Are you, or do you know, an unpaid carer?

The week beginning the 7^th of June is National Carers Week. It is designed to draw attention to the work done by legions of unpaid carers up and down the country. Many people don’t realise they are carers, instead viewing their actions as simply “what is done.” But it is vital to all our health, both mental and physical that we acknowledge the work done by carers both paid and unpaid.

Many elderly people require extra care. Whether it is help with the shopping, or getting dressed in the morning, what can seem like just “helping out”, is actually care. Our care companions are trained to deliver care for a variety of needs, and they spend their days doing so. Many people are struggling to fit in caring for elderly relatives around their own commitments.

Some people struggle with asking for help. They feel that should be able to do everything themselves. But we can’t. Certainly not without potentially causing ourselves harm. Those people who do rush around looking after everyone else, often do so at the expense of their own health. Early intervention and asking for support can help prevent burnout. Our care companions can go to your elderly relative and provide support for them in their daily lives. This is not a failure on your part, this is accessing the correct support.

Relatives are often relieved when they ask for help. Suddenly you can regain the time you had spent rushing around doing chores for your relatives. Many people comment that it improves their relationship with their elderly relatives, as the time previously spent doing jobs, can now be spent together, having tea, doing a jigsaw. This benefit then flows through the rest of your life, as you can rebalance your load.

Many people assume they can’t afford care, but there is financial support available. Don’t assume you don’t qualify for financial aid, speak to us. We have many years of experience in the care sector and can advise you on the support you may be entitled to. Equally, if you do go down the private route, our care is flexible to your needs. You won’t find yourself paying for more than you need, if your elderly relative only needs a few hours a week we can provide that. If they need 24-hour care we can provide that. If their needs change suddenly, we can adapt our offerings accordingly. With Ashwell Home Care Services you only pay for the care that you need, and the care that your receive.

If you are struggling to care for your elderly relative, remember you are not alone. We are just on the other end of the phone with compassionate, considered advice. Don’t suffer in silence, call Ashwell Home Care Services today on 01684 778750.

My mum is worried about having someone in her house…

This is one of the things we often hear. Many people ring us for advice as they are having difficulty broaching the subject of care with their parents. When you are elderly you feel more vulnerable, you can’t move quickly, you are aware that your senses and reactions are not as sharp as they once were. Letting a stranger into your house is a big deal and is often a barrier for the elderly to receive the care that they sorely need.

When you come to Ashwell Home Care Services we are experienced in overcoming these hurdles. We have had these uncomfortable conversations with our own parents as well as many clients. We can advise you on the best way to tackle the subject as well as reassuring you during this stressful time.

It is a big step to let someone into your house, which is why we handpick our care companions. We only employ people that we would feel happy caring for our own parents. So if we wouldn’t be happy with them in our parents’ houses we certainly wouldn’t send them to yours! This rule means that we interview around 10 people for every single care companion that we employ. So you can be confident that we have thoroughly interviewed them and ascertained that they are everything you would expect of an Ashwell Home Care Services employee.

We also understand that everyone has personal preferences and we always try and cater to this. We aim to match care companions to clients as a good fit. Care is personal, it requires trust and compassion. It is a two-way relationship that works best when that relationship is a good one. Sometimes you might not get on with the care companion that we have selected for you. There may be nothing wrong with them or the job that they do, but it is your home and you are allowed to choose who to invite inside. If you do not like your care companion for whatever reason (maybe they remind you are a very scary teacher from your childhood!) simply talk to us. We are here to help you.

Our aim is that you look forward to your care companion’s visits, that you enjoy the time they spend with you, whatever you are doing. Whether you are venturing down the shops or enjoying a soothing bath. That is your time and we want you to enjoy it. If you are considering whether a care companion might be of benefit to yourself or your family member, why not contact us for an informal conversation today on 01684 778750.

You could say they are a caring family…

Meet the Ashwells, of Ashwell Home Care Services, Malvern, as they welcome the latest member to join the family business.

Matt Ashwell has recently joined his parents, Phil and Debbie Ashwell, founders of Ashwell Home Care Services, and his sister, Emily Ashwell, who works as a care companion for the Malvern-based company. Matt has come into the business as an HR apprentice, building on his passion for equality and fair rights for employees.

Matt began his apprentice scheme in February this year through Nemaltd, the North East Management Academy. This allows him to train while working towards gaining a Level 3 NVQ in HR. Matt says, “I am delighted for this opportunity to work in the care sector and keep up the high standard of employment values that Ashwell is renowned for.” Ashwell is known for the high level of respect they have for their employees. Every member of staff is made to feel valued and recognised for the work that they do.

