I’m delighted to say that my two sons are now of an age when I can introduce them to some of the cinematic delights of the 1980’s that I enjoyed as a teenager.  We recently had a movie night together, watching Back to the Future – a well-known and much loved American sci-fi movie about a boy who accidently travels back in time from 1985 to 1955.   One of the more dramatic scenes involves the film’s main character, Marty McFly, experiencing his existence slowly being erased – along with that of his much-loved family.  This was a direct result of Marty inadvertently altering the future through a series of decisions and actions whilst being ‘back in time’ (cue cheerful humming of the pop-rock-legend Huey Lewis and the News hit single…)

The theme of losing somebody, or part of oneself, very much made me reflect on recent Scottish Care reports - notably ‘Trees that bend in the wind’, which explored the experience of front line support workers delivering palliative and end of life care (PEOLC) and ‘Fragile foundations’ which sought to uncover the largely hidden world of older peoples’ mental health and that of the workforce which support them.  During one of the research focus groups we conducted as part of our Supporting Solace project, one of the participants described caring for somebody at the end of their life so eloquently.  They used the phrase “We are the trees that bend in the wind” to describe the ways in which they adapt, change and are changed by the circumstances of the dying journey.  It implies pressure, strain and the risk of breaking - or at least of losing part of oneself in the process.

Palliative and end of life care is premised on impending loss and as such can be frightening, traumatic and lonely - often pushing people to their absolutely emotional limits, and sometimes beyond.   It can also be beautiful, peaceful, comforting and full of love and I can certainly relate to this juxtaposition of emotions during my time as a director of a care at home organisation in Edinburgh.  While it was an absolute privilege to be part of so many people’s dying journey, it was not without its challenges.

Sadly, there continues to be a lack of meaningful and timely partnership working arrangements with PEOLC specialists and support services which can often result in care at home organisations and their workforce feeling isolated, afraid and unsupported.  This often manifests in the workforce feeling undervalued and insignificant or as one support worker said, “….we are at the bottom of the pile.”  There is also substantial pressure on support workers to communicate the dying journey - both to the person who they are support and their family.  As one care worker said, “I don’t know what to say….it can be overwhelming.  We try and say what we think is right.  It just comes out.  You feel like you’re apologising all the time.”

The loss felt for somebody you have loved or cared for deeply can be overwhelming and all consuming.  I once heard somebody say that “Grief is like wearing a very tight pair of shoes that you cannot take off.  Just as you can think nothing else other than your feet hurting, so also in your grief you can think of nothing else but your loss.”  The death of an individual who has been receiving focused care – in their own home or in a care home - cannot be seen as end point on the palliative and end of life care journey for care workers and family members.

Unfortunately there is a palpable absence of bereavement support for the social care workforce who, in reality, provide the vast majority of palliative care in Scotland.  There’s an urgent need for the development and co-ordination of high quality post-death support services which are designed to be easily accessible for care home and care at home staff involved in PEOLC.  I am delighted to be working with Scottish Care colleagues, NES, the Care Inspectorate, Glasgow University and others to identify how we can put into practice the development of better, more integrated bereavement support at a policy and practical level on a national basis.  We will be sharing more information about this project with you soon.

Unlike Back to the Future it’s going to take more than a modified DeLorean and a fully functional flux capacitator to avoid yet more people losing part of themselves caring for people at the end of their life – and to prevent the sector losing a dedicated, committed and skilled workforce.

If you are talking about how to support the #peoplethatmatter, then you have to mention Jessie the recruitment and welfare vehicle!

#homecareday18

Primecare’s intention is to create a culture of support and wellbeing for its staff, providing a central hub for staff to be able to access in and around their local working area, Jessie holds a stock of gloves, aprons and uniforms as well as blether books and hand sanitizer. We offer staff a place to have an informal chat, as well as a shield from the cold, and a hot drink for staff who walk  their run  to visit clients in all weather.

The Recruitment and Welfare vehicle is in its infancy, however has so far received very positive feedback from staff. Our service users have also had the opportunity to share in this experience as Jessie has made appearances at our recent service user's forum and the MacMillan coffee morning, as you can see from the photos taken at the charity coffee morning, this gave them immense pleasure as everyone was delighted to be a part of this new venture.

Primecare Health Ltd

As part of the #peoplethatmatter hour of #homecareday18, HRM Homecare have shared the details on their Buy a Meal Campaign - demonstrating how a small idea can blossom to really benefit service users.

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It is almost one year since the team at HRM Homecare came up with an idea that had a huge impact on service users over the festive period in 2017. Since it is Home Care Day, we thought it would be a great opportunity to blog about the Buy a Meal Campaign.

Assistant Service Manager Stacey Crawford first put forward the concept, along with some of our Lanarkshire-based support workers in mid-December last year. They wanted to fundraise to buy Christmas dinners for service users without family or friends.

