newsletter2012s

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elderhomes group

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Elder Homes Group - Constantly Caring Our Locations - Ernvale House Care Centre; Eton Park Care Centre; Millington Springs Care Centre; Argyll Independent Living Centre; Edensor Care Centre; The Burkitt Care Centre; Carson House Care Centre; Bridge, Burton & Trent Court; Duchess Gardens Care Centre; Rider House Care Centre; Epworth House Care Centre; The Links Care Centre; St Ives Disabled Care Centre; Beck Croft Residential Home

Share your thoughts with Alison Messenger - write to her at Head Office, Thorpe House, Harwich Road, Little Clacton, Essex, CO16 9NJ www.elderhomes.co.uk

Welcome to the winter 2012/13 edition of our ‘We Care to Share’ newsletter! As always, there is plenty going on, including improvements to our homes, extensions and lots of activities involving our service users and staff. And, yet more awards for our deserving staff! We are constantly working to improve the quality of care and lives of those in our homes and therefore feel it is important to share our achievements, ambitions and knowledge with you.

In this issueMary Portas touchy feely sensory competition!EHG furthers its commitment to trainingDavid Messenger enters into the Social Care Top 30!EHG partners up to improve nutritional support for residentsEton Park introduces computer classes for residents

Climb every mountainEHG reach finals of National and East Midlands Regional Care AwardsHealthy EatingMeet the Resident Elias BelfieldGet to Know Paul BuckEvents from the past few monthsNewsShare our Training

Elder Homes Group continues to expand with the addition of their 16th home. ERNVALE HOUSE CARE CENTRE, (previously Basford Hurst), in Station Road, Cheddleton, Leek, has been purchased, thereby safeguarding the jobs of 74 full and part-time staff.

The 85-bedroom home is undergoing an extensive refurbishment programme and the creation of two smaller male only and female only self-contained units for elderly people with more challenging mental health issues, after Elder Homes Group received financial support from Yorkshire Bank’s Business Banking Centre in Nottingham.

David Messenger, Managing Director, said: “We originally owned the home from 2001 through to 2007, however a deal came about for us

to buy it back which we did. Yorkshire Bank provided the funding to buy the property as well as funds for a complete refurbishment and building work. We will be redecorating throughout the home and replacing furniture and carpets and creating the two smaller specialist units with their own lounges and dining rooms for male and female residents. This copies a template at other homes in the Group that has worked well. Over the last three or four years, we have re-developed our homes to cater for people with more demanding dementia so we have developed smaller units within the properties. This means that we will soon be looking to recruit up to 20 new nurses and carers.”

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Following the success of the Touchy Feely collection created by Director Alison Messenger and her team using fabric cut-offs donated by Mary Portas at House of Fraser, Alison asked the homes to unleash their creative side. The brief was to use the material to create a piece of art and the entries would be judged by Alison and the Mary Portas team at House of Fraser at their London headquarters.

However, the standard of entry was so high that the Mary Portas team could not choose one winner! They were completely in awe of the entries and were overwhelmed by all the work that had been put in. Because of this, they asked if they could allow 5 winners. David and Alison Messenger very kindly increased the prize budget to allow for this. In the end, there were five overall winners which were:

CARSON HOUSE for Doreen Battersby’s impressive “Bride” doll.

ERNVALE HOUSE for their ‘60’s doll’, called Cher, which was a team effort.

BRIDGE, BURTON & TRENT COURT for their ‘Sensory Sally’, which was a group effort, taking hours to create using numerous different fabrics and aromas to give a full sensory experience.

EDENSOR for their incredible ‘Snake’ piece, created by Gillian Spaling, Ruby Winkworth, Angus Poulton along with a couple of staff members.

ERNVALE HOUSE again, for their huge ‘Interactive Olympic Stadium’, which was given special recognition. The Olympic Stadium piece was, again, a team effort.

Each team won a £50 voucher to spend online or in store at the Mary Portas department.

