard of care
12 May 2016
The Care Quality Commission has rated two Shropshire homes as delivering a ‘Good’ standard of care. New Fairholme in Oswestry and Crowmoor House in Shrewsbury, which are both run by not-for-profit firm Coverage.....
Widnes Vikings rugby league club gives weekly activity and reminiscence sessions in dementia care homes
12 May 2016
The Super League club, Widnes Vikings, are joining forces with Community Integrated Care in a bid to improve the lives of people with dementia and autism. Star players Patrick Ah Van, Lloyd White, Tom Gilmore.....
Care sector threatened with fines and labelled 'high risk' for failing to pay care workers National Minimum Wage
11 May 2016
Care providers’ failure to pay their employees the National Minimum Wage ‘remains a concern’ says the National Audit Office, which warned that those who do not will face sanctions. The Government spending.....
Care home provider joins forces with care workers union to promote staff rights
10 May 2016
Graham Care which runs eight care homes in Surrey, Kent and Sussex has signed an agreement with GMB, the union for care workers, enabling its care workers to use the union if they wish to air any grievances. GMB.....
Singing for the Brain in care homes 'unlocks memories' in those living with dementia
10 May 2016
Singing for the Brain is a group activity which has been carefully designed for people with memory loss to receive the many health benefits that are woven into the fun of singing. The scheme is run by Alzheimer’s.....
People with dementia missing out on 'personalised end-of-life care'
09 May 2016
The latest review conducted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has revealed that some people from minority groups across the UK, such as those with dementia, learning disabilities and mental health problems, are experiencing poorer.....
Britain's biggest care home provider Four Seasons is financially 'unsustainable'
06 May 2016
International credit agency Moody's has called the financial structure of Four Seasons Health Care (FSHC) unsustainable, a week after the company reported a 39 per cent fall in annual earnings to £38.7m. The.....
Care home residents with dementia pay for 'free' NHS care but get 'second class' treatment
05 May 2016
Residents with dementia are paying for free NHS care and are treated like second class citizens say care home managers. Many care home residents with dementia are left bed-bound, incontinent and sedated.....