Shared Lives is an approach where an adult or young person, who needs long term support, is matched with a carefully approved carer. Together, the person needing support and the carer share family and community life. The model is looking to grow once more.
“It’s been life-changing having my homesharer living here... It really has made a positive change in my life having someone so kind and friendly around and knowing I am not alone.” Deborah Fox, Head of Homeshare UK, shares this and other testimonies about a truly beneficial model of care.
Social care is a deeply important and critical part of society. However, it faces a huge uphill battle in being seen and understood as the vital service it truly is. This month’s Care Home Open Week can play a part in raising wider awareness of its value.
Being an unpaid carer during a global pandemic takes its toll, as does its aftermath. The impact is not just physical and emotional, it’s financial too. From speaking with her networks of unpaid carers, Fatima Khan-Shah knows these issues are front and centre of their minds during this year’s Carers Week.
"‘Joining up care for people, places and populations’ is not just the title of the Government’s Integration White Paper, but an aspiration for us all" says Paul Najsarek of Solace, the membership network for public sector and local government professionals. He believes local expertise can deliver local solutions, as he explains in his debut blog for this site...
Inclusion, acceptance and respect are all essential qualities in the world of social care, as much for those who provide services as they are for those who receive them. Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, believes LGBT+ History Month is the perfect opportunity to celebrate diversity across the care sector.
Friends, family and colleagues are all great sources of information. Sometimes, this comes from chance encounters, when you’re walking the dog or dropping off the kids. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, hearing about what other people did in that situation can help. Social care is no different and a new website sets out to demonstrate exactly that...
As people working in or with the care sector, we all want the best for residents, colleagues and the communities around us. Let’s give them even greater peace of mind by getting vaccinated for flu and COVID-19 and make this the safest, healthiest winter we can.
COVID-19 vaccination has to be comprehensive to be truly effective as protection – particularly for those most vulnerable to infection. While the SAGE recommended levels of at least 80% of care home staff and 90% of residents have been reached and exceeded in many parts of England, regional variation persists.
Deborah Sturdy, our Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, explains why the Government, following wide consultation with the care sector, has taken the difficult decision to make vaccination a mandatory condition of deployment in care homes.
Although anyone can experience mental health issues, those of us who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to develop problems including low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. As this month marks Pride Month, Andrew Seed, Integrative Psychotherapist at Cygnet Hospital Ealing, reflects on how creating a safe space for service users and staff is vital to celebrate their gender and sexual identity.