Here at Westwood Care Group, we pride ourselves on delivering the highest standard of homecare services to elderly and vulnerable people across Hull and East Yorkshire.
Our comprehensive offering brings complete peace of mind to our service users as well as their family members, friends and neighbours, as we’re dedicated to providing professional care with a personal touch.
If you’re new to homecare, you may be wondering how it works and what’s included. To shed some light on the topic and help you make an informed decision, in this blog we’re talking about the benefits of homecare and what it involves.
We visit you in your own home
Professional homecare is the perfect option for people who need a helping hand yet don’t want to move into a residential care home. The service enables you to remain in your beloved home and retain your independence, with our support workers carrying out specific tasks that you find difficult to manage.
Homecare is ideally suited to individuals with physical disabilities or who simply need some help with everyday household jobs such as cooking, cleaning, preparing medication and going out to buy groceries. Whatever you need assistance with, our support workers will take on the responsibility and ensure that everything is done on time, every time.
Homecare for people with dementia
Many of our service users have mild dementia, which means that they can still live in their own homes but require professional support. Studies have shown that remaining in familiar surroundings can prove beneficial, as simple things like wallpaper, furniture and decorations can calm a person with dementia and prevent them from becoming unnecessarily confused and frightened.
Our support workers are fully trained so that they can care for people with dementia with confidence and in the most appropriate way, making it a smooth and stress-free arrangement.
We deliver person-centred care
We’re committed to providing person-centred care that takes into consideration any particular needs and preferences of the individual service user. Aside from making our homecare highly customised and adaptable, this also means that our service users gain a friendly companion who they can chat with during regular visits.
Human interaction is incredibly important, especially for people who live alone and don’t go out as often as they used to. That’s why the service user is always the core focus of our one-to-one support, resulting in homecare that’s as beneficial to mental health and wellbeing as it is to the cleanliness and tidiness of the home itself.
Our services are wide-ranging
As part of your homecare visits, our support workers can carry out any and all of the following:
Book a homecare consultation
If you’re interested in the highest standard of affordably priced homecare in Hull and East Yorkshire, please call our friendly team on 01482 629506 or use our contact form.
New rules requiring the display of calories on menus and food labels came into force. It was found that a quarter of an average person’s calorie intake comes from food eaten outside of groceries.
This summer, it will now be mandatory for large businesses to show calorie information on menus and food packaging. That includes restaurants, fast food outlets, cafes, pubs, supermarkets, home delivery services, and third-party apps. In addition, customers can find the calorie information for food and soft drinks on the signage at the point where customers are making their food and drink choices.
After a recent estimate found that being overweight or obese costs the UK £6 billion, the Council of the European Union has ruled on this topic. The new initiative is to help fund healthcare in European countries. Unfortunately, around two-thirds of adults in England are overweight or obese (63%), and 40% of children leave primary school overweight or obese. Countries across Europe could greatly benefit from the funds raised by this project, mainly because Obesity is a significant cause of cancer and other ailments.
According to Maggie Throup, the Secretary of State for Health: “We all must have access to the information we need to maintain a healthier weight. This starts with knowing how calorific our food is. We know this when shopping in the supermarket, but this isn’t the case when we eat out or get a takeaway.
“As part of our efforts to tackle disparities and level up the nation’s health, these measures are an important building block to making it as easy as possible for people to make healthier food choices.”
Eating out and takeaways have become a popular option for working professionals. However, the portions of food people eat are often twice as big, making these meals feel like less of a timesaver. Labelling for calories is also limited in restaurants, meaning customers may not know what they’re ordering.
Recent data shows that in 2019/20, there were over one million hospital admissions where Obesity was the primary or secondary cause, an increase of 17% on 2018/19 when there were 876,000 obesity-related admissions.
In a survey by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities on calorie reduction, 79% of respondents said they think menus should include the number of calories in food and drinks.
Bridget Turner, director of policy, campaigns and improvement at Diabetes UK, said: “Obesity is the single most significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes. There are an estimated 13.6 million people at increased risk of developing the condition in the UK.
“Tackling this health crisis is vital. The government’s commitment to making significant takeaway and restaurant chains calorie label the food they sell is a welcome move towards reducing the rising levels of Obesity in the UK.
“Diabetes UK campaigned strongly for these measures through our Food Upfront campaign. We hope these businesses will be in line with the food retail sector to give people clear calorie information for the food they buy, hopefully leading to improved menus and healthier options.”
