PAVAUK from the aspect of Safeguarding was invited to take part in a Symposium to be held at The Royal Hotel, Hull in December 2010 at which it was represented by our Hon CEO who also will take experience from his other involvements in safeguarding, health and social care.
The pilot study has been a total success and as of March 2011 moves are afoot to launch the scheme within Humberside and The East Riding. It comes down to the one thing, funding. Government ministers and local MP's are excited about the project and it is hoped that some way will be found to identify funding opportunitites through either personalisation, grants or personal purchase.
A new community enterprise is being set up, a legal instrument of not for profit and in such things wheels move slowly
This is an innovative idea hatched and we understand copyrighted by Deborah Stock who is Managing Director of Proactive Partners in the North of England but she has had to deal personally with terminal illness, safeguarding, acute and chronic nursing care with all the sets of personal and professional circumstances which this has involved.
Her summary is included on this website purely on merit and the potential of the foundation of a facility which should help all professional and lay practitioners involved in safeguarding and care. The usual rydor from PAVAUK applies of the information that it is made available but no commercial endorsement is given or implied.
'''As a private individual caring in the home for a loved or close one it can be a very scary time and at that time some people have no idea of where to start or what to do, what help is out there and how to look after the person in the best way. From my own experiences and from talking to the family members of people who care for aforementioned loved and cared for ones, I am of the opinion that people who have been “thrown in at the deep end” and have never had any experience of someone who needs care could do with practical training or be made aware of sources of help, support and information.
These skills for example in the form of how to move someone safely, how to wash and dress them, how to shave carefully and safely, safeguarding issues, changing bedding and clothes, giving medication etc, the list is endless and I have only touched on personal care.
We then look at support services which can be accessed, benefits, powers of attorney, respite care for the cared for person as well as respite care for the carer, emotional support, counselling, professional services, specialist medical and nursing care for the terminally ill, organ donation wishes, end of life decisions and wishes, money management, support from religious fath and beliefs, funeral plans, estate planning, I could just go on and on.
From my research I can see that there are on-line courses that can help prepare the carers with the theory behind this but does it really help? Or would having a hands-on opportunity to learn how to carry out basic care tasks in the form of training courses or know where to find answers to questions be a more helpful solution?
As someone who has been in the position as a carer for my family member, this sort of thing would have been extremely beneficial to me. It would have given me more confidence to cleanse, move, medicate and care for my loved one without worrying that my unintentional clumsiness might damage their skin or cause them pain. I would also hope to know where help, advice and support be accessed.
As the owner of a domiciliary care agency providing training and support to my employed carers, plus my direct personal involvement, I had the thought that training and information source identification would massively benefit the family members of our clients, not only would they be able to care for their family member, competently and safely but they would also be able to assess as a safeguarding measure if the external carer is doing what they should do.
Giving loved ones carers the confidence and personal satisfaction to be in a position to help just that little bit more PLUS, and a very great PLUS, knowing where to gain that support and information for their 'relative' and themselves.
It is important to stress that a carer is also in need of emotional and physical support, knowing where they can turn to and knowing where they can access services and help for themselves.
In addition to all of this, the potential savings to the NHS and Local Councils could be tremendous.
Obviously, funding was my next question and I wondered how such a facility could be funded? Is there availability within personal budgets to fund this? Is there a government pot of money available somewhere?
Other thoughts that need answers are:
1. I am told that it is District Nurses who teach new carers how to complete tasks, is this accurate? Moreover, do District Nurses have the time to teach carers basic tasks?
2. Should a course be part of the discharge plan from hospital? If so, how could this be implemented? We suggest that it should
3. What do actual day-to-day carers consider they need help with?
4. Should the course include meal preparation or financial planning/paying bills help? Or should these be different forums?
This is a brain child of mine, which I take formal ownership of and is registered to me and that I can’t help thinking would have massive benefits for all departments within the caring process, not to mention the quality of life to the actual clients receiving the care.
We intend to hold a symposium on the benefits of a training course of this nature to demonstrate what we intend to cover in the course and take feedback regarding content and implementation on Thursday 16th December 2010 at The Royal Hotel, Hull.
If you would like to be part of this “ideas session” then, please indicate your interest by sending me an e mail to the below, I will reply by return. I would very much welcome people's thoughts and comments and would very much welcome a brainstorming, or to be totally PC, a mind cascade session to discuss this further or your thoughts via e mail.
e-mail: deborah.stock@proactivepartners.co.uk
Kindest regards.
Deborah Stock BA (Hons)
Proactive Partners ''