Alison said: “David and I were so proud of all the work which went into this. The Mary Portas team were so impressed and so was I. What an incredible effort.”

Training has always been a priority

for Elder Homes Group. Dawn

Murphy, Training Manager, reported

that the Group now has 18 staff

who have become Moving &

Handling and Fire Trainers. Dawn

said: “For the homes this is a

great move forward as these

people will be ensuring staff are

not only up to date with their

training but can develop and

promote safe practices as they

will have the advantage of knowing both the service user and the home.”

In addition, Dawn and Peter Sturgess, EHG’s Mental Health Development Manager, successfully completed Dementia Related Cognitive Behaviour Training, which is an extension to the Dementia Awareness Training which EHG already delivers. This will give staff further knowledge and

understanding of a complex and

very individual condition.

Dawn said: “As we are coming to

the end of the calendar year for

the training in the Elder Homes

Group, I would personally like to

thank all the staff for their

support and commitment in

attending training and putting

their learning and development

into practice.”

EHG

Mary Portas

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Winter

Our very own Managing Director, David Messenger, has been selected in the Social Care Top 30! The Social Care Top 30 gives the opportunity to showcase and recognise real leadership and excellence in the sector.

Nominees include individuals who are influential movers and shakers in the social care sector, including:

developments and outcomes in the sector.

significant difference in the sector.

decision-makers.

Nominations have come in from across social care, including the private and public sectors, and chief executives, managers and care professionals. The Top 30 was ultimately compiled by Care Talk magazine but was based on votes from readers and experts in the sector. The inaugural event received support from across the sector, including the Department of Health.

David bought his first care home in 1993 and went on to purchase further homes in 1995 and 1996 to create the Elder Homes Group. As a result of his passion and drive to provide the very highest standards of care, the Group now consists of around 1000 care beds across 16 homes. In recognition of this, in 2009 David was highly commended by an esteemed judging panel in the category “Care Entrepreneur of the Year.”

Alex Shepherd from Care Talk said: “The award is really about recognising real leadership and David has clearly shown this.”

The Nursing Home Support Service for Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership Trust has worked productively with EHG to give residents at RIDER HOUSE the best possible nutritional support.

The NHSS was set up to provide specialist clinical support to nursing homes in South Staffordshire, enabling residents to remain at the home and avoiding unnecessary hospital admittances. It provides advice and support, and delivers regular training sessions in order to share this knowledge and expertise. Its mantra is “knowledge that delivers” and RIDER HOUSE has benefitted from this.

Gillian Rudge, Team Leader and registered Dietician, shared a vision with Brian Dragoonis (Customer Service Director) and Paul Buck (Head Chef/Facilities Manager)

at EHG to make the eating experience

for residents not only enjoyable but to

ensure that meals were of a high

nutritional standard, optimising health

and allowing residents to have a better

quality of life.

Gillian worked with Katie James, a work

experience student, and Ruth Emery,

Administrator, to analyse the menus at

RIDER HOUSE and provide

recommendations to ensure that meals

met the nutritional needs of the residents.

Gillian believes that we have forgotten

the fundamentals of good, basic care in

the UK, but with the right approach and

clinical expertise, meals can be offered

which give great pleasure to residents

and also help prevent the occurrence of

clinical issues, from pressure ulcers to

bowel dysfunction.

It as a fantastic example of a partnership

that works, as Elder Homes Group are

passionate about making residents’

experiences the best they can possibly be,

and the NHSS are equally passionate

about ensuring that the residents remain

healthy and at home.

Gillian said “The staff at RIDER HOUSE

have menus that meet the nutritional

needs of the residents they are caring

for, but of course residents still have

individual choices which we greatly

encourage. We hope that other homes

will follow their example and have

their menus analysed by a qualified

Dietitian to ensure that nutritional

care is a high priority. I would like to

thank Elder Homes Group for their

passion and vision in constantly

promoting improvements in care”.

