An Edinburgh care home is failing to provide adequate care to residents despite THREE visits in September, according to the latest fortnightly report by the Care Inspectorate to the Scottish Parliament.
Guthrie House Care Home on Lasswade Road, which is operated by Four Seasons Healthcare Group, was first visited by inspectors on 1 September, when a letter of serious concern over failings was issued. This was followed up by a visit two days later with representatives from NHS Lothian.
Inspectors found ‘people did not have sufficient access to fluids and were not supported promptly when in pain or distress. We were concerned about the care of residents, cleanliness of the environment and equipment, compliance with infection prevention and control and staffing levels’.
When inspectors visited Guthrie House again on 23 September they found no improvement in the support offered to indivudals experiencing pain and distress. Medication procedures were weak and there was no improvement to the quality of documentation relating to the support provided.
Commenting on today’s report,Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said: “This is deeply concerning that Guthrie House still hasn’t made the necessary improvements to cleanliness of the home and residents who are in pain are still not being supported promptly.
“Full compliance with PPE guidance is crucial to ensuring that care home residents are safe and there can be no exceptions.
“Guthrie House has been repeatedly warned about cleanliness and following PPE guidance. Strict protocols must be put in place to turn the level of care at the home around.
“There are still a number of care homes in the Edinburgh and Lothian who are not following PPE and social distancing guidance fully and the message of full compliance must be reinforced.”
Care home residents and their family and friends will soon be able to enjoy longer visits together and greater personal interaction, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has announced.
Updated guidance published by the Scottish Government (below) recommends easing restrictions on visiting in a range of ways, including extending indoor visits from 30 minutes to up to four hours.
Outdoor visits can be extended to include up to six visitors from no more than two households, including children and young people, for up to one hour per visit.
The new guidance also supports increased personal interaction, including hugs or hand holding, as long as strict PPE and infection prevention control measures are met.
These include:
personal interaction – visitors can support personal care and daily routine activities, provided this is agreed with the care home and takes place in residents’ rooms
touch – enabling contact with loved ones with regular training and supervision for visitors to put on and take off PPE and safety guidelines
family pets and therapy animals – during outdoor and indoor visiting, if agreed with the care home, and certain pre-conditions are met
gifts and residents’ belongings – can be brought in by visitors, when agreed with the care home manager in advance
These changes will require careful planning by care homes so will be implemented once care homes are satisfied that they can be accommodated safely, alongside existing safety measures such as the weekly testing offered to all care home staff, and sample testing in homes with no cases.
Local PPE Hubs are also in place across Scotland through Health and Social Care Partnerships to support the social care sector with PPE supplies for staff and visitors, in addition to care homes’ existing supply routes.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “We know how difficult visiting restrictions have been, and it is only natural after six months of lockdown restrictions, that care home residents and their loved ones will want to see and interact with each other as much as possible.
“The Scottish Government has been actively working with Scottish Care and other care home stakeholders on a staged approach to re-introduce visiting in care homes in as safe a way as possible, while COVID-19 remains in Scotland.
“This latest guidance has been developed with input from family members, carers, and clinicians to offer greater flexibility in visiting arrangements, and indoor visiting in particular, as winter approaches. We will continue to actively consider how we can best support visiting in care homes, and protect those who are at most risk from this virus.”
Age Scotland has warmly welcomed the changes to care home visits that will allow families to spend more time in an indoor setting with their loved ones.
Brian Sloan, chief executive of Age Scotland, said: “This has been a long time coming but it will nonetheless be a huge boost for care home residents and their families, who have really struggled with the lack of contact since March.
“Family members can at long last visit their loved ones in care homes for up to four hours, indoors and, where it safe to do so, hold their hand for the first time in almost seven months. The importance and benefits of this cannot be underestimated.
“This is something that care home residents and their families have rightly been crying out for as they grew increasingly concerned about the negative impact it was having on their health and well-being. Their wait has been excruciating.
“We have heard from many families who have been seriously alarmed by the decline in the health of their loved one during lockdown, in part because of enforced isolation to avoid the spread of coronavirus. We have been making the case to the Scottish Government that every effort must be made to resume indoor visiting as the ongoing risk to the person’s health by not doing so is substantial.
“It is essential that increased visits to care homes are now available to everyone wherever possible. With PPE and other protective measures in place, older people in care homes will be able to reconnect with their relatives and feel part of their family again.”
LifeCare invites you to join in for the third of its online quizzes on Tuesday 13th October at 15.00.
Enjoy 60 minutes of fun, laughter and topics including the Movies, Nature and lots more.
The quiz will take place on Zoom and for details on how to join in, please contact Aleks, the Community Engagement Facilitator: alekspacula@lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk
Alzheimer’s Month sees get-fit challenge issued at Cramond Residence
Lisa Sohn is one of the lifestyle coordinators at Edinburgh’s most exclusive care homes, Cramond Residence.
