Friday 29 June 2012

WHAT MAKES YOUR DAY?

Usually I tend to write about past experiences which have an affect on the present and share with you all.

Today is different because I had what I call a 'GRATITUDE ATTACK!'

Its a wonderful warm feeling when you notice it happen and the world around you seems to 'refresh'!

Each day I am blessed with the cheekiness and mischief my toddler son expresses - be it emptying his shampoo bottle all over the windows or proudly walking into the room with his toothbrush, very much squeezed toothpaste tube and minty toes to match his teeth!! Priceless!

Each day for him is a new adventure as he explores and discovers the world. He is emerging into a wonderful little fella who chases the clouds away everyday.

Today was the day for something else to emerge into our world....a butterfly! (sorry if you felt it was an anti climax!)

This beautiful creature fluttered around the garden- to get his bearings- for a good hour or so. Never going too far away and always coming back to perch on the garden chair. How good it must feel to be able to stretch out those wings, feel the warmth and let the warm breeze take you.

It was a wonderful experience and daft as it may sound to some, I felt privileged to be a part of this butterfly's journey.

As the butterfly gained confidence and realised just how much he could do and where he could go I bid him goodday and said thank you.....off he went.



It got me thinking, how wonderful it must feel for all those who have carers come into their life and share their own 'emergence' as they become able to do more after a difficult time.The visits cease or reduce and off they flutter. Beautiful.


So, what makes your day? I would love to know.




123Friendster.Com

123Friendster.com - More Butterfly Quotes Comments



Monday 25 June 2012

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

AWARENESS DATES THIS WEEK



 NATIONAL BIPOLAR AWARENESS DAY Wednesday 27 June 2012

A public education campaign, Bipolar Awareness Day  will be launched on  2012 by Bipolar UK, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Bipolar Scotland.
 http://www.recoverywirral.com/




WRONG TROUSERS DAY 29 JUNE 2012

Wallace and Gromit's Children's Foundation aims to raise money for sick children in hospitals and hospices throughout the UK.

www.wallaceandgromitfoundation.org/

 

 

WHISTLEBLOWING! Do you,don't you?!!!!!

I know you may well be looking at this with a sidewards glance and wincing but it does need to be highlighted.

First off, whistleblowing is for you to be able to report CONFIDENTIALLY any malpractice you see within the workplace.It could be regarding the welfare of a patient or service user, it could be regarding health and safety issues.Whatever it is, it does need to be addressed.

I've used this myself in the past.Yes, it felt uncomfortable to do but for the safety of the service user it had to be done and I had to speak out.

I had a few issues with how a double up visit was going each time I was in there with a particular colleague.The use of hoist and equipment was very lax ed and as they seemed to always assume lead role I felt very inferior. However, I could no longer be a part of such bad practise. I could see it was only a matter of time and through this one persons action they were putting the service user,themselves and me at risk. I would speak up in visit but it didn't seem to have an effect. Ultimately, I found myself in the managers office having to write down all my concerns and issues.

It is a difficult decision to make but when the person you are working with doesn't listen, you have to do something.

I really thought it would get sorted. I had gone through the right procedures and felt ;naively; it would be dealt with appropriately. The outcome in time,was after 'them' having a chat with the other colleague, they would keep an eye on things!

How serious does a situation have to be for action to be taken. This was about the welfare of a service user, misuse of equipment and if need be, maybe I should have pulled up the GRIEVANCE policy.

Get the support you need from the right people.If you need to go higher up,do so.

It is sad but true, that in the caring world there are occasionally the odd one or two who do slip up and continue to do it. It is a shame, as more often than not its these cases that seem to make the news and it does put a dark cloud over the majority who do a fantastic and efficient job and as ever it goes unnoticed.

For all those concerned or in a similar situation, if you can find it within you, please do speak up or at least get it recorded so that someone somewhere will do something!

DSZTQ3N975R3


"Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind -- even if your voice shakes." Maggie Kuhn




Please take a look at the following link for direction about whistleblowing. As ever, always check your employers procedures.



http://www.careuk.com/content/whistleblowing_home

Thursday 21 June 2012

CELEBRATION OF PARKING RESTRICTIONS!