David Messenger

EHG

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The Nottingham home has been

collaborating with a local college

to provide computer education

to their residents.

Jenny Carlisle came up with the

initiative after having several

conversations with service users in the

weekly coffee morning. Theses weekly

coffee mornings normally have a topic

of interest, chosen by service users,

and researched by Jenny. She was

asked one day by one of the residents

where she got all of her information

from, to which Jenny replied ‘the

internet’!

Jenny took it upon herself to meet

with the local college to ask if they

would be interested in running a

course at ETON PARK. Both Jenny and

the tutors felt that the residents would

not be interested in learning Microsoft

Office but they would enjoy researching and learning how to use the email software that EHG makes available to all the service users across the company.

The classes were run by Neil Buckley, the college tutor, Jenny Carlisle, and the activity staff at ETON PARK. Jenny produced a hand-held picture format guide to using the email software and Neil provided the rest of the content for the weekly sessions. The sessions ran from 1.30pm to 3.30pm every Thursday.

The areas covered were certainly varied! Some service users were looking into their family trees and some just had different interests which they pursued. One service user has a parrot in her room and she researched the breed of the parrot. Some were interested in monologues and film

clips. The classes were often filled with

laughter which could be heard all

across the home!

A particularly heart warming story was

that of Doug, who has his own

computer but has struggled over the

months to remember how to use it.

This computer class enabled him to get

back up and running with his laptop

which he was very happy with. During

one of the classes Doug told the tutor

about when he lived in Spain, and how

he had lost all his pictures of the villa

he lived in. The tutor was able to look

at Doug’s laptop and found a folder of

pictures that had been lost, and was

able to create a short-cut on the

desktop so Doug could look at these

pictures whenever he wanted. EHG is

now looking for more link ups with

other colleges for all the other homes

in the group. Watch this space!

Eton Park

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Winter

THE LINKS are undertaking their most ambitious project yet and all to raise money for charity. They are planning a sponsored climb of Mount Snowdon in Wales.

FactsMount Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of 1,085 metres above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd. It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare

easy task and the team definitely deserve a lot of recognition for even considering attempting this.

The volunteers include Sue Whiteley, the Activities Coordinator, Amjad Ali, Deborah Stewart and Gary Wilkinson, with all volunteers taking two days off work so that they can be there. But the interest is growing daily with students from Bradford College and even more staff members from THE LINKS expressing an interest in joining in. All of the participants are hoping to get as much sponsorship as possible so that lots of money can be raised for the chosen charities.

The entire climb is to raise funds for Help the Hospice. The charity has sent the home collection boxes in order to start raising funds and they will be providing t-shirts for the team to wear on the climb. Residents and staff are also getting involved in some smaller fundraising activities leading up to the main event.

Details of EventThe climb is planned to take place on Saturday, 6th July, with the walk commencing at 6.30 AM. There are 10 staff taking part at present and they will travel to Wales on Friday 5th July in preparation for the walk. It will take around 3.5 to 4 hours to climb up and 2 hours to climb back down.

The entire event is going to be photographed and video diaries are going to be made. This should be great fun for the participants to watch back a week later when they have recovered and are warm and cosy back at home!

Care to ShareThis is planned as part of the biggest Care to Share event ever hosted by EHG and THE LINKS are hoping to make this an annual event. They hope to build on this each year so that they can follow the chosen charities and have a different challenge each year.

We are so proud of everyone who is taking part in this. EHG really does do some excellent work for others and makes amazing contributions to both their local and national community as part of the Care to Share scheme. Every single person involved should give themselves a well-deserved pat on the back!

Climb Every Mountain

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There has been lots of activity on the awards front recently with many of our staff being nominated for both regional and national awards.