Without knowing if they would be able to pull it off in time, the team set about fundraising at the busiest time of year in a Care at Home service. They weren’t at all put off by the added stress and strain in an already pressurised work environment – because they cared!

They worked effectively together to find innovative ideas that would raise enough funds to meet the target set to buy a Christmas dinner for all the people identified as without their own network to provide a festive meal on 25 December.

Workers were asked to donate £1 towards the Buy a Meal Campaign. This money helped purchase meals, as well as the other festive treats like mince pies, Christmas cars and boxes of chocolates for those service users who had no one to prepare a meal for them or visit them on Christmas day.

Thanks to their super efforts, the fundraising goal was achieved in only a few days, the level of buy-in to the initiative was so heartening. After seeing the organisations’ support workers and managers put so much effort into raising £230 in such a short period, we decided to match the funds – meaning we had a healthy pot of £460 to cover the costs of providing everyone identified with a Christmas parcel.

The kindness continued. Staff also volunteered to give their own time on Christmas day itself to support both the service users and their colleagues to deliver meals and spend time with those who were on their own on Christmas Day. On 25^th December their teamwork was evident out in the community.

Because of this innovative idea and caring practice, the Buy a Meal Campaign made a real difference to the lives of 36 of HRM Homecare’s most vulnerable service users in Lanarkshire, turning just another day into a special Christmas celebration for them! The impact was heartfelt pleasure and joy from people who were otherwise going to be alone on Christmas day.

The team at HRM Homecare truly went the extra mile and wholeheartedly demonstrated by their actions what care is really about: selflessness, warmth, dignity and empathy for other human beings.

But it wasn’t just the service users who benefitted. It raised morale across the board, and teamwork and friendships among the whole care team flourished – support staff out on Christmas day itself were incredibly proud, and rightly so.

Any monies left over were donated to Alzheimer’s Scotland.

I couldn’t be prouder of my staff. They showed real caring and compassion, giving of their own time and money – especially at Christmas. They put the needs of those less fortunate before themselves. This may seem like a small act but all too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring – all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

This year, the staff are aiming for a bigger and better campaign, not just in Lanarkshire bit throughout our entire organisation. Fundraising efforts were kickstarted by donating £1 every week to dress down on a Friday. The staff have definitely lived up to our motto at HRM Homecare: We Care.

Lynn Laughland

Managing Director, HRM Homecare

The People that Matter - a reflection on those that access and provide CAH services

I remember many years ago a very popular American crime thriller TV series called ‘24’ with Kiefer Sutherland comprising of 24 one-hour episodes covering 24 hours of his life.

That’s what it is like for every individual who lives at home, who are being supported by their loved ones or those commissioned to provide care and support services. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!!

Today we are celebrating the work being undertaken by the unsung heroes who work in social care and the pressures they face on a day to day basis in providing “care from the heart”. This is NOT a job that anyone can do and needs that “special” person to be able to be sensitive to the needs of the individuals and families that they look after.

As we approach winter again and look forward to a Christmas of joy and wellbeing, with many of us (me included) over indulging in the good things of life, just stop for a moment and think of those who will have to work on Christmas day, leave their loved ones to care for those in need. To face the wrath again of the cousin of the “beast from the east”, to walk through rain and snow to provide much needed help and comfort to these who need it.

The media focus then was on the NHS and the angels working there. I have no issues with that being a nurse myself with my wife working in the NHS.  In Scotland we have over 200,000 individuals who work in social care services in Care at Home, Housing Support and Care Homes, under difficult circumstances, and those are the unsung heroes who should be recognised for what they do, many of whom are an older female workforce.

They care and support those every day who need their love and compassion, touching physically with body and mind to enable you and me (in the future) to remain at home, in our familiar surroundings.

I watched the TV programme last night called “Ambulance” and saw staff working alongside not just trauma victims, but those in need at home, who are suffering physically and mentally to “keep it together”.  It was at times heart breaking!  That is what our social care staff do day in day out, and under very difficult circumstances. It must be so hard for them to leave their clients knowing that perhaps they may not see another human being for another 4 hours, till they return.

So, I started with the TV programme ‘24’, and so it goes on and on. Care support and compassion are something not just for our carers to do, but something that society must embrace, including the system we live in where politicians and civil servants decide how things should be with regards to care.

The Integration Bill is a wonderful idea, shifting the emphasis from acute to the community, but is it happening?  Yes and no! Once this thorny issue is fully grasped by the powers that be, and dealt with properly, those being cared for can indeed experience care available at any point in the 24 hours that they require it, how they want it - as it should be!

Swaran Rakhra

Membership Support Manager, Scottish Care

#homecareday18

As part of our #technology hour during #homecareday18, Colin Hastie from Bruach Design and Consultancy assesses the innovations available to assist the care at home sector.

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