The Department of Health and Social Care will enforce the legislation through local authorities, who will have to carry it out.
Officials have been encouraged to have conversations with those businesses that do not comply with the law first, allowing for a more positive outcome.
Those in violation of improvement notices are subject to punishment and fines. The most common penalty is a £2,500 penalty.
At Westwood, our carers take every care to provide well-balanced meals to all clients. To learn more about our services, check out our services here, or contact us to talk to a staff member.
How do I know when it is time to find care for a loved one?
New health concerns can arise as we get older, or disabilities can get harder to handle. It is often a challenging time to witness the effects of ageing and disability. We can struggle to know what the best course of action is. At Westwood, many of our carers have dealt with this in our personal and professional lives. They can help assist you during the process and provide insight and advice.
If you have an older family member, it is common for them to hide signs of decline or problems in their health. Seniors will often maintain a strong sense of will and wish to stay independent, aware that showing signs of concern could end them in a hospital or under care. As a result, they will try to mitigate their symptoms. Mitigation is particularly common after an accident or illness. Families only have the best interest at heart for their loved ones. Still, those struggling must receive the care they need should there be any issues or concerns and be sensitive to giving that person the independence they desire.
One way to ensure your loved one does not put themselves in harm’s way and to set their minds at ease is to have a home carer look after them. A carer deals with keeping track of health records, wellbeing, medication, diet, and liquid intake. Sometimes, this basic level of care is needed to prevent trends of deterioration, allowing continued independence and a little relief all around.
Everyday physical things you can look out for:
Here are some mental and behavioural changes you could watch out for:
They may experience difficulties performing some of the below tasks:
They could also be experiencing difficulties with household responsibilities such as:
It is essential to seek help from professionals if you think your loved ones are showing the above signs. Prolonging this can be potentially dangerous and detrimental to their health. Be sure to address these issues with them in a sensitive manner, and hear their fears, concerns, wants and needs.
Westwood provides care solutions to help people with disabilities or senior clients that help maintain independence and live a complete lifestyle. Don’t hesitate to contact us for any advice or to learn more about our services at 01482 629 506 or [email protected].
Domiciliary care is a type of care that is provided at home by a professional caregiver. It may be provided on an intermittent, regular or live-in basis.
Domiciliary care providers help people with activities of daily living and other medical needs that they cannot do themselves.
There are many reasons why someone would need domiciliary care. For example, they may have a disability or illness that makes it difficult to do daily tasks, live alone, or have enough income to hire help.
A licensed home care provider is a person or agency that provides in-home care for patients who need assistance with their daily living. These providers are responsible for providing the following:
Domiciliary care is a way to help people live independently in their own homes. It is a service offered by local authorities, housing associations and third sector organisations.
The main benefits of domiciliary care are:
Choosing a domiciliary care provider can be difficult, there are many providers out there, and they all offer different levels of care, but it is essential to find the right one for your needs.
To find the best domiciliary care provider for you, you should do some research and ask about people’s experiences with different providers in your area.
You can also look at the Homecare website, which has details and reviews on many home care providers in the UK.
We tailor our care packages around each individual’s needs, promoting independence or assisting with personal care. Our assistants understand the importance of being able to stay in your own home, which is why our focus is always on what’s significant to our service users.
Contact us today by calling on 01482 629 506 or email us at [email protected].
The Disability Confident Scheme is a support system for employers to make the most of the talents, skills, and personalities of disabled people you can bring into your workplace, regardless of their Disability.
Disability confident organisations play a leading role in changing perspectives, attitudes and thought processes for the better, valuing people for who they are and not their Disability. As a result, these organisations are changing the behaviour of staff, customers, and the norm in the recruitment process in their local community and business culture. As a result, they are painting a better picture for disabled workers and reaping the rewards for their hard work and generosity.
The scheme helps employers recruit and retain unique employees who are loyal and hard-working. They improve employee morale and commitment by demonstrating how they treat employees fairly and can tap into the broadest possible pool of talent by not ruling out candidates based on personal difficulties.
By treating employees fairly, customers and competitors can identify which employers are committed to equality in the workplace, which reflects positively in the media and can even decide when customers consider whom to give their trade.
The scheme has three levels designed to support employers on their Disability Confident journey, these are:
Whilst the scheme is voluntary, it is also free to make it more accessible to employers and help make that change. Your company can only benefit from joining a network of other like-minded companies across the UK who have already started their Disability and inclusion journey.