Jean Wilkins, Activities Coordinator from MILLINGTON SPRINGS, reached the finals of the National Care Awards, London. Jean was nominated by EHG Director, Alison Messenger, for her commitment, passion and drive. She goes above and beyond providing the essential individual mind stimulation needs of each service user. Alison Messenger said: “She has been proudly with us for over 12 years, is a huge inspiration and is truly our Elder Homes unsung hero.”

Alison Messenger, Director of Elder Homes Group reached the finals of the National Care Awards London herself for Care Marketer of the Year. She was nominated for her tireless work to create imaginative and forward thinking marketing strategies for EHG. Despite her extremely busy schedule, Alison always finds time to personally visit each home on a regular basis to keep up to date with any news from the staff and residents. She understands how important it is to maintain this personal relationship in order to communicate internal news effectively to those outside of the company.

Sabina & Lucja Mach, two sisters from the same home, were also nominated for the National Care Awards, London in the ‘Carer’ category. Both sisters from EDENSOR CARE CENTRE were nominated due to their courage, heroism and outstanding care, during a recent fire in EDENSOR. Residents and staff witnessed the dedication of both women. Alison Messenger said “these two sisters are not only a credit to the company but a credit and inspiration to the industry, we are very proud of them both.”

The finals of the National Care Awards were held at

The Hilton Hotel in London on Friday 28th November

with a glitzy black tie champagne reception and gala

dinner which finished with dancing into the night.

EHG

Over in the East Midlands, one very special Activities Team was selected for the regional finals of the Great East Midlands Care Awards. ETON PARK Activity girls; Sharon Morledge, Aimee Double and Jayne Taylor reached the final as a group for The Care Home Activity Organiser Award for their incredible enthusiasm, passion and energy they put into organising events and activities for all to enjoy at ETON PARK.

The ceremony took place at The Belfry Hotel on the 19th October. This involved a champagne reception for all nominees, a superb gourmet dinner followed by the awards presentation by celebrity, Martin Kemp, which finished with dancing into the night!

ETON PARK is on a roll here – Sharon Morledge, along with Jenny Carlisle were the winners of this award last year!

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Winter

Healthy Eating

Marion Celebrates Marion Warner, a resident at Elder Homes Group’s MILLINGTON

SPRINGS Care Centre in Nottingham, celebrated her 100th birthday recently. Marion was born on the 7th November 1912 in Selston where she has lived ever since. She has a twin sister called Nora who also lives in a neighbouring care home. Marion was a teacher at Holly Hill Primary School and absolutely loved her job. She has two children (a girl and a boy), four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Marion loves her church group and working within her local community. Her favourite pastime is being with family and friends.

Her birthday celebration included lots of tea, cakes and food for friends and family! Children from the local Holly Hill Primary School came to the home for the day and in the evening Tye Hill Voice Choir gave a performance. Her twin sister also came along so they could celebrate together.

At Elder Homes Group we know how important it is to eat a healthy diet and we spend a lot of time working on our menus. Below is our guide to healthy eating!

Food plays an important part in everyone’s life. It sustains us, excites us, pleases us, refreshes and sometimes even teases us! It gives us a time to enjoy whilst we prepare, cook, savour the smells and relish the tastes. It forms part of family life and social life.

EHG strives to offer all of the above with a varied menu that we hope tickles the taste buds as well as meeting the guidelines.

Below are the guidelines we endeavour to follow.

DrinksWater makes up over 60% of our body weight, and it’s important to keep hydrated to maintain this. You should aim to drink 6-8 glasses of liquid like water, juice, milk or fruit squash a day. It’s best to avoid too many fizzy drinks as they contain a lot of sugar and calories, which can result in tooth decay and weight gain when consumed excessively. EHG have drink stations in all lounges so residents

can have drinks throughout the day. This is in addition to the hot drinks trolley throughout the day.

The five main food groupsThere are five main food groups that we all need to eat to maintain a balanced diet, but it can sometimes be confusing how much of each we are supposed to have. The thing to remember is that food should be an enjoyable experience and variety is the spice of life!

Here is some information which may help to make your meal times easier.

