Care in Crisis

There are 100,000 job vacancies across the care sector. Just take a moment and let that sink in. Now imagine how much care that represents, that is simply not being delivered. How many elderly people are waiting? Waiting for over-worked carers to arrive? Waiting for a bed in the care home that they desperately need? Waiting to be discharged from hospital for a care package to allow them to live independently at home? Waiting for a home care company to have enough staff to fit them in? Waiting…

This is not a temporary crisis; this is not a supply chain glitch that will be ironed out in a few months. Phil Ashwell, director at Ashwell Home Care Services, says “We are in a perfect storm. The combination of the pandemic, Brexit, and the double jab ruling for care home workers has created this crisis.” The media have not helped with their endless portrayal of the care industry as failing, as a low-skilled sector, as a last resort. Actually, it is none of those things.

Care Sector is Crisis

The care sector is remarkable.  It is kind, compassionate, dedicated. It allows you to progress without a degree, it welcomes everyone. In the care sector, you can work your way up from a care assistant to an area team leader. It is flexible and dynamic. In what other sector can you work around your life? It is rewarding and fulfilling. There are thousands of people across the country who are living a better life because of the care sector. Thousands of people, of all ages, greeting their carers with a smile, looking forward to seeing them. Thousands of people receiving care to help them live the best life they can, because of the care sector. The care sector is incredible.

But what can you do? How can you help to ensure that our care sector continues to do what it does best – care. You can talk about it with your family, to your children looking for careers, to your neighbour who wants a part-time job, to the waitress in the café with the overbearing boss looking for a change in direction. And you can say, what a wonderful thing to be able to do, to help people, to make an actual difference in the lives of others. How many get that opportunity, how many of us get that chance?

Phil says, “The care sector is resilient. Carers will deliver care when faced with enormous adversity, from snowstorms to pandemics. But we do need more people.” Ashwell Home Care Services does have enough care staff, but only because they keep their care staff, by treating them with respect and appreciation, as well as paying above the industry average. “We have seen the number of applicants drop off, by 80%, which makes finding the right people incredibly hard,” says Phil. “Fortunately, we have a reputation as a good employer, so we still have people wishing to work for us, which means that we can continue to deliver excellent care to those who need it most.”

If you are in the Worcester area and interested in a career in care then we would love to hear from you, take a look at our careers page to find out more.

No fuel, no care

The current fuel crisis has yet again highlighted the incredibly important work done by carers across the country. The implications of care staff not being able to get to their clients, are severe. From missing medications to time delays in calling ambulances for those in need, the repercussions are endless.

Panic buying affects the supply chain, as the demand suddenly increases it causes a shortage. Many people only put £20 worth of fuel in their cars which means that they are not as protected against a fuel crisis. Yet again, it is the key workers of the country who are affected by a national crisis. Many people who rarely use their cars filled them up as the sight of growing petrol station queues triggered their panic.

Philip Ashwell, director of Ashwell Home Care Services, contacted the local paper to try and raise awareness to the plight of the care sector during this time. You can read the full article in the Worcester News by clicking here. The care sector has had an extremely difficult two years. Care staff have continually gone above and beyond during this time.

If you see a care worker waiting for fuel, let them go ahead of you in the line. Imagine it was your mother, your grandmother, patiently waiting for their carer to arrive. During the pandemic key workers could go to the front of the queue, could shop at different times, we know how to do it, why not continue to strive to be better? Why not continue to appreciate and value our key workers?

If you are worried about a loved one, speak to our friendly head office at Ashwell Home Care Services. We offer home care services across Malvern, surrounding rural areas, North Worcester and the St Johns area of Worcester. Our care companions are handpicked to provide care to those who need it most. Call our team today on 01684 778750.

Celebrating Homecare

Celebrating Homecare takes place on the 22^nd of September and is a celebration of the work done by the wonderful carers across the country. Carers have long been unsung heroes, but during the pandemic, the work done by carers has become more noticed by the general public. The theme for this year’s celebration is “made with care” and encourages people to share the amazing things they have made or created with carers. Whether it is a plate of biscuits or a hand-made card to send to a loved one, everything that is created is not only “made with care” but also made with love.

