As we launch into February, the month of Love, we thought it would be interesting to shine a light on all things of the heart.

February is Here

As Award Winning Home Care providers, we know a thing or two about helping people to retain their independence and help them to remain in their own home for as long as it’s safe for them to, and it made us think about what our clients love about remaining at home, instead of going into a care home or nursing home.

Many of our clients live in the home that they’ve always lived in – it may be their childhood home, or the family home where their own children have grown up – it’s familiar, they know where everything is – and there is comfort in the familiarity of their surroundings.

Being in familiar surroundings can also reduce anxiety – as well as speeding up recovery after illness or operations – which is one of the reasons that the medical teams try to get people back home as quickly as it’s safely possible to.

In the fabric of their own homes, there will be memories interwoven, glimpses of happy times, for Birthdays, celebrations or milestones reached – maybe even marks on the doorframes of children increasing in height over the years – Home is where the memories are.

At home, there is much more space to have personal items too – favourite jewellery boxes, or photo frames, the small table in just the right position next to the rocking chair – when our loved ones move into care homes, their personal space is reduced, which means less personal effects – which can be a bit unsettling too.

For all of these reasons, and more – Ashwell Home Care Services are here to support you and your loved ones.

When we asked Debbie and Phil Ashwell what they love about helping people to remain in their own homes, we weren’t disappointed by the level of care they showed, or the passion behind their answers.

Debbie told us how she loves to be the voice of clients who aren’t being heard – the clients who can’t hold a telephone because of arthritis, so they can’t call for a GP appointment, the clients who need eye drops, but can’t see the prescription form to order more – Debbie loves to make a difference, every single day, even if it’s only a small difference.

Care towards Elders

The Ashwell’s love taking on challenges – and relish the opportunity to work with clients who may be reluctant to accept care and they work delicately to allow the client to understand that having care is not removing their independence but helping them to retain it.

Because Debbie and Phil have personal experiences of how care should NOT be delivered, they are passionate about making sure that care is delivered appropriately – and they welcome everyone into the Ashwell Family.

Care delivery is very much a team effort for the Ashwell Home Care team – and Debbie & Phil are quick to praise all of their workforce – without whom, they couldn’t deliver care to the same levels that they currently do. They feel an enormous sense of pride for their team – and love to watch their team play to their strengths.

Debbie is happiest when she’s problem solving – calling in occupational therapists to help clients move around their homes, or finding suitable gadgets to help solve a problem – she says, honestly, that she can’t solve every problem, but she can take steps to make every situation a little bit better.

Debbie & Phil Ashwell love making a difference in the Worcestershire area – and beyond – having spoken to Government Minsters about how they operate, and how care should be delivered.

They are so proud to put their family name to something that means so much.

If you are looking for home care for yourself or a family member, take a look at our care services page to find out more about how we can help you, or call us 01684 778 750.

Approximately 400,000 individuals departed from their roles in the social care sector during the year leading up to March. Of these, nearly one-third left the sector entirely, as per a comprehensive annual report on workforce trends, revealing a notable staffing issue as reported in The Independent.

High Numbers leave the UK Social Care Sector

Skills for Care, the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, has projected that the sector will require approximately 25% more positions in just over a decade. This translates to approximately 440,000 positions to keep pace with the anticipated rise in the population of individuals aged 65 and above by 2035.

Skills for Care is collaborating with various stakeholders within the social care realm to create a workforce strategy for the next 15 years, complementing the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan released earlier in the year. The objective is to ensure the sector has an adequate number of well-skilled individuals and to assist employers and commissioners in their workforce planning.

Among the report’s key findings, it was noted that around 70,000 individuals arrived in the UK and commenced direct care-providing roles in the independent sector during the year leading up to March. This marked a significant increase in international recruitment, a shift attributed to the inclusion of care workers on the Shortage Occupation List in February 2022.

The report also highlighted that while care worker wages increased more rapidly following the introduction of the national living wage, there was minimal disparity in pay based on experience. Care workers with over five years of experience were paid just 0.6% more per hour than those with less than one year of experience.