Fruit and vegetablesFruit and vegetables are full of minerals, fibre, and antioxidant vitamins that help our bodies to work efficiently and support our immune systems to keep us healthy. They can be fresh, frozen, dried, canned or juiced and should make up about a third of our diet. Many of us don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables, and it can be hard to know how much a ‘portion’ actually is. Here are a few simple suggestions, which count as one portion each:

One portion is:

tablespoon of dried fruit or a banana with your cereal.

grapes, or a pear.

lettuce in a sandwich, or three heaped tablespoons of baked beans.

vegetables like peas or carrots or sweetcorn.

You should aim to eat 5 portions a day. Remember each portion must be different, and try to choose foods of different colours to help you get the range of vitamins you need.pp

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Starchy foodsFoods like bread, chapattis, pitta bread, breakfast cereals, potatoes, rice, noodles and pasta are all starchy foods, which should make up a third of our diet. Wholegrain or wholemeal options contain more fibre which helps us feel full for longer and helps prevent constipation. Starchy foods are a good source of energy, calcium, iron and B vitamins and we should aim to have a serving with every meal. Why not try:

porridge or wholemeal toast with cut up banana or dried fruit.

pasta salad.

with potatoes or couscous or pasta or rice.

One portion is:

or noodles.

Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, lentils and nutsAll of these are a great source of protein, with beans, lentils and nuts being key protein sources for vegetarians. Try to choose lean cuts of meat and remove the skin from poultry before you cook it. This helps to keep your total fat and saturated fat intake in check.

It’s recommended that we include a portion of these foods with two of our daily meals, and eat fish once or twice a week. Oily fish like mackerel, salmon, sardines or fresh tuna are particularly good for you, as they contain omega 3 which helps prevent heart disease.

One portion is:

of cards).

tablespoons.

Milk and dairy foodsThese foods are rich in calcium and nutrients that help to keep bones and teeth healthy and strong. Better to choose low-fat dairy options – weight for weight they have less fat and calories, but slightly more calcium, and other important nutrients than full fat products.

Did you know: A pint of whole milk contains 22.8g fat whereas a pint of semi-skimmed has 10.2g?

You should try and have three portions a day.

One portion is:

This ‘Eat Well’ plate should help you see the proportions of each food group you should be eating.

For more information, check out the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthy-eating

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Winter

Elias BelfieldElias is a very popular resident at our ERNVALE HOUSE home. Elias was born in Sheen in 1921 and was a tractor driver for many years. Elias continues to have a passion for tractors and agriculture. Elias began his love of farming as a young boy, as a farm hand. After serving his time in the army, of which he has many a story to tell, Elias moved to Leek when his wife was expecting their first child. Elias now has the grand total of 7 children and 16 grandchildren. His favourite ice breaker question is: “Have you got children?” This is the beginning of most of Elias’s many humorous stories.

Elias was admitted to ERNVALE HOUSE in October 2009 and has made himself at home, becoming a well known and well liked character. He is extremely chatty and makes a point to talk to everyone.

In his spare time Elias enjoys painting and even helped to paint the Basford Carnival float this summer, which came in second place. His real passion though is painting pictures of Spitfires. The collection of pictures in his bedroom testifies to this. He also enjoys a game of checkers, although he does not enjoy losing and has been known to cheat at times! Despite Elias being 92 years young, (although he will never admit his age), he also has a knack with new technology. He really enjoys playing around with the computer. In fact, a new computer is on his Christmas list! Manager of ERNVALE HOUSE, Barbara Duffield says: “Elias is a funny and intelligent gentleman, he keeps everyone on their toes and everyone is very fond of him. A true character.”