Sensibly, Matt decided to move out from his parent’s home when he began working in the family business. He sees a different side to his parents in work. Matt says, “they are much more relaxed at home. In the office, I can see how hard they strive to provide the very best care for their clients.” They make an effort to keep work at work so that every family occasion doesn’t simply turn into a business meeting!

Ashwell Home Care Services provides at-home care services for people in and around the Malvern area. The head office is located near the Three Counties showground in a rural business park. From here the team coordinates their care companions around the surrounding areas.

Despite only having been with the business for a short while, Matt already has big ambitions, “I want to help Ashwell to be the number one care agency in the West Midlands,” says Matt, “or at least number one in Worcestershire.” Ashwell is already gaining an impressive reputation in and around Malvern, both from their clients and their employees, and they are a top-ranking care agency on the national website homecare.co.uk.

Matt loves recruiting care companions into the family firm. Ashwell is committed to finding the right people for the job, on average they interview 10 candidates for one successful role. If you are interested in a rewarding job for a company that values you, take note of Matt’s top tip. “Be yourself. There is no point in going to an interview with a fake character.”

Demand for home care is increasing, and the team at Ashwell is constantly recruiting good people to care for their clients. Matt is thoroughly enjoying working in the care sector in his family business. If you are looking for home care for yourself or a family member, Ashwell Home Care Services is always on the end of the phone for a friendly informal chat about care, simply call 01684 778750. If you are interested in a rewarding vocation in the care sector, please call the head office and speak to Matt on 01684 778750.

Dementia is happening every day, all around you…

Did you know someone in the world is diagnosed with dementia every 3 seconds? That’s an incredible number of people who are struggling with carrying out everyday tasks that you or I take for granted. The more we can raise awareness of dementia amongst the wider public, the more support and help people will receive. At Ashwell Home Care Services we are supporting Dementia UK’s “time for a cuppa” week from the 1^st to the 8^th of May, to help raise public awareness about dementia.

Isn’t dementia just part of growing old?

Dementia is not simply a natural part of aging. Dementia is an umbrella term for diseases that affect the brain such as Alzheimer’s. These diseases can cause problems with memory, and understanding. This can result in people forgetting names or important dates. It may lead to confusion with tasks such as getting dressed, or shopping. It can cause personality changes. It can make it very difficult for people to live independently without support.

Can’t I just look after my loved ones?

Caring for someone with dementia can place a great strain upon family members. If you believe a loved one is starting to show signs of dementia it is important to seek help. We provide trained care companions to help provide support to those people with dementia. You are not alone, and no one can provide round-the-clock care without help or a break.  Trying to care for your loved ones and your own family can be difficult for everyone. Reach out and speak to someone.

What are the signs to look out for?

Dementia presents differently in different people. The important thing to look for is changes. If someone has previously been very social and they suddenly become withdrawn, that may be a sign. But if they have always been happy in their own company, then there is no concern. The main indicators are:

• Increased forgetfulness
• Increased confusion
• Changes to personality
• Reduced concentration
• Depression or withdrawal
• An inability to carry out everyday tasks

Who can help me?

Speak to your doctor in the first instance. If you need to access local authority funding to gain support for your loved one, you will need a diagnosis. If you require private care you can proceed without an official diagnosis, or you can put measures in place to support your loved one before they meet the criteria for a formal diagnosis. Speak to us. We are trained professionals and can advise you both about the medical side of dementia, as well as explaining the complexities of local authority funding and what you will need to do. We are always happy to talk.

What’s the next step?

While dementia is an incurable condition, early intervention and diagnosis have been shown to help reduce the speed of deterioration. Our aim at Ashwell Home Service is to help people live a life with dementia, not a life ruled by dementia. Contact us today and let us help you.

What makes great care? Great staff!

The single most important element of providing first class care is choosing good staff. Our care companions are hand-picked to suit you. Which is why we interview over 100 people to employ just 15. So that when you come to us wanting a care companion for your mum, we know that the individual that we offer will be just the right fit.

You only have to open a newspaper or turn on the news to see how undervalued carers are, their low rates of pay are common knowledge. As a sector of the workforce they are continually underpaid and underappreciated. Yet their value far outweighs that of many other industries. What other sector gives people love, support and comfort in their final years? Who else is expected to deal with the sadness and rawness of the end of life, with little support? Every single one of the 1.5 million people who work in care deserves recognition and reward.

At Ashwell Home Care Services, we can’t make sure that every single person in the care industry feels supported and valued, but we can ensure that our own staff do. We understand that when people feel valued, they work harder. When they are not stressed about money they work harder. When they are not panicking about their zero hours contract, and trying to gain finance, they work harder. People who feel happy, are less stressed and more productive. And if you have someone spending time with you in your house, wouldn’t it be nicer if they were happy? You don’t want to be looked after by someone who is worrying about money for the whole of their shift or trying to work two jobs to make ends meet.