The adult social care sector is estimated to contribute approximately £55.7 billion to the English economy annually, surpassing the economic impact of the accommodation and food service industries. The report emphasizes the positive role the sector plays in local economies, particularly in economically deprived regions.

A previous report from Skills for Care in July indicated that the workforce had grown by 1% between April 2022 and March 2023, following a reduction the previous year, with a decline in the vacancy rate. However, the latest report highlighted a turnover rate of 28.3%, indicating that nearly 390,000 individuals left their jobs, and about one-third exited the sector altogether.

In the past year, the proportion of men in the sector increased from 18% to 19%, marking the first recorded increase. However, only 8% of the workforce was under 25, compared to 12% of the economically active population.

The report coincides with the government’s launch of a recruitment campaign to bolster the social care workforce for the third consecutive year.

Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care, welcomed the growth in the workforce but acknowledged the persistent challenges. She stressed the need for a comprehensive workforce strategy to address both recruitment and retention issues, emphasizing that merely increasing recruitment won’t suffice.

Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, and representatives from Care England and the Health Foundation echoed the need for a new approach, asserting that international recruitment alone would not address the underlying issues of low pay and working conditions.

Beverley Tarka, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass), called for a fully funded, long-term plan for social care to address these concerns.

A government spokesperson defended their efforts to expand the social care workforce and fill vacancies, citing significant investment in support for councils.

Here at Ashwell Home Care Services, we aim to transform how care is delivered within the community and we understand a large part of this comes down to how we treat our wonderful staff. We aim to ensure all of our carers are appreciated, respected, listened to as well as supported and acknowledged.

We don’t believe in throwing people in at the deep end or that training should be unpaid – we take the time to ensure you are fully prepared for your first shift with all training times paid. We also ensure all of our carers have adequate time to reach clients so that you always have time to compose yourself. You will also have time to build up a friendship with the client as well as time to carry out all tasks with kindness and respect.

If you would like to find out more about working with us, please visit our Careers page where you can also drop us a message and we can arrange for you to pop in for a chat about joining our team.

Christmas – the most wonderful time of the year – the perfect time to spend with your family and to make memories.

If you have a loved one living with dementia, it can be tempting to make the most of the occasion and go all out to make it “special” for your loved one – but this might be overwhelming for them, so much better to keep the day low key – and as normal to their routine as possible.

Tips for Dementia at Christmas

We’ve put together some tips for helping someone living with dementia to enjoy Christmas.

• Share Christmas cards – when cards arrive in the post, it can sometimes be difficult to place the names to people – so if possible, share the cards with a photograph of the person who sent it – particularly if it is from a family member or close friend.
• Play Christmas songs – using a CD, or the radio (there are some radio stations that only play Christmas songs!) – have familiar Christmas songs to sing along to. If your loved one is singing along – sing with them, encourage the activity.
• Small appetites – we know that the traditional Christmas dinner is a plate, heaped with delicious food and all the trimmings – but this can be overwhelming and daunting – so much better to have smaller portion sizes – with the option of a second helping if it is wanted.
• Decorate in stages – putting the decorations up is a joyful occasion – but too much change can disorientate the person – so introduce the decorations slowly.
• Prepare guests for the situation – if you are having visitors at Christmas – make them aware of how the person living with dementia might react, and how they can help the situation.
• Cut the celebrations short – it’s easy to get tired with so many different sights and sounds on offer at Christmas – your loved one needs rest – so don’t be afraid to cut the celebrations short and give everyone a break.
• Be present – enjoy the time together, even if it’s doing nothing. Hold hands, if that works for both of you, and just be present.

If your loved one is in a care home, some of these tips won’t apply – but it’s useful to check with the home what their plans are for Christmas Day – some have reduced visiting hours, or there may be increased safety measures in place – checking before your visit means that nobody will need to be disappointed if the visit can’t go ahead.

On 16^th September 2019, Ashwell Home Care Services was born from a desire to change the way that care is delivered in Worcestershire, and from there, we’ve gone from strength to strength, now employing 30 people and helping a record number of adults across Malvern, Worcester, Upton Upon Severn and Pershore to continue living as independently as possible.