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Paul BuckHow did you get involved in the care industry?In 1999 I was the Executive Head Chef at Barnsdale Hall Hotel in Rutland which was a 5 star

hotel with 2 AA Rosettes. As a chef working 16 hour days this was quite the norm and to be honest with you, you get used to it. However, I had aspirations to work in the USA with a college. They told me to post my CV on the Monster Website. A few weeks later I got a phone call from an agency in Sheffield saying, “Hi Paul, I found your CV online and have a position you may be interested in looking after 17 residential homes in Sheffield...”

What is it that you love about your work?The diversity- each day is completely different to the next. My position gives me a great opportunity to make valuable changes that assist the whole workforce on their day to day tasks. For example-

which printers to use or installing new telephone systems.

Tell us a little bit about what you have been working on recently?I built the company Intranet a few years ago and it now holds nearly all of the tools that the Managers and Administrators in the homes need to carry out their tasks.

I also assist Managers with the legislation around HR. This is a complex labyrinth of who needs to do what and by when or when a staff member is not performing as they should etc. It really can be mind boggling. So over the past few months I’ve been assisting our Managers and Deputies with these key triggers and what to do with them. Employee sickness for last year was difficult to monitor and manage but now everyone is more aware and familiar with the subject - you can see a huge drop in sickness and better all-round performance.

If you were not involved in the care industry, where would you be working?I would probably still be in the catering and hospitality industry. My parents were licensees for over 30 years and owned a

chain of public houses around Preston and Blackpool so I think I would have followed in their footsteps.

How has the care industry changed since you were first involved?There is far more emphasis on documentation. When I first started in 1999 I can remember a CQC inspector (who was then the Care Standards Commission) taking my word that I would resolve the problem but now, it has to be documented and action planned etc.

Why do you enjoy working at Elder Homes Group?Working at senior management level gives me the time for service user contact. It means I can meet the residents and discuss what they want to see in the homes. For example, what food they would like on the menus, colour preferences for the bed linen or types of carpets they would like in their bedrooms.

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What do you think it is that makes Elder Homes Group different from its peers?Passion! Everyone I work with is passionate about what they do and, equally important-‘how it’s done’. I can honestly say there isn’t anyone I work closely with who feels that this is ‘just a job’.

Describe a perfect weekend?Snowboarding in Cairngorm, Scotland; I went last year and loved it. I loved the scenery, the people and the thought of ‘yeah, I know what I’m doing’, (as I’m quickly zooming towards the crash barrier!).

Where is your next holiday?Rome, I’ve never been before. It’s my birthday in January and as an early gift I’ve been given tickets for two to visit and I can’t wait.

Which was the last book you read?‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie. Fascinating read, I would recommend it to anyone.

If you won the lottery, what would be your very first purchase?An American Eagle (RV). I’ve recently sold my motorbikes (all 3 of them) and bought a 6 berth Swift Kon Tiki Motor home, mainly due to having small children. When I went out on the motorbike I missed spending time with them. I was stuck in traffic one day on the A1 and alongside was a huge motor home and I thought to myself, what a great idea.

Over the last six months, Elder Homes Group has been extremely busy with lots of exciting events and activities. And there are plenty more still to come! Here are just some of the activities our residents have been getting up to.

SummerThis summer was a really busy time across all of the Elder Care Homes with summer fayres happening all over the country, but BURKITT was the busiest place to be! At BURKITT’s summer fayre there was a range of stalls including Bric-a-brac, cards, face painting and tombola with some items generously donated by some of the relatives and other organisations. They also had a BBQ, and residents and relatives were entertained by the comedy and musical stylings of Frankie Fortune. Many families and residents came, and some staff brought their children too, to enjoy some of the games and entertainment.

ETON PARK got involved with the Olympic celebrations by hosting a field event at the Cotgrave Festival of Sport. ‘Target Fun’ was created by activity staff and worked in the same way as golf works but instead of using golf balls and clubs, target holes and beanbags were used. It was a great day out for all concerned.