PENSIONERS deprived of proper exercise during the lockdown are now being coaxed back into action at Edinburgh’s most exclusive care home – by the lure of raising cash to battle dementia.
Canny staff at Cramond Residence in Edinburgh have set a challenge for residents, giving them the month to get in the best possible shape for a major fundraising push.
Care and clinical workers hope the attraction of doing their bit for Alzheimer’s Month will also help the residents shake off the potentially debilitating effects of five months in lockdown.
Lisa Sohn (above), Lifestyle Coordinator at the purpose-built, 74-room care home, pointed out that extensive research has shown how older people are adversely affected by periods of inactivity, suffering accelerated muscle loss.
Lisa said: “It’s a vicious circle. The more inactive an older person it is, the harder it becomes to get them back into a good place. We’ve done everything we can to keep our residents active here, but we’re hoping this new challenge will really make a difference.
“We are lucky to have beautiful gardens at Cramond Residence so we’ve come up with a plan to mark Alzheimer’s Month throughout September, encouraging our residents to walk as often as possible.
“We’re going to build up to a big fundraising day on September 30. That will see our residents doing as many laps of the garden as possible, while asking their family and friends to make a pledge to Alzheimer Scotland.
“Everyone here has a vested interest in this. Not only is it a great way to keep our people in tip-top condition, but we all know residents who have Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. This lets us all do our bit to fight this terrible condition.”
Reopening of Cramond Residence’s beautiful garden has been the main impetus for the challenge. However, it has also been partly inspired by the story of former British Army Captain Tom Moore.
His garden walks during lockdown and in the run up to his 100th birthday turned him into a national celebrity. He also raised more than £32m for the NHS – and earned a knighthood as a result.
Lisa added: “All of our residents followed the story of Captain Tom during lockdown, so we’re hoping that will also help inspire them.
“Happily, most of them are champing at the bit to get back out walking outside and the garden walks will be one of our major focuses throughout September.”
Cramond Residence is a purpose-built care home created at a cost of £12.5m and opened in October 2018. It combines luxury, five-star accommodation with outstanding clinical standards. Each resident enjoys a luxury room with en-suite bathroom facilities – with places available from £1850 per week.
It can care for up to 74 older people, with specialised self-contained houses for those residents living with an advanced stage of cognitive impairment induced by conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
It maintains a care staff to resident ratio of at least 1:4 at all times and promotes a small-group living philosophy. That means groups of eight rooms form distinct “houses”, where residents are encouraged to eat and socialise together. This is believed to have played a major role in successful infection control during the Coronavirus pandemic to date.
Places in the care home start from £1850 a week. To find out more, call 0131 341 4037 or visit https://cramondresidence.co.uk/
With the Tories seemingly considering changes to the retirement age, how does the UK compare to other countries aroud the world?
Men and women in the Netherlands and South Korea work longer than adults in any other country according to new research.
The team at personal finance experts TheMoneyPig.com have looked at 41 countries around the globe to find the age for retirement.
People in the Netherlands work until they’re 68 with South Koreans working until they’re 68 and 67 for men and women respectively.
Norway, Italy, Israel, Iceland and Greece are close behind with the age of retirement set at 67 years old.
Many countries in Europe retire at around 65 – 66 years old, including the UK, although that age looks set to rise over the coming years.
Others with 65 years as the retirement age include New Zealand, Mexico, Jamaica, Hong Kong, Canada and Brazil. In Asia countries including China, Japan and Thailand retire at 60 years old.
The country with the lowest retirement age is the United Arab Emirates with Emiratis able to retire at just 49 years old. Expats aren’t quite so fortunate, retiring at 65 years.
There is still some discrepancy between the ages men and women can retire. In most countries the retirement age is the same although women are able to retire at a younger age in China, Qatar, Turkey, Russia, the Czech republic, Austria, Brazil, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Poland, Switzerland, Israel and South Korea.
A spokesperson for TheMoneyPig.com said: “Retirement ages differ slightly around the world but not massively. Looking at the data it would be fair to say that mid 60s is around the average age for retirement.
“What is important wherever you live, is to plan for your retirement so you can enjoy it without the financial concerns it can bring.
“It’s important to think about this early and to be realistic on just how much money you need, how much you can afford to pay in now and if there are ways you can boost your pension pot.
Here are TheMoneyPig.com’s tips for planning for retirement:
1. Your retirement income
It’s important to work out your potential retirement income. Factor in your state pension and any private pensions you pay in to and you should come up with an accurate figure. Also factor any savings or investments you have available to use when you retire.
2. Boost your pension pot
Think about paying in more to your pension if you can. This will give you a greater sum when you retire. To boost it further you could set you retirement date later.