The Age Positive campaign promotes the benefits of employing a mixed-age workforce on your team. The campaign is aimed at employers, who are encouraged to make diverse and correct decisions about recruitment, training and retention that does not discriminate against someone just because of their age.
Many people differ at the same age and are primarily affected by lifestyle, health, and outlook. Their wants and needs from that point on in their life, rather than how many birthdays they have had, everyone ages differently. However, many are still capable of excellent work and hold valuable skills that should be passed on, and many would consider retirement age.
The scheme also seeks to stop discrimination against young workers, whom employers may deem not old or experienced enough to carry out work for them effectively. However, an employer should consider a candidate’s personality, regardless of education or experience.
Age Positive uses publications, research, press, events, and award initiatives to get the message across and to help employers comply with legislation to outlaw age discrimination in employment.
The Age Positive campaign promotes the benefits of employing a mixed-age workforce that includes older and younger people. We encourage employers to make decisions about recruitment, training and retention that do not discriminate against someone because of their age. We use publications, research, press, events, and awards initiatives to get the message across and help employers comply with legislation to outlaw age discrimination in employment.
The Age Positive scheme has since been withdrawn in 2018, and the methodology remains to uphold a discrimination-free workplace for both older and younger workforce or prospective candidates.
Home care, also known as domiciliary care, is when a carer travels to your home to help. This is a common practice often organised through local councils or private agencies. Home care is excellent for people who want to remain in their own homes but need a little bit of help doping day to day tasks; you could be disabled, elderly or managing an illness.
Domiciliary care workers are all trained and have a DBS check to ensure everyone’s maximum safety. In addition, there are official bodies that regulate and monitor home care agencies to provide excellent legal practice. These regulators visit agencies to conduct in-depth assessments, and all findings and reports can be found online so that patrons can choose the best agency for them.
Home care agencies will do their best to match clients with an appropriate care worker in that area, based on location, availability, and personality. As you will be spending much time together, it is essential that you are dealing with someone you get along with and even have similar interests in. Daily care visits can typically last for 30 minutes to an hour but can occur several times. Alternatively, your care worker could stay for more extended periods that allow for more help such as daily tasks, housework, meal preparation and going outside together or running errands. This type of care allows for a deeper bond between client and care worker, and carers can find it easier to provide a more personalised and enjoyable experience with their client.
If home care sounds like the right step for you, you will need to decide which type is best for you, as there are several styles to choose from depending on your needs.
Personal Care
Personal Care is the daily support on tasks that some may find more difficult due to getting older or dealing with an illness or disability. This can include shaving, using the bathroom, getting dressed, washed or general hygiene. In addition, care workers can use installed sliders and hoists to help those with limited mobility. However, it is up to each individual to how they want their care carried out. All personal care is carried out with secretion and respect to uphold their client’s dignity.
Companionship Care
This is ideal for older people who may be lonely or at risk of becoming lonely due to their environment or situation. They may be healthy enough to live independently and without the support and do not wish to move to a care home or retirement village to meet new people but do want regular communication to stay mentally well and happy.
Dementia Care
With approximately 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, it is understandable that the disease comes in many forms and requires many different care methods. Specially trained care workers help maintain a routine and social balance, assisting in personal and household tasks and supporting their clients to maintain as independent a life as possible.
Respite Care
A respite care home is a service offered to provide a break for people who care full time for a loved one or family member. Another type is for those leaving the hospital who need extra help while they recover, which can apply to people of all ages.
Live-in Care
Care workers will live in their client’s homes to provide care, support, and companionship. This is a perfect option for those who need daily care and friendship, but they also have extra space in the home.
If you are unsure which type of care is best for you, feel free to contact us at Westwood Care and Support Services 01482 629 506.
Deciding to get home care is a big step in anybody’s life, but after making this important decision, you will soon feel the benefits of the extra care, support, and independence.
There are numerous different reasons why someone may seek home care support. For example, they may be disabled, elderly, or have mental health difficulties or medical needs, significantly impacting someone’s quality of life.
After your care needs assessment has been completed, decided on your budget and are ready to take the next step, a home care team or agency will organise with you what the best times of day would be for you to have support and any changes to your home that might be required to help carers look after you more effectively.
Care workers are diligent about keeping your home secure and will often use key safes, a small safe attached to the outside of your house, secured by a pin. A copy of your house key will be kept in the safe so that care workers can access it to enter your home, without the dangers of carrying around lots of different keys and risk losing them.