So much has changed since we started the business – not only have we changed offices, but we’ve become even more of a family business, bringing in our Son Matthew and Daughter Emily into the business and more recently, Debbie’s Mum Margaret has joined us too – so now three generations of family are working here, offering care services such as housekeeping services.

History of Ashwell Home Care

Over the last three years, we’ve been involved with so much of our clients’ lives – including Weddings, and sadly, Funerals too.  Our clients and their families continue to be a part of our extended Family, and we offer support on a daily basis – including weekends and bank holidays, care doesn’t stop for public holidays.

We’ve met some amazing people during our three years, from exceptional carers (many of whom were previously employed elsewhere but were clearly destined to be in the care industry because they are so amazing at it!) to fabulous clients too – some of the stories we’ve heard from clients lives are worthy of being in a book.

We face challenges daily, with a constant struggle to recruit staff that match our values, but we are proud of the team that we have around us and their determination to make a difference every single day.

This year, we’ve been nominated for many of the Worcester News Health & Social Care Awards and delighted that one of our Care Companions, Chloe has been named as a finalist.

We’ve been named in the Top 20 Care Agencies in the West Midlands, based on client reviews – for the 2^nd year running!

Dementia is increasing in our communities, and we have invested in virtual reality headsets to help our teams understand what it’s like to live with dementia – so that they can provide a more empathetic service to our clients.

Three years in – and our plans are still in their infancy – we’ve got so much more that we want to achieve – so watch this space!

Ashwell is bring revolutionary technology to Worcestershire to help people understand what it is like to live with dementia.

Family-owned home care agency, Ashwell Home Care Services have invested in a state-of-the-art virtual reality headset, called Elara, which allows the user to step into the reality of a person living with dementia.

The headset will be used to give all members of staff at Ashwell a real insight into what challenges are faced by those living with dementia, by allowing them to experience it first-hand.

Debbie & Phil Ashwell, founders of the care agency are excited to bring their dementia training to the next level – and the immersive experience will be suitable for all staff, regardless of their learning style.

It is hoped that the headset can be used in future to help the members of families living with dementia to understand the reality of the condition – which will lead to a greater understanding, more empathy and a much more harmonious life for all concerned.

“Dementia affects everyone differently and can be a very distressing experience,” said Claire Surr, Professor of Dementia Studies and Director of the Centre for Dementia Research, Leeds Beckett University who co-curated ELARA’s new training programme. “Staff must have an understanding of how people with dementia might see the world, and the impacts of what other people say and do, as well as the physical environment on the person’s wellbeing and behaviour. Research indicates experiential dementia training can help increase their empathy and understanding, potentially improving the quality of care staff deliver. We hope VR will offer an exciting avenue for providing experiential learning opportunities.”

Deb Ashwell commented “this is an exciting development, and we are proud to be one of the first businesses in Worcestershire to deploy this method of learning for our incredible team. Every day, we are helping people with dementia – so having a greater understanding of the realities of their world will help enormously. “

It is hoped that in the future, the headset will be used by the wider community, as well as ongoing staff training for the team at Ashwell Home Care Services.

Second Annual Home Care Award Win In A Row

We are celebrating a second consecutive win in an annual awards scheme that honours the top 20 home care providers across the entire West Midlands.

The Home Care Awards 2022 are based on reviews from service users/clients and their family/friends, and this year marks the second in a row that we have been award winners!

We are based in Malvern and run by husband-and-wife team Philip and Debbie Ashwell and we provide state of the art, individually tailored care to people in their own homes within Worcestershire, ensuring personal care and support is delivered the best way, coupled with a personal and inclusive approach by our Care Companions.

Managing Director Philip Ashwell said it was an honour to be once again selected as a winner in the Home Care Awards 2022; “The fact that the awards are based on reviews from those we care for, and their families, means the world to us. It means that what we are doing is exactly the level of service that local people want, need, and deserve. We strive to provide a quality of support that makes the people we care for feel like they are a part of our family, and ‘family’ is so important to us, it’s at the heart of everything we do.”