3. Day to day spending
Think about what you’ll spend when you retire. Work related costs like commuting, lunch and work clothes will all stop. Do factor in increases elsewhere like leisure and healthcare.
4. Clear your debts
Aim to clear any debts before you retire. If you can get the mortgage paid off, then do. Look at credit cards and any other debts too and pay off those with the highest interest first.
5. Retirement age
Consider what age you want to retire at and be realistic about if you can afford to.
6. Get advice
If you’re not sure, it’s always worth getting some financial advice. A good adviser will be able to talk you through the options to help you work out what’s right for you.
· Over a third (33%) of Scots revealed that 50 was the age they begun to feel neglected or invisible in society
· 36% of Scots over 50 don’t think brands advertise to their age and 17% don’t think magazines represent their age
· Over half (56%) of Scots say that being neglected by society makes them feel underappreciated, and a third say it makes them depressed and anxious
· This also impacted over 50s’ career decisions in Scotland, with a quarter (25%) admitting they feel they’re unable to apply for jobs because of their age
Over a third of Scots (33%) have revealed that 50 was the age they begun to feel neglected and invisible in society, according to new research by SunLife released today.
The research found that 56 was the average age Scots over 50 began to feel this way, and that over half (56%) of those over 50 said prejudice towards their age causes them to feel underappreciated, let down (34%) and depressed or anxious (36%).
The new Retiring Ageism report, which follows SunLife’s 2019 Ageist Britain campaign, surveyed 2,000 UK adults and analysed UK brands’ representation of over 50s across their marketing activity.
SunLife’s new research found that due to feeling neglected or invisible in society because of their age, a quarter (24%) over 50s living in Scotland are less inclined to try new things, and a third opt to stay home and miss events (31%).
A fifth (21%) of those over 50 said these feelings made them less inclined to keep fit, active and healthy, directly impacting their physical health.
These feelings also influenced Scots over 50s’ career decisions, with a quarter (25%) admitting they didn’t apply for jobs because of their age and one in six (14%) not applying to a job they had wanted.
Feeling neglected also has a harmful effect on relationships, with 16% of Scots believing their friends and family don’t invite them out because of their age.
“Ageism affects people at work, it affects people’s health, and it can affect the way they see themselves. Our research has found that many people over-50 believe they have been turned down for a job because of their age, and many have been put off applying for jobs as they sound like they’re aimed at younger candidates.
“From the casual ageism of products labelled ‘anti-ageing’ to the way we’ve seen older people spoken about during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear that as a society we’ve got a long way to go on this issue. It’s great to see this report shine a light on the issue, and contribute to the vital conversation around ageism.”
Additionally, over three quarters (78%) of those over the age of 50 said they hadn’t seen accurate representation of their age bracket by companies or celebrity personalities within the past year, with Nike, Next and Adidas called out as the top three worst brands for representing over 50s.
The media has also been revealed to mischaracterise over 50s, with just 15% feeling as though national newspapers represented their age bracket well, and only 12% feeling well represented in local newspapers. Furthermore, 21% of 50-59 year olds felt as though they didn’t see people their age in magazines, with this rising to a quarter (24%) of 60 to 69-year olds.
Ian Atkinson, director of marketing at SunLife, added: “We want to keep shining a spotlight on the issue of ageism – specifically, on the misrepresentation of the over 50s in society and the media. Our new report has revealed that this is particularly prevalent in the workplace, advertising and the world of entertainment.
“Unsurprisingly, it can have lasting effects on the mental and physical health of those over 50 who feel misrepresented, causing them to alienate themselves from family and friends. By raising the profile of this problem, we want to continue our ambition of retiring ageism once and for all and encourage other brands to cater to this age bracket who deserve to be recognised.”
Alongside the report, this year SunLife will be actioning three pledges to encourage brands to celebrate life over 50 and help retire ageism once and for all. These include sharing the research and image galleries with leading UK charities to help support them with their initiatives aimed towards over 50s, as well as developing a series of best practice guidelines to assist brands and media.
SunLife found that when searching for imagery of older people, the results often portray an inauthentic view of life after 50 and embody ageist stereotypes. To help counter this, SunLife have embarked on creating their own image galleries, generating these from photoshoots using real people to help authentically show the positive side of life after 50.
The full report and opening foreword from Ian Atkinson can be viewed here:
FUN-loving pensioners who were missing out after the world’s biggest arts festival was cancelled have been treated to a bespoke day of events instead.
Cramond Residence, Edinburgh’s most exclusive care home, hosted a Festival-Fringe-style celebration for its residents since the annual arts event was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The day-long ‘Cramond Fringe’ saw residents and staff enjoy a celebration of arts and entertainment, while abiding by social distancing rules. It included performances by magicians, jugglers, poets and singers.
