The Circus Comes to Silloth – 20 August 2021
Silloth Art
“Would like to recognize the hard work and dedication Hazel Minnican, Lesley Pape and Simon Stevens-Eley have put into all the fabulous artwork they have made to help to stimulate our dementia residents in our new dedicated dementia unit”.
Conga to Dining Room
Conga to the Dining Room….
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All roads lead to the dining room ?
Posted by Good Companions Silloth on Thursday, July 18, 2019
New Dementia Care Unit Now Open – Vacancies – Good Companions Silloth
November 2019 – New Residential 24 Hour Secure Dementia Care Unit Now Open in Silloth, Cumbria
The Good Companions, a leading Residential Care Home in the seaside town of Silloth, Cumbria has just announced the opening of it’s new New Residential Dementia Care Unit offering 24 hour specialist support.
Mark Newby, Managing Director at Good Companions, says: ” We are humbled and proud to announce the opening of the newly built Solway Suite – Our New Secure Residential Dementia Care Unit, which will allow more people to live a higher quality of life with Dementia.”
It has been a really worthwhile project, and we’re hoping it that it will do a lot of good for the local community, and Dementia Care in Cumbria.
Dementia has been very much in the News this year. Dementia is now Britain’s biggest killer, overtaking heart disease for the first time. Approximately 850,000 people in the UK have dementia reports the Alzheimer’s Society. The condition currently affects one in six people over the age of 80. By 2025, it is estimated that approximately one million people in the UK will have dementia. Although there are some promising developments in drug therapy that may slow the disease a cure is still a long way off. In the meantime managing, this debilitating condition is the priority.
Living with dementia can become more difficult over time. The time may come when a person can no longer care for themselves and keep safe, so professional care may need to be considered. As dementia progresses, many find it increasingly difficult to manage by themselves, and moving into a specialist care home is the best way forward. Many people worry that moving into a care home will mean losing their independence or giving up the things they love to do. However, specialist care homes such as the Good Companions help people to remain as active as possible and ensure they continue to enjoy a happy and fulfilled life. The Good Companions has been caring for people living with dementia for over 20 years, and it is this experience that allows them to offer the best possible care and quality of life.
Moving to a care home can be emotionally difficult for both patients and their families, but the highly trained staff at the Good Companions makes it easier, offering support and reassurance every step of the way.
Because no one has the same journey or path through dementia, support is customised around individual needs, preferences, and wishes. The emphasis is on engagement and involvement wherever possible, allowing them to continue making their own decisions and determine how they spend their time. Experience shows that when people with dementia are encouraged to stay active, they benefit from improved physical and mental health and a sense of well-being. For this reason The Good Companions provide activity based care, support, and encouragement. Many residents enjoy the sense of purpose that comes with keeping bus, and are encouraged to participate in the life of the Good Companions.
Care and consideration extend to family and friends, as well. They understand that close relatives and friends may want to continue to be involved in daily care and every effort is made to ensure that everyone feels included and welcome.
One patient remarked, “My family is the most important thing to me – seeing my granddaughter brightens my day. I have such wonderful memories of seaside holidays when my own children were small. Now, of course, they are grown up with families of their own. But they visit often. The staff always make them feel welcome, they even join in the activities and entertainment”
Moving into The Good Companions doesn’t mean having to stop doing things you love. They help customers to continue with favourite hobbies and activities and give them plenty of opportunities to try new things too. Their Activity Coordinators organise a wide variety of individual and group activities, entertainment and excursions. These are tailored around residents’ abilities, interests and personalities so there’s always something for everyone. Popular activities include reminiscing, singing, dancing, baking, floor games, and quizzes. Events might include film nights in our cinema room, dances, pampering sessions. The Good Companions are pro-active and lively members of the community and often play host to events such as fetes and local competitions. Visits from entertainers, schools and local choir and music clubs are always welcomed and residents benefit when we have visits from various animal visits. They even arrange excursions and entertainment away from the home. These include meals out, visits to local places of interest. As part of the activities even have “make a wish” and try to fulfil residents wishes wherever possible.