Care workers can show you how to better layout your home to facilitate your home care and will keep written notes around so that anyone who visits can pick up where they left off quickly. These notes are assigned a dedicated area, and these must not be moved so that your visiting care worker and management can easily find them. However, you can decide where this designated spot is. You can also expect a care worker to keep medicine in a locked medicine box and a place for standard equipment such as hoists and the medicine box.
There are many different types of care to choose from; you may realise you have many other people coming to your home throughout the day. This can be strange and sometimes difficult to get used to. However, a busy household can also be enjoyable and even help socialisation and motivation.
With your chosen care worker, you may receive a rota each week to show when your carer will be coming by, so you don’t need to worry about privacy. You can arrange for a copy of this to be sent to a family member or loved one involved in your care. Most of the time, your weekly rota will remain very similar, but it can be subject to change when people are on holiday or off sick. You should always be notified if a new care worker who hasn’t worked with you before is coming by, and they will have a badge or ID card so that you can check they are the right person.
Home care teams are organised and tidy; they are designed to fit around your life, regardless of the type of support you are receiving. Many people will have housework as part of their regular cooking and cleaning support. Whether this is part of your plan, home workers will always tidy up after themselves, adhering to health and safety measures and ensuring a safe, hygienic home for you. When given proper home care, the opportunities are extensive and provide much-needed independence and improvement to many people’s quality of life.
Westwood Care Group has three high-quality residential homes in East Yorkshire, each of which is designed with comfort, safety, dignity and wellbeing at its core. Read on to discover why our residential homes are chosen by people from across the region and how they’re designed to provide an exceptional living experience.
Safety, wellbeing and dignity
Duty of care is of the utmost importance to us, which is why all of our care homes have been specifically designed to make our residents feel right at home. We understand that moving into a residential care arrangement may feel daunting, so you can rest assured that you will receive a warm and friendly welcome as soon as you arrive.
A relaxed atmosphere
Our residential homes are comfy and tastefully decorated, resulting in an inviting atmosphere in every room and in all communal areas. No detail has been left out, as we keep our homes clean, tidy and hygienic as well designed for safety, security and accessibility.
Specialist equipment
Westwood Care Group is a responsible care provider, with modern facilities integrated into all of our residential homes. Each home is equipped with suitable equipment for both everyday needs and health emergencies. This means that whatever your mobility and access requirements, our team of fully trained social care professionals have everything in place to keep you safe, healthy and happy.
Social inclusion
Whilst our residential homes revolve around wonderful communities of residents who love having a chat over a cup of tea and taking part in activities together, we also organise a variety of events and day trips when possible. Our residents are also encouraged to suggest dishes for our weekly menus, plus they can even help us to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs in our gardens.
We also welcome family and friends to visit as often as they wish (coronavirus restrictions permitting) and our residential homes regularly receive visits from family pets too. This means that individual service users get to see their loved ones regularly, further strengthening the sense of community that we work so hard to maintain and grow.
Creativity and enjoyment
Each of our residential homes includes a sensory room, which is a tranquil and relaxing space that invites our residents to engage their senses through lighting, music and specific objects. This is a very effective form of therapy that’s used by people of all ages and is especially calming for those with dementia, learning difficulties and complex needs.
Respite care
The majority of our service users are permanent residents but we also host anyone who needs exceptional respite care. People love joining one of our residential homes for a short time, as it’s the perfect environment for recovering after an accident or injury. Whilst here, people in respite receive the highest standard of care, making Westwood Care Group a truly supportive environment for everyone.
Get in touch
If you’re interested in beautiful and affordable residential care homes in Hull and East Yorkshire, please call our friendly team on 01482 629506 or use our contact form.
Our mission is to support people who are either elderly, vulnerable, or simply require a helping hand around the home. Our professional support workers regularly visit individuals who don’t want to move into a residential home yet need some assistance with daily tasks, making it the perfect balance between independence and dedicated support.
How does homecare work?
Homecare is a highly flexible service that’s designed around the service user. One of our homecare specialists will visit you in your own home to an agreed schedule, which could be once a week, every day or anywhere in between.
Whilst at your home, the support worker will carry out any chores that need doing, as well as help you with appointments, social visits and anything else that helps you to live an organised, independent and happy life.
Homecare in Hull and East Yorkshire
The friendly and hardworking support workers at Westwood Care Group visit elderly and vulnerable people based in Hull, Beverley and all around East Yorkshire. Providing the highest standard of homecare services, they’re available to visit as often as required and can even provide night sits, which involves the care worker sleeping at your property so that they can be woken up if care and support are required at any time during the night or early hours.