Lisa Sohn, Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Cramond Residence, said: “This offered something different for our residents and it was wonderful way to bring everyone together safely.
“While nothing can make up for Edinburgh losing the Festival-Fringe this year because of the pandemic, we still had a brilliant day of entertainment and performances here. The residents absolutely loved it.”
Cramond Residence is a purpose-built care home created at a cost of £8m and opened in October 2018. It combines luxury, five-star accommodation with outstanding clinical standards – with places available from £1850 per week.
The Cramond Fringe event was held in the residence’s dedicated cinema room – a sizeable, multi-purpose space which enabled strict social distancing. The residence also includes a library, hair salon, private, fine-dining space and a physiotherapy room.
Lisa added: “The fringe celebrations started with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the morning, followed by refreshments over a presentation on the history of the Festival and a Fringe trivia quiz for those more competitive residents.
“After lunch we started our afternoon of entertainment which included juggling, magic shows, skits, jokes, and a sing-song. We tried to create the feeling of a variety of acts by switching the chairs around and creating different ‘stages’.
“Speaking with the residents after the event, they told us they’d loved it a really good time and would love for it to happen again – maybe we will need to make the Cramond Fringe an annual celebration due to popular demand.”
Cramond Residence can care for up to 74 older people and has a specialist dementia unit to care for those with an advanced stage of dementia. Each resident enjoys a luxury room with en-suite bathroom facilities. It maintains a care staff to resident ratio of at least 1:4 at all times.
Spread across three floors, it also adopts a small-group living philosophy. That means groups of eight rooms form distinct “houses”, where residents are encouraged to eat and socialise together. This is believed to have played a major role in infection control during the Coronavirus pandemic to date.
The NHS, in all it’s forms, has been invaluable for people. This is understood: we would all be in deep trouble without it.
It is hard to believe organisations see the provision of health services as a means to make huge profits. One of the biggest dangers for the NHS is countries like the USA.
The importance of the people to own and control the NHS has been a tremendous lesson for all. It is now unthinkable to most that it should be otherwise.
This example of how to benefit society must now be extended to what is called the ‘care sector’. It, too, should be a publicly-owned extension of the NHS, not owned by private cmpanies or a business dependent on grants from local councils.
Every elderly person is exactly that, and must be treated with respect, not as an afterthought on some idea of ‘can we afford the cost?’ We can and must afford it!
The now elderly people need care and attention, love and respect for all they have done for us.
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, has announced today that the Next Chapter Award 2021 is open for applications. Now in its seventh year, the award seeks submissions from talented yet unpublished writers over the age of 40.
Previous winners include Gail Honeyman, author of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, which was named book of the year at the British Book Awards in 2018. It was also the most borrowed e-book of last year. Ryan O’Connor, who won the Next Chapter Award two years ago, recently signed a two-book deal with Scribe. His debut novel The Voids will be published in 2022.
The Next Chapter Award supports an emerging writer for whom finding time and space to write has proved especially challenging. Developing a specific piece of work to publication standard will be the central aim of the award and applicants must demonstrate genuine potential for publication.
Run by Scottish Book Trust, the award provides a £2000 bursary; nine months of mentoring from a writer or industry professional; a two-week retreat at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre; training in PR, social media and performance and the opportunity to showcase work to publishers and agents.
The winner of last year’s Next Chapter Award, Olive M. Ritch, is currently working on a poetry collection, inspired by her career in social work and her home town of Orkney.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said:“The Next Chapter Award proves that it’s never too late to start writing, as seen from the success of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
“The award gives the gift of time and support to write, something that many struggle to fit around their daily lives. We look forward to finding new, exciting talent within Scotland’s literary scene.”
Olive M. Ritche said:“Being the recipient of this year’s Next Chapter Award has given me a tremendous boost. As a poet of a certain age, I much appreciate the Next Chapter Award’s support for a writer over the age of forty as it is an implicit acknowledgement of the fact that age does not diminish ambition.
“I am currently working on a collection of poetry with the support of an inspiring mentor. I am also enjoying being part of a writing community. Do apply for the Next Chapter Award – it is a life-changing experience.”
The award is open to poets, novelists, authors of narrative non-fiction and children’s authors who are 40 years of age or above. The closing date is Wednesday 2 September at midday.
Visit Scottish Book Trust’s website for more information.
LifeCare, the older person’s charity based in Stockbridge, is taking its hugely popular monthly History Talks online.
Due to the on-going Covid-19 situation, the last 4 months of talks, which normally take place at the LifeCare Centre, were cancelled.
However, with the increasing use of video conferencing solutions, LifeCare is pleased to bring you July’s talk which is entitled The Edinburgh Colonies by Richard Rodger.
Please contact the community engagement facilitator and organiser of this event, Aleks Pacula, for information on how to take part.