Margaret Taylor receives home visits from ourselves, and alongside her son-in-law Colin Lucas explained why they gave positive reviews about the company; “I have a lot of fun with my care companion,” said Margaret, “they not only come in and make sure all my needs are met but they also make me laugh. They put my needs first and always keep me informed, and always put a smile on my face.”

Colin said that it was the extra level of detail that impressed him; “Everyone at Ashwell Home Care Services not only provide excellent care for their clients, but they also care for the families too. They come into Margaret’s house and respect that it is her home, and really look after her, but they also make us feel like we are a part of their family, and make sure we’re kept informed and make sure we’re looked after. There are very few care companies that you can say that about these days.”

We also use state of the art technology to ensure that visits to those they care for are monitored and that they can pinpoint at any time where their Care Companions are. The technology also allows us to see, at a glance what their clients’ needs are every time they visit, so that tasks are completed without the possibility of anything being missed.

Debbie Ashwell, Ashwell Home Care Services Manager said that the award means a lot to them, and their staff: “Everyone that we have the privilege to look after receives an exceptional Ashwell Home Care Companion, all handpicked because they share our family values and beliefs. They are people that our clients can trust, someone who they know has their wellbeing at heart. We go the extra mile to look after our staff too, because they have the most important job in the world, caring for people in their own homes! We want them to feel as looked after as those who need our care, especially in these tough economic times.”

“Getting such positive feedback is very humbling, and we hope people can see the positive difference that we are trying to make across Worcestershire to the lives of the people we are proud to look after, as well as setting a benchmark for other care providers to reach for.”

We provide care to those who wish to remain independent in their own home and respite support to those who care for a loved one. We offer a wide variety of services, which include personal care services, respite care, dementia care, housekeeping services, companionship, medication services, meal services and end of life care.

To find out more information, including how to become a Ashwell Home Care Companion please call 01684 778750.

Letter to our MP in the care sector

I am writing to you as the director of a domiciliary care company, Ashwell Home Care Service. We provide home care for those that need it most in and around Malvern and the surrounding rural areas, as well as Worcester St John’s and North Worcester.

The care sector is remarkable. It is resilient, compassionate, and brave. It has stood by the people it helps through the very darkest of times. It has been by the bedsides of the sick and the dying. It has been there for families and friends of the elderly and the ill. It has been there throughout everything. I am honoured to work in the care sector, honoured to be given the chance to help others, to make people’s final years a pleasure, not a penance.

I would like to invite you, my local MPs, my local county councillors to come and experience this world. This world full of people who aren’t driven by profit, but by kindness, people who spend their career serving others, not for the glory or the accolade, but because they believe in the work that they do. The care sector is routinely dismissed by the media, by the powers, but without the care sector, everything else falls apart. The hospitals back up because there aren’t enough carers to allow people back into their homes, A and E waiting times increase, people lie abandoned on trolleys on corridors, doctor’s surgeries become overrun. All because not enough attention is paid to the care industry.

The care industry needs to be acclaimed for all that it does. It needs to be acknowledged, and it needs to be understood. It needs to be respected and revered. Without the care industry, where would we be? Who would be caring for the elderly, who would be there with dignity and compassion? Who would ensure medications were taken, meals were eaten? Would you?

The decisions that you make have far-reaching effects. Come and see what impact your policies will have. Whether you are deciding where to allocate funds or making changes to local policy, each action has a consequence. We understand that the decisions that you have to make are complex and difficult, that funding is never infinite, and that you cannot help everyone all of the time. But let us give you the opportunity to be informed. Come and spend time with us, with our care companions, our clients. Don’t just look at figures on paper, come and meet the people behind the numbers. At Ashwell Home Care Services, we take great pride in the work that we do, and we would love the opportunity to share this with you, to give you a glimpse into our world. A world full of care, and compassion, and love. Come to Ashwell Home Care Services, our doors are always open.

Is your heating on?

Is your house toasty warm as we head into deeper winter? Who put it on? Did you as the nights got darker, and the days got shorter and that first nip in the air appeared? Are the dials and the buttons on your heating easy to use? Or are they small and fiddly? Is the heating unit in the cellar, or the cupboard under the stairs? Why are we asking?