Its that time of the year when all around the country there are festivals, carnivals, 'major sporting events', etc taking place.

There are many individuals who have worked a long time and achieved personal goals through hard work,dedication and perseverance towards a lot of the events.

Its great to be a part of a country with so many celebrations going on. Its great to see vast amounts of people having fun and tourists seeing what we do best......Wait for it......here it comes.......HOWEVER....(told you!)...

.... road closures, parking restrictions, it makes me wonder what provisions are put in place for the community care/support worker and others who have to continue their daily and very much needed visits to service users.

Are the provisions put in place 'acceptable'?  Is parking safe for evening visits? Have they addressed personal safety issues? Do you feel comfortable with it all?

If the nearest you can park to a visit is a good 10 minute walk away, will you 'realistically' be programmed enough time to park and walk, go into visit, walk back to the car, go onto the next visit, get caught up in extra traffic, take on extra visits because someones poorly(!) even though your workload is overflowing because of holiday cover and contend with whatever the weather will throw at you!!!!  A hard enough task if it's for a couple of days but it must be quite daunting for any events that are on for ...ooh...lets say
3-4 weeks !!!!

Many probably won't say anything to the right people because it can be awkward and half the time you know that no action will be done about it and as usual, your caring nature is taken advantage of as they know you will just do it anyway. (can't help but think of the word 'bully' here.)

So, to all of you  who will be caught up in this , stay strong and I hope there is plenty of support and understanding for the mammoth job you will have and the long hours you will do. I'm sure there will be enough supervisors( normally office based but told to work from home during this period )who will support their team and join in to help cover visits local to them. Its all about working together isn't it?  Dedication and perseverance to staff and service users.

Thank you in advance for your commitment.



Strongly advise you to take a look at the following link for personal safety tips while out and about.I think it will open your eyes.

 http://www.suzylamplugh.org/



Tuesday 19 June 2012

Benevolent fund?For you?Now you know!


 Something I didn't know was out there,thought I'd pass it on! It just might come in handy one day!



www.carecharityevents.co.uk/


 http://www.cpbenevolentfund.org.uk/index.cfm

" The Care Professionals Benevolent Fund (CPBF) is the national registered charity for care workers in the UK. We support current, former and retired care professionals by providing assistance to relieve financial hardship and sickness.
Launched in 2009 with the support of 15 founding care group members, the charity is the safety net for those in our industry who are suffering or experi-encing life changing circumstances.
The CPBF is there for the people who work in care homes and domiciliary care in the UK when nobody else is. Within this sponsorship pack there are lots of opportunities to show your support to the industry that cares. Please will you help us help those who spend their life caring for others?

Who cares for the carers? We do."

Monday 18 June 2012

STRESS! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM???

Doesn't happen does it? Not in a job you love doing,surely? Is it an 'off' day, are you just tired or is it 'just one of those days'!!!!!

Stress is a tough one to admit is happening to you.Especially when you dedicate yourself to others.You see yourself as being strong because you take on board the worries and concerns of those you meet. However, at some point it can find a way of grabbing you and pinning you down so you feel you have no strength to carry on let alone pick yourself up and climb out of the abyss you suddenly find yourself in.

This is how it happened for me -

I had been in visit to care for someone who had recently had a stroke.The visit went smoothly and on this occasion one of my bosses had come out to see how things were progressing. Once the visit had finished, notes recorded and goodbyes bid, we were outside by our cars and I was asked  'so, how are you?'
That was all it took. Tears,straggled sentences,bottom lip shuddering and my shoulders curling in because all I wanted to do was roll up in a ball.

Straight away my boss was on the phone to get cover for the rest of my visits that morning.(I appreciated the decision but it didn't stop me thinking of the people I would be letting down, the extra calls the programmers would have to make pretty sharpish,the extra workload put on the rest of the team...the pressure just increased!!!)