As Mark Newby observed “It’s our people who really make the difference…” At The Good Companions, when we employ new members of our care team, we’re just as interested in their caring, compassionate natures as we are in their qualifications and experience. After all, it’s those personal skills that are the difference between good and great care. A designated carer will help you to move in and settle into life at your new home. They and the rest of the team will spend time getting to know you, finding out about your likes and dislikes and ensuring you receive care in the way that suits you best. Every member of staff receives specialist dementia training to enable them to support best practice in dementia care. Staff are able provide empathetic and sensitive care and find simple and creative solutions to support residents to lead more fulfilled lives. We are committed to continually improving the care we provide for people living with dementia and our team includes a Head of Dementia care, facilitator in Best Practice in Dementia Care trainer and Dementia Champions.”
Further information about Good Companions, and Vacancies at the new New Residential Dementia Care Unit can be found at https://goodcompanions.net or call 016973 31553
Press Release: April 2019 24 Hr Home Care Cumbria/SW Scotland
Good Companions’s New 24 Hour Home Care Service Proudly Risks Defying Convention
Good Companions has defied convention in the Home Care market with the release of its new 24 Hour Home Care service. Further information can be found at https://goodcompanions.net
Earlier today, Good Companions announced the start of its new “24 Hour Home Care” service in Cumbria and South West Scotland. Their aim is to to allow people to enjoy the highest standard of care and empower them to live as independently as possible in their own Homes. … but it does so, with a difference.
In addition to the provision of High Quality Residential and Dementia Care in their Cumbria Care Home, situated in the charming seaside own of Silloth, the Good Companions are increasingly attracting attention as providers of extremely high quality Domiciliary Home Care.
Mark Newby, Good Companions Managing Director, says: “We wanted to raise the bar with our new 24 Hour Home Care service. Anyone familiar with the Domiciliary and Home Care Services will probably have noticed how practically everyone else seems to place more emphasis on their marketing, rather than training and care. This is a problem because there is a danger that people are treated as numbers at the very time that they need and deserve the care and support necessary to help them lead as full and active life as possible.”
Good Companions approach to Domiciliary care is predicated on training and compassion, and offers a flexible, personal and customised “live in” Home Care Service.
Good Companions chose to make this move because delivering excellence is not just an aspiration, it is something they work hard to achieve each and every day. Good Companions are a well established local provider of Residential and Day Care Services, providing a flexible, personal and customised service. This person centred, compassionate approach, characterises Good Companions care and runs through all aspects of it.
A high level of training is required to deliver this standard of caring for individuals. Good Companions Mark Newby recently outlined a £70,000 major new educational and training initiative and the move towards paperless Care Plans. “This package will allow us to maintain and improve our Care Quality Commission Inspections and continue to offer the very highest standards of care to our patients in Cumbria.”
When the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care nailed the digital agenda firmly to his policy mast, he acknowledged the pivotel role technologies have to play in delivering safer and more accountable care. The reality is we hear a great deal more about digital health than we do about the digital transformation quietly taking place in social care. The Good Companions is leading the field in Cumbria. The systems they have chosen are backed up by the Social Care Institute For Excellence who has undertaken independent evaluations of the chosen systems. Few sectors are as central to Cumbrian identity and integrity as those who care for the vulnerable frail and elderly. Their investment in the digital agenda will have great benefits for their customers, their families, and their team of dedicated careers.
Home Care with Good Companions starts with a free, same day assessment with the emphasis on building a strong rapport. They carefully examine the client’s requirements ranging from personal care, meal requirements, and shopping to cleaning and companionship. Full support and guidance are offered by the highly trained team who carefully match services to needs – even making provision for overnight stays if required! This “Overnight Service “ has recently been launched to match demand for a night care service from 10 pm to 6 am.
