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£8.5 Million Dementia Care Home set to Create 100 Jobs

By Kaya Ismail No CommentsPosted in Blog

Good news for Dementia suffers, the economy and for those looking to work in the health & social care sector.

Colten Care are adding the finishing touches to their £8.5 million dedicated dementia care home opening in the heart of Lymington at the end of March 2014.

Linden House in New Street will create around 100 direct jobs including posts for nurses, healthcare assistants, activity organisers, social carers and other ancillary staff.

The home incorporates exceptional design standards and will operate in four house groups of 15 residents each.

Home Manager Jackie Hampton, who has begun putting her staff team together, said the groups would enable care to be given in a setting of “safety, reassurance and togetherness”.

Regarding the new Nursing Home, Mrs Hampton, a Lymington resident, said:

“We already provide three dementia-specific care homes, giving us a huge body of knowledge about the different dementia journeys people can take. Living in small, friendly groups gives residents the chance to continue practical skills and retain their spirit of independence for as long as possible.”

Every aspect of the 4,250 sq m home has been designed with dementia care in mind including themed rooms, colour schemes, corridor and room features, and navigational aids.

There is a hairdressing salon, cinema, activities room, café, retreat and even a ‘Linden Square’ complete with ‘shop fronts’ evoking the Georgian grandeur of Lymington.

Themed gardens include a gazebo, beach huts and putting green.

References to Lymington and the local area throughout the home will help the overall aim of prompting both interactivity and reminiscence.

Colten Care Chief Executive Mark Aitchison also commented:

“We are a family-run group, determined to set the highest standards in all aspects of care of the older person. Linden House has been purpose-built to incorporate the latest therapeutic approaches and facilities for dementia care, all within an elegant, beautifully designed building.”

To find out more about Colton Care Nursing Homes, visit their website.

Alternatively, if you or somebody you know is looking to bolster their CV and knowledge in order to enter the health & social care industry, take a look at our sister company, The Learning Station.

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Study: Targeted Mental Health Support Can Improve Behavioural Problems in Children

By Kaya Ismail No CommentsPosted in Blog

According to a recent study reported on Mental Elf, targeted mental health support can improve borderline-clinical behavioural problems in children.

The study was made by the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, and indicates that despite the expanding research being seen for mental health in general, and especially for adults, mental health research and support for children, is still in want.

To understand the study better, here is a breakdown of how the testing was carried out:

“This was a randomised controlled trial in which 65 Local Authorities (LAs) across England were allocated to either receive TaMHS or control (usual practice), with 8,172 pupils across 266 schools included in the final analysis. The intervention was targeted at children who reported behavioural difficulties that were considered to be borderline-clinical.

The key elements of the TaMHS framework were:

  • Child-focused support (such as one-to-one therapy)
  • Parent-focused support (such as information about available services)
  • Staff-focused support (such as training)

The specific interventions offered varied between LAs as they were encouraged to develop their own model of school-based support from the framework.

The primary outcome of “behavioural difficulties” was measured via a survey, using the behavioural difficulties subscale of the Me and My School (M&MS, Deighton et al 2013) measure, completed by the children in 2009 (pre-test) and in 2010 (post-test).”

The full report can be found here.

In simple terms, Mental Elf reports that the studies, “have found that children with behavioural difficulties who received Targeted Mental Health Support (TaMHS) in their primary school showed a statistically significant reduction in self-reported behavioural difficulties one year later.”

What do you think of the studies, and how do you think society should approach and handle mental health issues in Children? Let us know in the comments below.

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6 Parental Guidance Apps to Keep Kids Safe Online

By Kaya Ismail No CommentsPosted in BlogTags:

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Being a parent can be difficult, especially when your kids near puberty, own mobile smart-devices and spend time out of the house with their friends.

However, those same mobile devices can actually help you keep your children safe – wherever they may be. We’ve compiled six of these apps that help you communicate, keep track of and protect your children.

So, you can essentially permit your kids access to technology and seem like the cool parent , although in reality, that same technology will keep them safe and sound, should anything go wrong.