We treat our employees with the respect they deserve for doing a brilliant job. But equally we understand that sometimes the job can be overwhelming, some days can be emotional and heart-wrenchingly sad. To this end we offer all our staff 24-hour access to counsellors. After all, who cares for the people who care?

So, when you are choosing care packages for your loved ones, come to Ashwell Home Care Services, where you can be reassured that your care companion has been carefully chosen. You know that because they are supported and appreciated, they will be able to be their very best. Afterall don’t your loved ones deserve the best care possible? To have an informal discussion with us about your care needs, call Ashwell Home Care Services today on 01684778750.

If you are interested in a fresh challenge where you can make a real difference to people’s lives and would like to work with us to transform the way care is delivered in the local community then please visit our careers page.

Helping Your Loved One to Stay at Home for As Long as Possible

Houses are built of bricks and mortar, but homes are built of memories, and the small moments of wonder in the everyday. As we grow older more of our pleasure is seeped into the memories of our past, of our homes and our families. The significance of our morning coffee in a mug painted with puffins, is personal to us. The mere act of holding the mug enough to invoke the smell of the sea, and the laughter of our loved ones.

Old age can be cruel, it can rob us of our independence, our energy, our abilities, but it doesn’t have to rob us of our homes. With Ashwell Home Care Services, we can help your loved one to stay at home for as long as possible. Our flexible care can grow with changing demand, so from maybe an initial weekly help with the shopping, right through to end of life care in a familiar environment, we can be with you every step of the way.

You may be concerned that the only solution to your situation is to put your loved one into a care home, but in fact the statistics paint a different picture: “Approximately 418,000 people live in care homes (Laing and Buisson survey 2016). This is 4% of the total population aged 65 years and over, rising to 15% of those aged 85 or more.” This shows quite how many people are remaining in their own homes.

And it is proven that remaining at home rather than going into a care home, can be emotionally and mentally beneficial for the elderly. They can find it difficult to move into a new environment and can be confused by losing their everyday points of reference. Using our Care Companions allows people to remain in their familiar surroundings, with support and compassion. At home they can continue to make choices about their meals, their bedtimes, even what they want to watch on the television. They can sit in their own armchair with their cat on their lap, rather than be subjected to a strict schedule of mealtimes and bedtimes.

We know that these conversations can be difficult, but old age is inevitable. We are here to help you enjoy the best of times with your loved ones, and help them to stay in their own homes, with their memories. Call us today at Ashwell Home Care Services on 01684 778750

Dementia should be and must be our collective responsibility. A good place to start is in collectively facing up to the fact that it is in our midst and that each year hundreds of thousands of men and women are living with it and dying with it. Dementia does not just happen to old people – around 5% of people with Alzheimer’s are under 65

Nicci Gerrard is the author of What Dementia Teaches Us About Love

A ‘Blooming’ Good Helping Hand During Covid 19 Crisis

Worcestershire care company Ashwell Home Care Services have been giving a ‘blooming’ helping hand looking after their clients during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic thanks to a local garden centre.

The home care agency was founded in 2019 by husband and wife team Philip and Deborah Ashwell and provides state of the art, individually tailored care to people in their own homes within Worcestershire.

They wanted to ensure that all of the people that they provide care for had some treats after Easter to keep their spirits up. They enlisted family members to help them put together special care packages, brightly decorated boxes containing items such as: sanitising gel, tissues, tea and coffee, biscuits, chocolate and other goodies.

St. Peter’s Garden Centre at Norton also kindly donated plants to the home care service so that they could bring a bit of colour to the lives of people that they look after.

Managing Director Philip Ashwell said: “Debbie and I, along with our fabulous care team wanted to do something to brighten up people’s day when we visited them at home. We thought a box of treats would be welcome, so Debbie enlisted her mother to help decorate boxes while she was in lockdown, and our team pulled together to buy treats for each box. We got in touch with St. Peter’s Garden Centre and hoped they might be able to support us somehow. We were overwhelmed when Deputy Manager Neil Domoney called us to say they would love to help, donating stunning home orchid plants for us to give to the people we care for.”

Care Quality Director Debbie Ashwell added: “These are really difficult times and it’s lovely to see so many people pulling together to help one another. Family is very important to us and we want the people that we care for to feel a part of our extended family. Having support from local businesses at this time has certainly lifted our spirits and we hope that people are doing something to support their local community to. We will get thought this tough time working together and we cannot thank Neil and his team at St. Peter’s Garden Centre enough for their kindness.”

