Whats new at Kerry Cares
Below you will see interesting news and articles on Elderly care and other topics of interest
Our Family business would like to not only help with the care, but also inform people on the needs of the elderly in our communities so we can ll make an effort.
Dementia Care
How to help you family with dementia
As we work with a few dementia clients, we have discovered that family members often times feel overwhelmed and struggle to understand how to help their family members. As we have worked with a few over the years, we have collected some helpful information on ways you can help.
1. Do not feel guilty. This is by no means your fault. You are doing all you can and you are doing your best with the resources you have. Please know no one can ask more than that of you.
2. Try to treat your loved one as you always have, they will forget your name or be unsure who you are, however in our experience if you act as you always have your loved one will feel comfortable that you know who they are and you are able to see to their needs.
3. Be aware that your loved one will become depressed and anxious as the disease progresses. This is normal and not your fault either. The best way to deal with this, in our experience is to keep your loved one as entertained as possible. We have structured community inclusion calls which allow clients to be taken out to events, or places of interest. We favour places such as museums, churches, zoos, interactive farm yards etc. however, even a short shopping trip, or a trip to the nail salon can be enough.
4. In our experience, generally people who struggle with dementia tend to suffer terrible sugar addiction, this sugar binging leads to decline in cognition and creates confusion. We would advise family members to watch their loved ones sugar intake. Try to allow for only 1 or 2 sugary treats a day and do not leave sugary foods where they can be easily spotted or accessed.
5. Do not think you are alone, there are many many people in your situation, feeling just as you feel now. Join a support group if you feel that will help and talk to people. Do not feel that you cannot communicate with your care team at Kerry cares. We are here for not just the special loved ones we visit, but we strive to offer support for the family too. You are welcome to call us and we will listen. We are here for all of you as we know how hard this can be.
And finally be kind to yourself and take care of yourself, you can only look after others if you look after yourself.
For more information visit: Alzheimer's society or call the Alzheimer's Society on 0333 150 3456 for support and guidance.
Winter fuel allowance and the Elderly
I hate to stray into politics but....
In our work with the elderly, we deal with people who are living alone on small pensions and have to pay for thier care from agencies and individuals such as us. The heart breaking truth is daily we are having conversations with our special elderly clients about the fears they face. We have in the worst experience found one of our lovely ladies sitting in her freezing cold home with blue lips to afraid to turn on her heating for fear of being unable to afford it. We have had to involve families to ensure that they are able to heat their homes and stay safe this winter.
It is incredibly disappointing to our special people that the government holds them so low on the needs list that they can take money from them to use in areas of public spending which make little to no sense. I have heard of people stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but stealing from the poor and vulnerable to feed the rich train drivers, doctors, net zero companies, illegal migrant hotel bosses etc. etc. makes us all afraid and angry.
What we can do?
We as Kerry Cares have committed to absolutely no inflation increase in the year 2024 - 2025 and while this is a small difference, we would encourage other care agencies and workers to commit to the same policy for the following financial year.
We will be donating cash to Patrick's fundraiser for Friends Of The Elderly at the following link : https://www.justgiving.com/page/saveourseniors?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fsaveourseniors&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share and I would encourage everyone to do the same if you are in a position where you can.
This winter, if you are a neighbour of an elderly person or you are a family member of an elderly person, please take the time to check on them regularly. It is going to take communities coming to together for us all to get through this. Please be part of the community.
For further information on protecting the elderly this winter please click on this link to head over and read up some to tips on keeping our special and valuable elderly people safe and warm. https://www.homecare.co.uk/advice/how-can-the-elderly-keep-warm-this-winter
Until our next news update, stay safe, stay warm, stay happy.
23 October 2024
The plight of the mobility scooter
While we all understand the parking difficulties usually experienced in the UK in general. One concern is becoming ever more apparent. The habit of drivers parking on sidewalks in a way which limits the use of the sidewalk for people who use mobility scooters and wheel chairs.
https://www.disabledmotoring.org/campaigns/pavement-parking
This link will take you to an article expressing the problems with dangerous parking on sidewalks which hinder pedestrians, specifically people with disabilities.
If we could all make an effort to ensure when parking, that there is space for the mobility scooter or wheel chair to pass safely by on the sidewalk without forcing them into the road itself we would all be doing our bit to make life in modern day Britain a little more bare able for others.
Just remember the most important part of living, treating others the way you would like to be treated if it were you. Would you like to be pushed in a wheel chair into the oncoming traffic, I doubt it, so do not force others to be in this situation by parking in a dangerous way.
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