Importance of Heating for Elders

There are so many things that we take for granted when we are adults, that suddenly when we are old can become a challenge. Arthritic fingers can be swollen and unwieldy rendering small buttons and dials impossible to alter. Want to change the time on your heating? Well, you can’t because the tiny movements required by your finger joints to do this, just aren’t possible. Eyesight too can fade. So, that previously easy-to-read panels are suddenly shrouded in mystery.

And it is not only the physical but the mental acuteness. As we know, reprogramming your heating system can be a challenge to anyone who doesn’t have a master’s degree in engineering! Add a bit of dementia to the mix, and the challenge simply becomes too complicated. A perfect cocktail of old age can conspire against us to render previously simple tasks impossible.

This is why care companions are amazing! Philip Ashwell of Home Care Services says: “Home care is such a vital service. It enables people to continue to live independently, people who would struggle without support, our care companions do a simply incredible job.” Care companions not only deliver personal care, help with the shopping, provide companionship, ensure medications are taken correctly, but they are there. Our care companions can set the heating up at the beginning of the winter, they can check the water temperature on your boiler is correct. They can replace the lightbulb at the top of the stairs, they can retrieve the television remote that has fallen down the back of the sofa. There are countless things that we don’t even think about doing until we can no longer do them. Care companions are literally lifelines to so many people.

The work done by carers up and down the country is incredible. It is the most rewarding sector that you can work in, you do actually make a difference every day, every hour, and every minute of the day. The lady waiting for her care companion because she can’t find her glasses. The man who can’t remember if he has taken his medication. The lady whose family live away who can’t turn her heating on. They are all waiting, waiting for someone to turn up, waiting for someone to care. They are all reliant on their care companion, for sight, for health, and for warmth. The moment their care companion arrives they have made a difference. There are so many opportunities working in care to make a difference, so many incredible touching moments. So, if you care, come and join us at Ashwell Home Care Services.

Wishing you a caring Christmas and New Year

Christmas can be joyous and wonderful, full of family, fun, laughter, and general over-eating, family time. But it can be lonely. The portal of Christmas is always happy families, people around large tables, children crammed onto sofas together. But what if you don’t have that? What if you are alone? Your family has grown and moved away, moved abroad, your health not what it was, your days long, and empty, filled only with the memories of Christmas past?

Phil Ashwell, director at Ashwell Home Care Services says, “Christmas can be a challenging time for those who are alone, but our care companions always strive to make the day a little special for our clients. We always leave enough room in their schedules for a cup of tea and a chat, so on Christmas day, they can eat a mince pie, pull a cracker, wear a hat, and enjoy a terrible joke! All our staff will always go out of their way to make sure that anyone alone on Christmas Day doesn’t feel lonely.”

Ashwell Is Not like Others

All across the country offices, factories, schools, shops, and businesses close their doors on Christmas Eve and head home to their families. But caring doesn’t stop. All caring industries from the emergency services to the health and social care industry remain open. Many people spend their Christmas Day caring for others, for those that need our help. Our care companions are no different. Phil says, “In some companies, everyone wants Christmas Day off, but at Ashwell Home Care Services our care companions are always happy to work on Christmas Day because they know the difference that they are making.”

It can be easy to be sucked into the commercialism of Christmas, to succumb to the frenzy of consumption. It can be easy to forget about the important things in the world. Last Christmas, subjected as we were to restrictions, the gift most of us wanted was to see our families. Let us hope that we haven’t forgotten that wish in the Christmas hype this year. Let us hope that we have remembered that our presence is more important than our presents. When our care companions visit a client, it is their presence that is so important, it is that time with another human, that interaction, that love that makes the difference. The tasks they carry out, the medicines given, the meals cooked, the food bought, are all incredibly important but it is also the comfort of another person. It is two mugs by the kettle instead of one. It is the murmur of conversation rather than the deathly silence of the endless ticking clock. Giving isn’t just a physical action, giving comes in many forms. A care companion is giving all the time, the gift of compassion, the gift of affection, the gift of comfort. We bring reassurance, kindness, and care. And after all, isn’t that the true meaning of Christmas?