During the coronavirus pandemic Ashwell Home Care Services have continued to provide much needed care for people across the county. Their professional team visit people at home to provide much-needed care services and also to carry out essential shopping/errands for them, allowing family members to observe lockdown guidelines set out by the Government.

The Care Quality Commission registered agency, based in Malvern is family run and provides care to individuals in their own homes based on their needs and wishes. For more information visit www.ashwellhomecareservices.co.uk.

Doing Everything We Can to Keep Business as Usual …

The spread of the COVID-19 continues to dominate the news. As you would expect we continue to monitor developments very closely

Coronavirus, or to give its official name COVID-19, is a new strand of flu virus which has previously never been seen in humans. It is believed to have originated from a flu virus which affects bats before making the transfer to humans at a flea market in Wuhan, China. Since then the virus has spread throughout the globe, affecting many countries including the UK.

At Ashwell Home Care Services we are doing everything possible to keep business as usual. We want to reassure you that our major focus is the health and welfare of both our care companions and our clients. We are ensuring that our Care companions and clients are being updated with the latest information.

We therefore want to share with you some of the actions we are taking

1. All staff members have gone through infection control training
2. All staff members have gone through Food Hygiene training

It is currently understood that people most at risk from the virus are the elderly and those with serious health conditions. As a home care agency who look after many people in the at-risk groups, the way in which we provide care and companionship has also needed to change so that we can best protect the people we care for. This is the advice which we have given to our Care Companions.

If we are also providing care for your loved one as a temporary measure, or to perhaps offer respite care to yourself or the rest of your family, then you may also want to follow as many of these steps as possible to minimise the spread of infection and even if not it is important that the information gets out to as many people as possible so we can best protect the most vulnerable in society.

Tips to minimise spreading infection:

• Wash your hands often – with soap and water, or use alcohol sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol if handwashing facilities are not available – this is especially important if you use public transport. You should wash your hands:
  • Before leaving home
  • On arrival at work
  • After using the toilet
  • After breaks and sporting activities
  • Before food preparation
  • Before eating any food, including snacks
  • Before leaving work
  • On arrival at home
• Use disposable gloves where possible.
• Cover up any sneezes or cough with a tissue or your sleeve, then throw the tissue in the bin.
• Avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean and disinfect any frequently touched objects and surfaces such as door knobs, tables and desks, tv remotes, cutlery, cups, plates etc.
• If you are worried about any symptoms please call NHS 111 or 111 online.

This table also summarises what people should do dependent on their age group:

*          If one member of your family or household has a new continuous cough or high temperature.
**        If you live alone and you have a new continuous cough or high temperature.
***      For example cinema, theatre, pubs, bars, restaurants, clubs.
****    For example via telephone or internet.
¹          Such as anyone instructed to get a flu jab each year.

Self-Isolating

People returning from certain areas of the world are being told to self-isolate depending on where they visited and their symptoms, as well as people who have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19. However, this isn’t just because they pose a risk to others but they are self-monitoring in order to identify early symptoms and enable prompt medical action.

If they are self-isolating then it should be ascertained whether the person is symptomatic (Showing symptoms of infection) or asymptomatic (people who may have the infection but aren’t showing any symptoms – perhaps in the early stages of the condition though it hasn’t been conclusively proven if asymptomatic people can transfer the disease at the time of writing (Wednesday 17^th March 2020). If they are self-isolating but a visit is deemed necessary then we will conduct a risk assessment to decide the best cause of action although this may involve calling NHS 111 to arrange a clinical assessment before proceeding.

If the person is symptomatic

• Avoid any further physical contact if possible – the person should remain in a room with the door closed and any belongings or waste they come into contact with should remain in the room also.
• Advise anyone with you not to enter the room. If a travel or clinical history needs to be obtained or completed then do this by telephoning the patient in the room.
• Ask the patient to call 111 from their room.
• Your care companion will inform us so that a full risk assessment can be undertaken with an infection control specialist to decide on the next steps.

If the patient requires urgent medical attention

• Your Care Companion will inform the ambulance call handler of potential links to COVID-19.If you are caring for someone who requires urgent medical attention then you should also do the same.
• Once the patient is transferred to hospital, the room may be closed and quarantined for visitors to prevent further spread of the infection.

If you would like to discuss with us you or your loved one’s care needs than feel free to contact us online or by calling 01684 778 750.

Please Join Us …

Ashwell Home Care Services will be presenting a talk on dementia care and why it is important to talk about the condition at Christ Church Hall Coffee Shop on Friday 7th February at 10:30am.

The talk is free for all to attend.