BURKITT also hosted an Olympics party where everyone enjoyed

international food with staff bringing in national dishes from their country to share. Entertainment came from pianist John Hazeldene, as well as some outdoor games where some of the residents had a go at their own mini-Olympics. The staff also dressed up in sportswear for the occasion and held a raffle. This all helped to raise money for the homes residents’ fund. Both events together have raised over £500!

In August BURKITT celebrated a very important birthday when one of their residents Jim celebrated his 70th birthday. Jim enjoyed hand jiving to entertainment played on the accordion by Heather Hawthorne who performed music from Jim’s favourite eras - the 60’s and 70’s. They also played party games such as pass-the-parcel which got everyone joining in. After his party Jim went with a male nurse to watch the cricket at Trent Bridge as a birthday treat.

BRIDGE, BURTON & TRENT

COURT had a very important visitor earlier in the year when Nigel Howe stopped by. Nigel was nominated by his company for his bravery in overcoming his disabilities and managing to do all of this while raising his child alone. He represented Burton upon Trent in the Olympic Torch Relay, and gave our residents the opportunity to hold the Torch, pose for photographs and ask him questions about his experience. It was an unforgettable day for everyone there!

In September, ETON PARK had some new additions to the family- two beautiful rabbits called Salt and Pepper. These little bundles of joy have had an incredibly positive effect on residents at the home. It is such a pleasure for them to be able to hold them and it has been proving to be a real success. So much so that there are plans for four more bunnies to join the fold shortly!

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Winter

Appreciation weekEHG will be holding Appreciation Week from 28th January – 4th February 2013. All of our homes will be partaking in this special week, held for all district nurses. During this week, all district nurses are warmly invited to pop in for coffee, cupcake, and a big thank you, for their ongoing support to our staff, residents, families and friends.

EHG welcomes two new area managers – Shaun Morrisey and Alison Lovelock

Shaun MorriseyShaun is responsible for all our homes in the North. Shaun has 20+ years of experience in the industry. He has a wealth of specialist knowledge, is qualified as a nurse and has worked for numerous large groups, in regional and operational positions. EHG look forward to working alongside Shaun in the future.

Alison LovelockAlison is responsible for all our homes in the Midlands and South. Alison is a registered nurse and an experienced home manager and area manager. EHG look forward to working alongside Alison in the future.

New EHG Campaign!Can you help us make the perfect environment? As part of the care for dementia sufferers, reminiscence pictures, books and items from the past are very much key to creating a healthy environment for not only the elderly but for those suffering with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

So if you have any old items which replicate this special time for many of our service users, e.g. a typical 1950’s radio, 1920’s lipstick case, a regional history book etc., we would love to pop it into our reminiscence box, one of which will be in all of our managers’ offices. The items will either be placed on display in shadow box frames or will be kept in our reminiscence box. They will greatly be used in memory games, conversation, quizzes and the like. Thank you kindly in advance, we will keep you updated on our quest in the next newsletter.

EHG are excited to announce that we will be opening up a new day care centre at Duchess Gardens in the very near future. Hours and times will be flexible for customers and the space will have a fresh, innovative outlook. Watch this space for more details!

AutumnEveryone was grabbing their witches’ broomsticks and cauldrons this Halloween with ghoulish parties happening across lots of the Elder Homes Group’s homes. BURKITT celebrated Halloween this year with a party which involved a mask decorating competition, a tombola, party games and party food. And of course a party isn’t complete without a good old sing along session. At BRIDGE, BURTON & TRENT COURT, however, one day simply wasn’t enough. They had an entire week of Halloween fun including wear-anything-days for the staff.

EPWORTH HOUSE joined in the fun with their own Halloween fayre which included ‘hook-a-skull’, a haunted house, cake stall, pie and mash, bobbing for apples and lots more! They raised £400 for their residents’ fund and had to pack up early as they sold out of goodies! Other spooky events included pumpkin carving and a spooky mask competition, made by the children of Hill Toppers play school and judged by the residents.