This flexibility makes homecare an exceptional service that’s very popular with people across the region, as it can be adapted to the service user’s exact preferences and changing needs.
Food preparation and domestic chores
Everyday tasks can become a real struggle for people who are elderly or vulnerable. We believe that everyone should be given the ability to live in a clean, fresh and tidy home, which is why our support workers can carry out all kinds of household duties during their visits.
Domestic tasks can include polishing, vacuuming, washing the pots, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, doing laundry, and many other types of cleaning duties. On top of this, our homecare workers can prepare delicious and nutritious meals that suit the service user’s dietary requirements and personal taste.
Medication and hospital visits
If you need to take daily medication, your fully trained homecare worker is here to ensure that you never miss a dosage. They’re also more than happy to manage your appointments with the GP, hospital, dentist and any other healthcare specialist, as well as transport and accompany you each time.
This service means that you will always take your medication on time and that a health or wellness appointment is never forgotten about or missed.
Social inclusion and fun activities
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Are you a keen football or rugby fan? Maybe you love visiting a social club or taking in local arts and culture. Perhaps you simply enjoy feeding the ducks in the park, with the occasional trip to the seaside when the weather allows?
Whatever you like to do, your homecare support worker can organise a wide range of activities and days out to suit your preferences, hobbies and physical ability. Whether it’s an afternoon at the bingo, a matinee at the theatre or cream tea with friends, simply let us know and we’ll make sure your social calendar remains rich and vibrant.
Find out more about homecare
If you’re interested in top-quality yet affordable homecare services in Hull and East Yorkshire, please call our helpful team on 01482 629506 or use our contact form.
Having a home carer can make a huge difference in your life. A home carer will come into your home to care for you or a loved one and can increase the quality of life greatly, particularly if there is difficulty walking or getting around. Despite having someone come to your home to help you, the addition of a home carer can help you remain living independently in your own home. This kind of care is known as domiciliary care or home help.
A home carer can provide flexible care that works for the individual and can help in many ways such as housekeeping and personal support, these can help with independent living such as meal preparation and running errands. Carers have a duty of care to all the people they care for regardless of their living situation. A carers duties are both practical and emotional support, in order to enable their client to thrive in their home with the health conditions they have.
However, the duties of a carer are not just to help their clients in getting ready each day or going everyday tasks, it can involve simply spending time together, getting to know each other, joining each other for a tv show with a cup of tea or even attending a holiday together.
The number of conditions in which carers can help with is extensive and virtually non-exhaustive, ranging from dementia to cancer, ME and neurological conditions and long-term conditions or chronic illness. It does not matter the stage of your condition; we understand the condition and how you may be feeling and aim to help elevate this as best as possible. There are different levels of support available that can range from everyday tasks to providing transport to appointments or overnight stays and mental health support.
As carers have a consistently close connection to the elderly and vulnerable, leading bodies like Carers UK is in constant contact with the government regarding their response to the coronavirus. We want to ensure that the needs of carers and our clients are fully considered and that our carers have the information they need to be provided to continue their work safely and effectively. As restrictions are easing across the UK, we need to know what support is available as carers, both for our own safety and the safety of those we care for, it is important to manage the risk posed by Coronavirus.
There are several steps we can take to protect those who are most vulnerable in this coming winter where both flu and coronavirus are paramount hazards. Despite the vaccination programme against covid 19, we must still take precautions when caring for the vulnerable. Carers will receive vaccinations to help protect their clients, and whilst this offers a very high rate of protection, measures must still be taken in precaution, such as continuing to wear a mask and washing hands regularly and maintaining distance when or where possible.
The government has passed the Coronavirus Act 2020. We have recognised that emergency measures are only to be utilised in times of emergency, however, we ensure that our carers feel safe, and their needs are met and delivered as far as possible. Local authorities in England have been given the power to make decisions on moving to emergency measures. If they do decide to activate these measures, they can reduce the duties under the Care Act 2014, and they must still carry out some form of assessment with carers and their prevention duties still exist.
We are in cooperation with authority bodies who are developing information for carers and what their rights mean and how we can be affected by this. As carers, we are represented to the government through authority bodies to share how unpaid carers can be better supported in any emergency measures, as well as supporting the rights of carers regarding their own safety during the Covid 19 pandemic. There is a call for better coverage of PPE and adequate support for social care so we as carers can cope with the additional pressures of coronavirus. Income has been called to be protected as at a time when the Government is needing families to step in to care when they can, financial support should be given to do so.
