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Take extra care of elderly when clocks change at end of month
| Published: 16th October 2020 15:17 |
A WALES care provider is urging people to take extra care of their elderly relatives and neighbours when the clocks go back an hour at the end of this month (October 2020).
From October 25 the evenings will get darker earlier, which could impact on the well-being of older people says Abacare, which cares for people in their own homes across Wales.
Neil Griffiths, Regional Manager at Abacare, said: “Through visiting our service users, we know that many elderly people are affected by the darker evenings and cooler weather, so we thought it was extremely important to pass on our insider knowledge to ensure that people check on any older neighbours, friends or relatives more often in the winter months. This is especially important as many have been unable to get out as much as normal due to the Coronavirus this year. They will be feeling isolated and lonely already before the clocks change, so extra vigilance is needed this winter.
“The darkness and bad weather can limit the time elderly people can get out and about to run errands or socialise, if they can get out at all. So, it’s a good idea if you have formed a bubble with them, to pop in a few times extra during a normal week to see if there’s anything they need. If you aren’t in their bubble you could also call them more often and visit them using the current safe social distance measures in place. Please make sure you consultant local rules at the time of your visit to ensure you’re complying with these.
“It’s also a good idea to make sure they are warm and have plenty of additional blankets to hand and are wearing layers of clothing, should they need it. Sometimes a friendly face at the window or on the doorstep, at a safe distance, is all that someone needs, but please do adhere to all the safe social distancing measures in place. If you’re in the same bubble, simply just popping in to say ‘hello’ and to enjoy a cuppa and a natter is perfect.”
Abacare operates a professional Care Management Team that is committed to providing high quality care to individuals in their own homes.
The large team of trained, specialist, care workers provide positive based outcomes and person-centred care to people throughout the UK.
Abacare’s core values, instilled into every staff member, include ‘make us proud’, ‘focus on our service users’ wellbeing’, ‘communicate, listen well and speak with respect’, ‘be passionate, honest, caring and considerate’, ‘recruit and develop the very best’ and ‘lead by example’.
It believes it offers inspiring work for inspirational people as well as a flexible and supported working environment.
Neil added: “We are continuously working to eradicate social isolation. We believe providing emotional care is just as important as the physical and we are doing our upmost to make sure our service users don’t feel lonely or isolated, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic and throughout the winter months.
“We hope people all across the county will take it on board our tips for caring for the elderly in the winter months and take some time out of their day or week to ensure anyone they know who is older and less able is well looked after in these darker months before Christmas.”
Abacare is looking for kind, honest, caring and reliable individuals who wish to have a stable and long-term career in care, and who would like to forge rewarding relationships with the service users they care for. No experience is necessary to become a carer, as free, full training is given.
“Being a carer is a highly skilled, professional vocational occupation that is essential for a properly functioning society, more so at the moment when it’s imperative the elderly and vulnerable are protected from COVID-19. We’re protecting our service users and the NHS, and are essential keyworkers. The beauty of a job for life, like this, means people can start at the very bottom and work their way up with training and qualifications.
“We can provide our free, full training on a fast-track basis to make sure everyone we take on is ready. This includes a company induction, first aid, information on dementia, health and safety, food safety, infection control, handling medication and moving and handling service users, with the opportunity to achieve Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) after the initial three months probationary period. The Government has also taken steps to ensure a quicker turnaround on DBS checks, so people can get into work quicker.
“New recruits are given free uniforms, access to national staff discount scheme for all major brands as well as 28 days paid holiday, paid travel between calls and paid mileage.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is looking for a change of career or someone who just fancies a bit of a change. Being a carer is an extremely rewarding job and you get to meet lots of wonderful people too.”
Anyone interested should contact their nearest branch and details of these can be found at https://abacare.org.uk/contact-us/. People can also find out more information about job vacancies at www.indeed.com/cmp/Abacare.
Abacare is a member of the United Kingdom Homecare Association, Ceretas (formerly British Association of Domiciliary Care), The National Homecare Council and The Information Commissioners Office (Data Protection). It is also registered with the Care Inspectorate Wales.
For more information or to enquire about a position at Abacare, please visit www.abacare.org.uk or www.indeed.com/cmp/Abacare. Alternatively, please follow the company on Facebook at http://bit.ly/2S5LDgb or on Twitter by visiting www.twitter.com/visitabacare.
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