1. F-Secure Child Safe

With the F-Secure Child Safe you can ensure that your child does not see harmful content when browsing the web. You can define what type of sites your child is allowed to surf and deny access to specific content categories, e.g. violence. To ensure safe surfing use the F-Secure Child Safe browser yourself and, more importantly, guide your children to access the web only with this browser.

Free on iOS & Android.

2. Sygic Family GPS Tracker

Sygic Family keeps your family safe by allowing you to check the real-time location and the battery levels of your family members’ smartphones. You can also track your children’s whereabouts, or have them check-in periodically to let you know where they are and if they have arrived at their destination safely.

The app also has an in-built messaging system which lets you send messages for free over an Internet connection. You can also set Safe or Unsafe zones – a notification will be sent to you when they enter or leave these zones. There is also an SOS button available in this app, which lets you send out your exact location at the tap of the button. You never know when you might need it.

Free on iOS & Android.

3. FBI Child ID

This free app provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children so that it’s literally right at hand if you need it. You can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot. Using a special tab on the app, you can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities with a few clicks.

The app includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing. Links to additional resources for families and victims are provided as well.

Free on iOS & Android.

4.. iEmergency ICE Family

iEmergency ICE Family PRO (or ICE Family for short) is the family version of the top downloaded iEmergency+ application. It has been designed specifically for families.

This is the ultimate “In Case of Emergency” applications. Not only does it have contain your medical information but also the information for your family. Such information, including allergies, medical history, etc, can be vital when travelling or in cases of serious emergency.

Free on iOS & Android.

5. Sex Offender Search

Sex Offender Search keeps your family protected by letting you know where sex offenders are in your neighborhood. This app uses the most up-to-date information from the National Sex Offender Registry.

By knowing the threats in your area, you can warn your family, and also prepare for any travelling you may do.

Free on iOS & Android.

6. KidsTube

Worried about your children seeing inappropriate content online? KidsTube is a secure, child-friendly video player app that kids of all ages can use to save and play their favorite (pre-approved!) YouTube videos.

Getting your children used to surfing KidsTube will deter them from searching out other online media websites, keeping them content, yet safe.

Free on iOS & Android.

Do you have any useful Parental Guidance Apps which you use along with your children? Share them in the comments below!

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The Importance of Innovation in Social Care

By Kaya Ismail No CommentsPosted in BlogTags:

canstockphoto10959703 Very recently, The Guardian published an article discussing how the lack of innovation in social care was a big threat to care providers everywhere. Here at Stepping Out, we couldn’t agree more. Author Sara McKee mentioned in particular that:

“In the existing model users of residential care are treated as recipients instead of customers. We need turn to turn this on its head with leaders who inspire and staff who are genuinely committed to ensuring the customer gets to make the decisions, keeps control and continues to contribute. This can be achieved by focusing on smaller numbers of people and enabling staff to be close to their older compatriots. That way “person-centred” care and other useless jargon can be thrown away as real relationships are fostered.”

The numerous local authorities who have already worked alongside Stepping Out will know that this was an issue seen by the company some years ago, and actioned upon accordingly. For example, almost all of our semi-independent living homes are deliberately homes fit for the average family in terms of size. In other words, our homes are designed to promote a healthy living environment by creating a more personal approach to care. Less young people in need of support under one roof – as Sara McKee indicates, simply makes for better results.

How Else are Stepping Out Innovating?

Our innovative mindset doesn’t stop there. Stepping Out have been working hard over the last few months to bring creativity to the table, at the “highest” and “lowest” ends of the company spectrum. For example, new computing software, hardware and modern technology are all being implemented into our offices, and into our general staff training. With this, the technicalities of running a successful, result-driven support environment is becoming more streamlined by the day. What’s more is, Stepping Out staff are constantly gifted the opportunity to speak out about their ideas relating to how support is delivered. Regular staff meetings in particular allow this to be done within a more public platform, so ideas can be discussed and absorbed by other members of the company. So, when it comes to innovation in social care, Stepping Out realise the importance, and are doing everything they can to lead the line against aging practises which are simply counter-productive and counter-creative.

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