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Abacare encourages Wales to get birdwatching
| Published: 21st January 2020 10:39 |
AN AWARD-WINNING care agency in Wales is backing the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) Big Garden Birdwatch campaign (January 25 - 27, 2020) and says birdwatching is beneficial for its service users.
Abacare is encouraging its service users to take part and record sightings of gardeners’ feathered friends, and will also be supplying the public with participation sheets if they wish to join in.
Tracey Webster, Branch Manager at Abacare, which provides care across Wrexham, said: “We’re always looking for activities for our service users to take part in and we think the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, which takes place from January 25 until 27, is perfect. Birdwatching is not a physically demanding activity, so is ideal for those who are less mobile or housebound, but it is mentally very beneficial.
“Watching birds from the window or from a garden offers a range of sensory stimulation. Noticing the patterns and colours in their feathers and their behaviour when feeding helps to engage the brain and learning about the different species is great for the memory.
“To take part people need to dedicate one hour between January 25 – 27 in their garden, local park or green space and count the birds they see land. It’s easy. They note down what species they see and report their findings back to the RSPB at https://www.rspb.org.uk. Results can also be sent via post.
“If any members of the public fancy giving it a go, they can pick up a participation sheet in English or Welsh from our offices. We’ll be printing them off and handing them out to our service users so they can take part too. Our carers will also be able to assist them if needed.”
The Big Garden Birdwatch allows the RSPB to monitor trends and helps it understand how birds are doing.
The scientific data can be compared year-on-year creating a ‘snapshot’ of bird numbers across the UK.
For four decades, the Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the garden bird world. It was one of the first surveys to alert the RSPB to the decline in the number of song thrushes in gardens. This species was a firm fixture in the top 10 in 1979, but by 2019 numbers of song thrushes seen in gardens had declined by 76%, coming in at number 20.
Tracey added: “We’re hoping that our service users will enjoy the activity so much that they take it up more regularly. It’s a lovely hobby to have and do individually or with a carer or family friend or relative.
“People should also head over to our website at www.abacare.org.uk where we have blog posts on the benefits of birdwatching and also top tips on how to attract them to your garden.”
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 outcomes based, 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.
No experience is necessary to become a carer as free, full training is offered, which 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.
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.
Tracey continued: “This is a great opportunity for anyone wishing 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.
“Being a carer is a highly skilled, professional vocational occupation that is essential to the fabric of our society and the beauty of a job for life means people can start by training with us and work their way up the career ladder gaining further training and qualifications. In today’s changing world of employment, we pride ourselves on being able to offer long-term job security and career prospects.”
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 about Abacare, please call 01352 870671.
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