Importance of Care and our Workers

We know how vitally important the work done by carers is across the country. At Ashwell Home Care Services, we know that the time spent with our clients is also incredibly important. This is why we call our carers, Care Companions, to highlight the time spent with our clients. “Man cannot live on bread alone” and the elderly don’t just need help with daily tasks, but also companionship. Companionship can take many forms but spending time doing an activity with someone else is hugely enjoyable. Whether it is cooking a meal together, playing a game, taking someone to the wool shop to buy some new wool, our Care Companions are here to help.

Anything that engages our brains will help us. A craft activity, a project, will give us focus, a sense of purpose, it will keep us occupied and fulfilled. When we, at Ashwell Home Care Services, plan the day for our Care Companions we always allow time. Time for a chat, time for a cuppa, time for companionship. Care isn’t just helping with the physical tasks of daily life, care is; laughing, talking, engaging, interacting, being, giggling. Care is so much more.

We take great pride in the amazing work done by our care staff every day. We value, respect, and appreciate our Care Companions. We have Care Companions working across Malvern and the surrounding countryside, as well as in North Worcester and the St John’s District of Worcester. If you think care should be about more than just the physical task of daily life, you could be our sort of person! If you love the idea of “made with care”, if you love the idea of bringing a smile to someone’s face, and companionship to their day, speak to us. We are always looking for kind, compassionate people who want to make the world a little better. Call our friendly Head Office team today on 01684 778750.

Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis – what’s the difference?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful and debilitating condition. It is different from osteoarthritis, which is the more common of the two. Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease where the body thinks the soft lining around joints is a threat and attacks it. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease where inflammation occurs around joints that have worn down over time. Osteoarthritis is a disease that manifests as we grow older, whereas rheumatoid arthritis can strike at any time during a person’s life. Rheumatoid Awareness week begins on the 13^th of September and aims to increase the understanding of rheumatoid arthritis.

Both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can be restrictive. Inflammation around joints can make everyday activities a challenge. Both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis commonly start in the smaller joints such as our fingers and hands. Think about how often you use your hands. From first thing in the morning to the end of the day, our hands are constantly busy. Joints in the fingers are often attacked by arthritis, leading to pain and swelling in the knuckles. The inflammation in the fingers reduces your strength so that previously easy activities such as opening a jar can suddenly become impossible. Think about how often you use your hands and all the activities that would be affected if your hands were too painful to use.

At Ashwell Home Care Services, we provide trained care companions who can help those living with chronic health conditions. Whether you need assistance once a day with certain activities, or multiple visits a day to enable you to remain living independently in your own home, we can help. Our care companions provide support, comfort, and care to those who need it most. Being able to continue to live independently is vitally important to our clients, and we can help them to achieve that with care delivered according to their needs. One client says: ““As I am someone with chronic arthritis the help I receive from Ashwell Home Care Services is vital for me. The concern shown by the carers also helps my mental attitude towards coping with the pain.”

If you are suffering from either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis and require support for your day-to-day living we can help. All our care is designed around your needs, so when we create your care package we would take the time to understand your condition and the limitations that it may cause. Our aim at Ashwell Home Care Services is to enable people to continue to live independently despite age or illness. If you or a loved one are struggling, please contact the friendly team at Ashwell Home Care Services today on 01684 778750.

We are expanding!

We are so excited to be able to offer our great quality care to even more people. We had the opportunity to expand into North Worcester, and the St John’s area of Worcester, so we took it! Of course, we are still keeping our Malvern area, looking after our lovely clients in and around Malvern and the beautiful countryside that surrounds us. Obviously, we do now have to contend with Worcester traffic (sigh) but it’s worth it if we can help even more people receive top-quality care in their own homes.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring great care to more people,” says Debbie Ashwell of Ashwell Home Care Services. “Home care enables older people to continue to live independently in their own homes.” Ashwell Home Care Services was founded by husband-and-wife team Philip and Debbie Ashwell, after struggling to find good home care for Philip’s aging mother. “We couldn’t find the sort of care we wanted for my mum, so we created it!” says Philip.

