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 all make an effort.
You may have noticed...
In the last 2 months, you may have noticed some changes to the way we look. We have our uniforms and identification cards. This allows us to be easily identified when we come through the door as who we are and what we do.
So for those who do not know who are we and what do we do. I am Kerry-ann Moran, I have worked in care since 2020. It all started with my Aunt. After that I worked in a couple of domicilliary care companies in Coventry. I was disallusioned by the procedures followed by them, I felt that we needed to do more than rush in and rush out with very little actual care involved. In my humble opinion care involves a bit more than good hygiene and a meal. I then decided to "Go it alone". I became a self-employed care worker. I have thus far looked after 23 people and have trained my daughter to do the same.
We have a passion to change the way care is done, we believe in creating family members of the people we look after. We want our valued clients to feel special and valued, and to have their independence and dignity respected. We want to keep people safe and healthy. We also really want to get to know the people we serve, we learn so much from these amazing members of our community and hope to take these lessons into our lives. A small piece of the past moving into the future. Every one of the people we look after leave a special mark on our hearts. Nicole and I are now looking to spread our brand of care to other people in our community, by hiring, training and supporting others to do the same.
So that is all about me, how I ended up here and what I want to do going forward. Research suggest that mortality rates are 9.4 times higher for 64-74 year olds in care homes when compared with those receiving care in their own homes (Caremark, 2025). I want this to be an option for as many people as possible. (For more on the research please click the learn more button below)
If you are new to Kerry Cares, please reach out if you want to know more. We look forward to welcoming you to the Kerry Cares family.
Kerry Moran
March 2025
Performance review - January 2025
Peformance review update - Jan
I am pleased to share the results of Kerry cares performance review which was carried out with our current clients in January of this year. We had a 75% participation rate, which is actually not bad at all. The 25% had not returned the questionnaire and we did not push for a reason for this.
We are pleased to announce a 97% positivity score with 3% answering not applicable to various questions. This is usually because we do not provide the service linked with the question to that client.
Now as much as numbers are important, the parts I find most valuable are the key terms which are picked up on these questionnaires in the open section. We often find the same adjectives being repeated and we take those adjectives to find how people find our services. The most common key terms used were Professional, knowledgeable, experienced, reliable, empathetic, caring, supportive, efficient, punctual, understanding, responsive and adaptable.
The only recommendation we had from our questionnaires was to have quarterly meetings with family members and clients to get updates on whether more or less care is required. We will be looking at this in due course and are hoping to initiate the meetings from June this year.
I would like to take a moment to thank all those who participated in our performance review and extend the offer to those who did not participate to complete theirs and hand them over to the care worker for review. These are an important tool for us to ensure that the services we are providing are indeed what our very special clients want. The next review will be at the end of March, and we look forward to finding out if there is anywhere we can improve.
Check up again in March as we may have some exciting news coming up.
Kerry Moran
January 2025
Another year begins
What are Kerry cares up to?
As we begin a new year and January draws to a close, it is a good time to let everyone know what Kerry cares plans to accomplish in 2025.
We are working on applying for our Care Quality Commission registration. Why would we, you ask? As you all know the current arrangements are just Nicole and I helping as many people as we are able to in a week. With CQC registration we are allowed to hire staff. We are not looking to take on hundreds of clients and aim to keep our business small and catered to the needs of only the elderly in the community. At Kerry cares we believe that the elderly are like no other demographic and they deserve a company that caters for their individual needs as well as providing a safe and effective service. We will be slowly looking for like minded individuals to join our small team in this aim.
What does this mean for our current clients? Well, only that we are monitored by CQC for quality in service. Other then that we aim to disrupt the current offering as little as possible. For new clients there will be new teams to take on their needs. We aim to work the same way we always have. A dedicated team to a user. This means that our clients always have complete certainty on who is coming and when they will be arriving. This allows a friendship to build between service user and staff member. This also allows for staff members to ascertain when there are subtle changes which are difficult to communicate.
What will we be looking for in staff members? We will be looking for people who truely care. People who want to make a difference in the lives of the people we care for. People who are dedicated and committed to the elderly and see each and every one as valuable and special in their own right. This is the task which will be more complicated. We will need every service user to be honest with us when they find they are not being cared for in the way they had hoped. We are committed to taking every complaint seriously and ensuring that the staff we hire are qualified, skilled and dedicated in their passion. If for whatever you find this is not the case, please let us know immediately. Kerry cares cannot address issues if we do not know about them.
We aim to bring a little smile every day and that will not change. So to all our existing clients, know that your services will remain as they are and Nicole and I will still be the dedicated team for your family members, all we want to do is help more people with a better quality service and help carers find a way to work that is stable and not overwhelming. We can change the way care is done, one service user at a time.
Until next time.....
Kerry Moran
Christmas time...
Mistletoe and wine...
Children singing Christian rhyme.
Looking after the vulnerable elderly during the festive period can be quite tricky, especially when Dementia is a factor. We have some tried and tested tips to get through this.
Keep things the same.
When celebrating Christmas with dementia patients, it is always advisable to keep the routine generally as close to normal as possible. Waking up at the same time, going to bed at the same time, eating at around the same time. This may make the Christmas celebration a little difficult for extended family, but this helps keep the dementia patient as comfortable as possible.
Try not to let our special people get to exhausted by the younger family members.
While letting the little ones pop in to give a festive hug and a special gift, try to keep these visits calm and reasonably short. I know this sounds really silly, but our dementia patients do struggle with young excited kids running and jumping around. If you can let them burn off the energy before seeing the person, that can help. Having said this, it is important that younger family members do make at least a small appearance as this helps to spread the Christmas cheer and festive fun.
Keep the sugary treats to the normal amount
While giving chocolates and treats is an easy Christmas gift to give, if left with dementia patients they will be eaten to the excess and this will have the knock on effects of disorientation and confusion more than usual. It is always a good idea to give sugary treats in moderation and after a meal.
Do decorate
Putting up a few choice Christmas ornaments or a small tree can bring some cheer and excitement to the dementia patient. Please do make sure that the ornaments are stable and do not cause tripping hazards and perhaps no lights as this can be a risk for fires and electrical issues which if the dementia family member lives alone, would cause a huge problem.
Giving
One of the things we do with our dementia clients, who are less progressed in their disease, is we assist them to do Christmas shopping and Christmas cards. We will sit and assist in writing the list of who to buy for or who to send to, and then assist to take them shopping and sit to assist with writing the cards as well as posting. This just helps with a cheery festive feeling, and also feels almost normal. Obviously this is not always possible with disease progression, but we try to keep it alive for as long as possible. To book a companionship call for this service please contact us.
Outings
Another fantastic idea over the festive period is to take our lovely elderly patients to a Christmas theatre production. A pantomime, or ballet can be a welcome event to break the boredom. We are also able to assist with this if the family is finding time an issue, again please contact us should you wish for us to help with this.
Information to help with this can be found at taking care .
We take this moment to wish all our wonderful clients and their families a very merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy new year. We look forward to working with you all again next year.
With special love and hugs.....
The Kerry Cares team (December 2024)
Dementia Care
How to help your 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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