And of course just after Halloween follows Bonfire Night and fireworks were going off up and down the country. BURKITT had a great time with their fireworks party. They partied with music and entertainment from Mike Hobson, indulged in plenty of hearty hot food such as beef burgers and jacket potatoes and of course, an incredible fireworks display!

BRIDGE, BURTON & TRENT COURT had an extremely busy autumn. They recently enjoyed a gardening themed week with garden activities including planting their herb garden, designing a large bright display for the lounges and fruit and vegetable painting. Several users are also proudly displaying their framed works of art in the communal spaces for all to see! Just a few weeks earlier at Bridge Court, Peter Hornsby and his wife Shelia celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary. They celebrated with a gathering of friends and family in the parlour complete with balloons and cake and a buffet tea which was enjoyed by all. Congratulations Peter and Sheila!

CARSON HOUSE has also been engaged with plenty of activities over autumn. They had a ‘ZooLab’ where the residents were able to learn about and see real life exotic creatures. The unusual animals included snakes, lizards and lots of creepy crawlies. The bravest residents actually held some of the creatures including a huge tarantula. The same cannot be said for the staff, who ran in the other direction as soon as they saw the many legs. Everyone said it was an experience they would never forget.

The home also had a fantastic time at Audrey Parker’s retirement bash with singer Jack Kane who brought the house down. Lots of people got up and sang into the microphone and even the shyest were joining in and mingling.

CARSON HOUSE recently enjoyed a trip to Blackpool. They went for a meal at Cleveleys followed by a trip through the Blackpool illuminations. They were also lucky enough to have staff from the Bodyshop come in for the day and pamper the residents with facials, massages and other luxurious treatments. Everyone needs a pamper session once in a while!

December is always a busy social month across the group. There was plenty of festive cheer spread around the homes with Christmas parties, performances and shows taking place up and down the country.

BURKITT celebrated Christmas with a party featuring music and carols from Heather Hawthorne and a couple of local choirs. There was a tombola under the Christmas tree, party food, plus Santa paid a visit!

BRIDGE, BURTON & TRENT COURT also had a Christmas party in each of their buildings which included an afternoon of entertainment, a buffet tea and a visit from Santa with presents for all.

THE LINKS have set up an in-house choir made up of staff and service users. The choir gave a special Christmas performance and are due to perform again at Easter. They are hoping to eventually perform at local schools, community centres and church groups as part of their community links. THE LINKS held their annual Christmas Show once again. Service users and staff from each unit worked together to perform a song, dance or comedy sketch. We heard it was the biggest and best show yet!

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Elder Homes Group’s staff are regularly trained in best practice. Each newsletter we share a small section of our training topics.

Focusing on DementiaDementia is a distressing condition not only for the sufferer but for family and those who care for the individual. At EHG we hope that through training and our open sessions we can give some insight into why people with dementia behave in certain ways- to help them understand and therefore help them in the best way possible.

WHY does dad talk to the mirror?

WHY won’t mum eat her porridge?

WHY does dad get distressed?

WHY does mum think it’s time to make tea for the children?

WHY does dad say he’s hungry when he has just had his tea?

WHY does dad think he needs to go to school?

WHY does mum wash her clothes in the sink?

WHY does dad get up at 4.00am saying he is off to do his post round?

WHY does mum take other peoples things?

Dementia can be very lonely for the sufferer but by staff and relatives attending our training and open-sessions, we aim to give them some insight into WHY.

Our aim is to show that the behaviour and mind of a person with dementia is not so confusing, and all that is needed is understanding and love. Don’t make dementia that lonely place for the people we care for.

Over the next year, a number of staff within the EHG have committed to a year of study with the renowned David Sheard of Dementia Care Matters.

Training



his tea?

Feel free to drop into any of our homes for afternoon tea. Contact any of our homes and drop in for afternoon tea with your loved ones. See our commitment to caring first hand and join us for home made cakes in our beautiful surroundings. Make yourself at home and ask us any questions you might have.

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