We have been recognised for the quality of our care by both our Governing body and the public. Winning the homecare.co.uk Top 20 Home Care Providers West Midlands 2021 award, as well as receiving a “Good” rating from our Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection. “We are thrilled to have been publicly and professionally acknowledged for the quality of our care,” says Philip. “We have an exceptional team of care companions, who do an amazing job!”

The work done here at Ashwell Home Care Services by our care companions is incredibly important. Many older people wish to continue to live independently but struggle with everyday tasks and loneliness. Being able to access support makes the world of difference for many of our clients. It means they can spend quality time with their family, rather than using that time for jobs. It enables them to remain in the home they love. Many older people don’t want to move into a care home, and good quality home care can help to prevent this.

If you are concerned about a loved one and feel they could benefit from home care, why not speak to us? Our friendly team at head office are always on the end of the phone with help and advice. We now cover Malvern, and the surrounding rural areas, North Worcester, and the St John’s area of Worcester. So, if you are looking for home care for yourself, or a loved one in these areas, please get in touch. Call Ashwell Home Care Services today on 01684 778750.

Flexibility in the workplace

9 to 5 really doesn’t suit everyone. Many of us require more flexibility than a traditional office job allows. Many employers still (despite the pandemic!) haven’t embraced flexible working practices and remain wedded to their traditional structure. Many of us struggle with this, our lives are too full and too complex to work with organisations that offer little leeway to their employees. For many of us, traditional working environments simply don’t work. The care industry provides a solution. The care industry is a dynamic, flexible industry where you can work around your life, rather than fitting your life around your work.

We are all gloriously different. Some of us are naturally early risers and would rather jump out of bed and get on with our days. Some of us would rather work late than be forced to wake to an ear-piercing alarm. Some of us only want to work for a certain number of hours in a week. Some of us need shifts that fit around our partner’s work for childcare reasons. Whatever your reason is and whatever you need, come and speak to us.

At Ashwell Home Care Services, we offer a range of different contract options. Whether you want a few shifts a week to pay for some treats for your family or to work weekends when you have childcare cover, we can help. Care is always needed; care doesn’t clock off at 5 pm on a Friday. We understand the complexities of our employees’ lives, which is why we offer flexible shift patterns to fit around your world.

All we ask in return is that you are kind, caring, and compassionate. We don’t mind if you have never worked in care before. We offer comprehensive, paid training before you start working. We make sure that you are ready before you venture out to see clients on your first solo shift. We have a supportive senior team who check in with you throughout the day. We offer ongoing training, with the opportunity to progress for those who wish to continue their training in Health and Social Care.

If you are looking for flexible work around the Malvern and Worcester area, speak to us. If you would like to work for a company that understands that you have a life outside of work, speak to us. If you would like to work for a supportive and understanding employer, speak to us. Due to the nature of the rural location of our clients, all employees must have a full driving licence and access to a car. If you are bored of the grind of 9 to 5, why not speak to us? Contact Ashwell Home Care Services today and take the first step towards your flexible career. Call now on 01684 778750.

Do you have time for tea? We do!

We understand that rituals and routines are so important to us all. When we create our tailor-made care packages, we make sure that we understand all the rituals that are important to your loved one. If afternoon tea is one of the highlights of their day, we make sure that it is included in their care. Maybe they struggle with preparing the tea, we can help. Maybe they just need the companionship of taking afternoon tea with another person, we can help. Afternoon Tea Week runs from the 9^th – 15^th August and celebrates the importance of tea! We love a cup of tea, and more than that we love enabling our clients to enjoy one too.

Old age can be difficult, whether you are struggling physically or mentally, our care companions can help. Because we understand the importance of human interaction, we make sure that our schedules are always designed with time for a cup of tea. For many clients, the time they spend with their care companion will be the only contact they will have during the day. We want to make sure that we give them time, time for a conversation, time for a cup of tea, time to chat.

There are too many horror stories of home care staff rushing through appointments with not enough time to deliver care. Many of them will be unpaid between jobs, leaving them stressed and undervalued. At Ashwell Home Care Services we value our care companions. We know that the job they do is vitally important, not only to their clients but to society. We pay our care companions for the travel time between their clients, we make sure that we don’t skimp on the time allocation for care. We make sure that they never feel rushed, that they always feel that they have time to spend with the client.