Mark Newby went on to explain, “We want to give our customers options. With our new 24 Hour Home Care service, they have a fresh new possibility. We want them to feel that everything is being done that could be done, when using our service.
With the Good Companion’s Home Care assistants offering care in the Carlisle area from 1 to 24 hours, local residents have a wider choice. The Care Quality Commission reported that Good Companion’s care was: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well Led with the overall conclusion that it should be classified as “Good”!
Good Companions has been in business for 17 years, being established in 2002. Since Day 1 it has always aimed to stand out from the crowd, while also providing its customers the best possible experience at the best possible value.
The new 24 Hour Home Care service is set to launch Spring 2019.
Good Companions Services include Care at Home, Overnight Care, Palliative Care & Respite Care, Residential and Dementia Care. To find out more about the service and Good Companions, it’s possible to visit https://goodcompanions.net
Press Release Information
Status: Report Available
Message: Press release published.
Category: Health
Publish time: 2019-Mar-31 10:54 pm
Contact Information
Company: Good Companions
Contact Name: Mark Newby
Email: goodcompanions4u@gmail.com
Phone: +44-1228-594153
Address: Beverley House, 80-82 Beverley Rise, , Carlisle, , Cumbria CA13 RY, United Kingdom
Website: https://goodcompanions.net
Cinema Nights
Did you know that we organise “Cinema Nights” for our guests? On this occasion with Pizza – of course!
Cinema Nights at Silloth – with Pizza!
Career in Caring
Occupation: Adult Care Worker
Role Profile
To work in care is to make a positive difference to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional or intellectual challenges.
Care Workers need to have the right values and behaviours developing competences and skills to provide high quality compassionate care and support.
They are the frontline staff who help adults with care and support needs to achieve their personal goals and live as independently and safely as possible, enabling them to have control and choice in their lives which is at the heart of person centred care.
Job roles are varied and determined by and relevant to the type of the service being provided and the person supported. Care Workers may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, day centres, a person’s own home. Personal assistants do the same job as a Care Worker and work directly for one individual usually within their own home.
Working with people, feeling passionate about supporting and enabling them to live a more independent and fulfilling life is a rewarding and worthwhile job that provides excellent career opportunities.
Personal attributes and behaviours expected of all Care Workers carrying out their roles
- Care – is caring consistently and enough about individuals to make a positive difference to their lives
- Compassion – is delivering care and support with kindness, consideration, dignity and respect
- Courage – is doing the right thing for people and speaking up if the individual they support is at risk
- Communication – good communication is central to successful caring relationships and effective team working
- Competence – is applying knowledge and skills to provide high quality care and support
- Commitment – to improving the experience of people who need care and support ensuring it is person centred
A Care Worker must know and understand:
- The job they have to do, their main tasks and responsibilities
- The tasks and responsibilities of the job role relevant to the context of the service in which they are working. This could include supporting with social activities, monitoring health, assisting with eating, mobility and personal care
- Professional boundaries and limits of their training and expertise
- Relevant statutory standards and codes of practice for their role
- What the ‘duty of care’ is in practice
- How to contribute towards the development and creation of a care plan underpinned by the individuals preferences in regard to the way they want to be supported
- How to identify, respond to and escalate changes to physical, social, and emotional needs of individuals
- How to access, follow and be compliant with regulations and organisational policies and procedures
- The importance of having the right values and behaviours
- How to support and enable individuals to achieve their personal aims and goals
- What dignity means in how to work with individuals and others
- The importance of respecting diversity and treating everyone equally
- The importance of communication
- The barriers to communication
- The impact of non-verbal communication
- The importance of active listening
- How the way they communicate can affect others
- About different forms of communication e.g. signing, communication boards etc
- How to find out the best way to communicate with the individual they are supporting
- How to make sure confidential information is kept safe
- How to support individuals to remain safe from harm (Safeguarding)
- What abuse is and what to do when they have concerns someone is being abused
- The national and local strategies for safeguarding and protection from abuse
- What to do when receiving comments and complaints
- How to recognise unsafe practices in the workplace
- The importance and process of whistleblowing
- How to address any dilemmas they may face between a person’s rights and their safety
- How to promote health and wellbeing for the individuals they support and work colleagues
- The health and safety responsibilities of self, employer and workers
- How to keep safe in the work environment
- What to do when there is an accident or sudden illness
- What to do with hazardous substances
- How to promote fire safety
- How to reduce the spread of infection
- What a risk assessment is and how it can be used to promote person centred care safely
- How to work professionally, including their own professional development
- What a professional relationship is with the person being supported and colleagues
- How to work together with other people and organisations in the interest of the person being supported
- How to be actively involved in their personal development plan
- The importance of excellent core skills in writing, numbers and information technology
- What to do to develop, sustain and exhibit a positive attitude and personal resilience
- Where and how to access specialist knowledge when needed to support performance of the job role
A Care Worker must be able to:
A: The main tasks and responsibilities according to their job role
- Support individuals they are working with according to their personal care/support plan
- Ask for help from an appropriate person when not confident or skilled in any aspect of their role
- Provide individuals with information to enable them to have choice about the way they are supported
- Encourage individuals to participate in the way their care and support is delivered
- Ensure the individual knows what they are agreeing to regarding the way in which they are supported
- Contribute to the on-going development of care/support plans for the individual they support
- Support individuals with cognitive, physical or sensory impairments
- Treating people with respect and dignity and honouring their human rights
- Ensure dignity is at the centre of all work with the individuals they support, their families, carers and advocates
- Demonstrate all work is person centred, accommodating the individual’s needs, wishes and preferences
- Demonstrate empathy (understanding and compassion) for individuals they support
- Demonstrate courage in supporting people in ways that may challenge their personal/cultural beliefs
- Communicating clearly and responsibly
- Speak clearly and exhibit positive non-verbal communication to individuals, families, carers and advocates
- Use the preferred methods of communication of the individual they support according to their language, culture, sensory needs and their wishes
- Identify and take steps to reduce environmental barriers to communication
- Demonstrate they can check for understanding
- Write clearly and concisely in records and reports
- Keep information safe and confidential according to agreed ways of working
- Supporting individuals to remain safe from harm (Safeguarding)
- Recognise potential signs of different forms of abuse
- Respond to concerns of abuse according to agreed ways of working
- Recognise, report and challenge unsafe practices
- Championing health and wellbeing for the individuals they support and for work colleagues
- Promote the health and wellbeing of the individual they support
- Move people and objects safely
- Demonstrate how to reduce the spread of infection, including use of best practice in hand hygiene
- Demonstrate the promotion of healthy eating and wellbeing by ensuring individuals have access to fluids, food and nutrition
- Demonstrate how to keep people, buildings and themselves safe and secure
- Carry out fire safety procedures when required
- Use risk assessments to support individuals safely
- Recognise symptoms of cognitive impairment, e.g. Dementia, learning disabilities and mental health
- Monitor and report changes in health and wellbeing for individuals they support
- Working professionally and seeking to develop their own professional development
- Reflect on own work practices
- Demonstrate the development of their own skills and knowledge, including core skills in writing, numbers and information technology
- Demonstrate their contribution to their development plan
- Demonstrate ability to work in partnership with others to support the individual
- Identify sources of support when conflicts arise with other people or organisations
- Demonstrate they can work within safe, clear professional boundaries
- Show they can access and apply additional skills required to perform the specific job role competently
Qualifications:
Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for England (QCF). This qualification, promoted and valued by employers, is achieved by a combination of direct teaching and self-directed learning.
Industry-specific requirements:
Undertake the Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result prior to starting.