If you are looking for care with a difference, speak to us. If you are seeking support for a loved one, whether they need help with personal care, or simply someone to sit with them and enjoy afternoon tea, we can help. Our home care services cover Malvern and surrounding rural areas and extend into Worcester. We are here to answer all your questions, so why not call our friendly team today? For help and advice simply call Ashwell Home Care Services on 01684 778750.

We won an award!

We did it! Our fantastic team of care companions has been recognised by Homecare.co.uk. We are so proud of you all and delighted that the incredible work that you do has been noticed. Ashwell Home Care Services has been awarded the Top 20 Home Care Providers West Midlands 2021. The Homecare.co.uk awards are chosen based on overall review scores from genuine reviews left by people who have used the services. These awards are the greatest accolade of the amazing work that all our care companions do every day.

“We are so proud of our care team,” says Philip Ashwell, director at Ashwell Home Care Services, “and we are delighted that their hard work has been acknowledged.” Ashwell Home Care Services was founded by husband and wife team Philip and Debbie Ashwell in 2019 after they struggled to find good home care for their ageing parents.

Homecare.co.uk is the leading national website for finding home care services. It is used by many people to find home care services all over the country. An amazing resource for struggling families to help them find care. It is such a useful resource as users of services can leave a review. These reviews are verified by Homecare.co.uk to prove that they are genuine. The users rate the service on a variety of criteria; overall standard, staff, care/support, management, treated with dignity, and value for money. Each element has a maximum of 5 stars available so that you can rate different aspects of the service individually. These scores are then calculated into an overall review score which is out of 10.

Our overall review score is 9.9. It is this incredible score that ensured that we were in the top 20 home care providers out of 1035 home care providers spread across the West Midlands. That is an impressive feat! But better than the accolade of winning an award is reading the reviews. Most reviews are left by the family of a client. Many people had been struggling with caring for their loved ones, before contacting us. The reviews show how much the care that we give means to people, and that is the greatest reward.

If you are struggling with caring for a loved one, please contact the friendly team at Ashwell Home Care Services. We can help you with home care for your loved one, and give you advice on how best to access this support. We are always here at the end of the phone, with compassion and constructive advice. Call us today on 01684 778750.

The tragedy of loneliness…

Loneliness is a silent sadness. It is estimated that 13% of people over the age of 65 are lonely all or most of the time. This figure has stayed roughly the same since the 1940s, but with people living for longer, this is a growing problem. Loneliness Awareness Week takes place on the 14^th of June.

Many of the people who come to us for care, report loneliness as a major factor in their lives, but using a care companion can help to remedy this. At Ashwell Home Care Services we ensure that our care companions have enough time in their schedule for a cup of tea and a chat. We understand that it is not simply the mechanics of having assistance in your daily life that are important, but the emotional benefit.

Never underestimate the power of companionship. Even knowing that your care companion will be around later on that afternoon, can transform your day. Struggling with everyday tasks can in itself be lonely, especially if they were things you used to do with a partner, who has passed away. Having a care companion to take you to the shops, or help you with the laundry can make an incredible difference.

Loneliness can be difficult to combat as it can creep into your life. Many people are happy in their own company for much of the day but can find it difficult as their mobility decreases. Many of the activities that remedy loneliness, such as popping into the local shop, having a cup of tea with a friend, enjoying a phone call with a loved one, are no longer possible with old age. If your mobility is restricted walking to the shop can become too difficult. Often your friends are the same age and can themselves struggle with their health making meeting up a massive undertaking. Our hearing can decline in old age, making phone conversations an ordeal rather than a pleasure.

Many people are very independent, they don’t want to ask their family to come around for company. They appreciate that their adult children have careers, and young families and their time is limited. They don’t want to be a burden. A care companion could be the answer. Our care companions provide support and companionship for older people. This ongoing relationship can help to combat the loneliness of old age. If you would like to have an impartial, informative conversation about the care services that we provide and how they might help you or a loved one, contact us today. Our friendly and experienced team is only a phone call away. Call Ashwell Home Care Services on 01684 778750.

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.