I soon found myself in the office, still blubbering and trying so hard to keep smiling because that was what I was known for but I'm sure the expressions my saturated face were making would've got me first place in a 'gurning' competition!!(You see, even as I write this I have to try and add a bit of humour best I can, its my coping mechanism!) Carrying on...By lunchtime I had offloaded to a very dear friend who understood fully and I had been signed off by my GP for 10days for stress/depression. I declined the offer of tablets to help me but had decided to have 10days of just 'me' time.

During that time I allowed myself to feel miserable,pitiful and as I always seem to do whenever something like this happens I managed to talk myself into the gutter being homeless,out of a job, on my own because of pride,useless and the dangerous thought for me is, I'm the common factor in all this upset I should step aside and be out of everyones way.

When it gets to that point I have learnt that it is time to have a cup of tea and start to build myself back up.I can't get much lower and no one can make me feel any worse than I already do, so it's upto me to make that change.

One of the things I've learnt over the years is that sometimes you want the world to 'freezeframe' just so you can catch your breath and gather yourself,once thats done the world can start moving again. Freezeframe doesn't happen, but close your eyes, become peaceful and find that place to rest,recognise and regain strength. Then, for me, you can carry on.

I remember reading somewhere once that when life around you becomes too much and you don't know where to start or what to deal with first, imagine you have entered an office with a big desk and files,folders, books, stacked up so high you just don't know what to do. It all needs to be dealt with but you are overwhelmed by the enormity of the job in hand. Keep looking at the desk but walk away, the further you get the smaller the stacks look and you realise, ok, its not so bad, I can deal with this and I shall start...here. You are on track and you are on a mission to get it sorted and what a great feeling it is once the desk is clear!!!!

I do tend to allow myself,even now, to recognise when I'm having a 'bad' day. Again, as I wrote in the 'My friend,Bad Back' post,I seperate myself from what I am feeling and have a little chat it tends to go something like this...' a tough day uh? This is the deal,cry and blubber and be fed up for 24hrs. Tomorrow you will be stronger and refreshed and you can welcome what the wonderful world has to offer you. You will be fine and yes , you do matter and you do make a difference.'

Always remember, you are never alone. I am lucky, I have the most beautiful family around me who have nothing but love to give, understanding and shine light whenever I am in a dark place. Thank you. x



 I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.  ~Jennifer Yane

Sunday 17 June 2012

AWARENESS DATES FOR THIS WEEK

Don't forget the awareness dates this week. Remember each one is valuable and there is so much to learn just by clicking on the links for each cause.
(If you know of any others, please let us know.)


16th - 24th Herbal Medicine week                    
http://www.nimh.org.uk/

18th -24th Carers week                                      
carersweek.org/

18th-24th Learning Disability week                    
http://www.mencap.org.uk/

18th-24th Falls Awareness week                        
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/

18th -24th Breathe Easy week                              
http://www.blf.org.uk/Home

Friday 15 June 2012

ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY 15TH JUNE

Go to Age uk link to find out more.


15th         Elder Abuse Awareness day                 
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

JUNE 2012


Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Month       
http://www.mndassociation.org/

10th -16th Diabetes week                                  
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/

11th -17th Huntingtons Disease awareness week
http://hda.org.uk/

11th -17th National Glaucoma awareness week
http://www.glaucoma-association.com/

16th - 24th Herbal Medicine week                     
http://www.nimh.org.uk/

18th -24th Carers week                                      
carersweek.org/

18th-24th Learning Disability week                    
http://www.mencap.org.uk/

18th-24th Falls Awareness week                         
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/

15th         Elder Abuse Awareness day                 
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/

18th -24th Breathe Easy week                              
http://www.blf.org.uk/Home


Wednesday 13 June 2012

What colour tabard are you?

It's wonderful how colour can have an effect on how you feel and how others react towards you. Do you think the colour of your tabard or uniform reflects this.

Below is a description of what a few colours represent....pick one.....look at your tabard....did you get a match?


A  Pink


Calm feelings
Neutralise disorder
Relaxation
Acceptance

B Green


State of balance
A need for change or growth
Protection from fears and anxieties connected with demands of others 

C Red

Increasd enthusiasm and interest
More energy
Action and confidence to go after your dreams
Protection from fears and anxieties
  
D Blue

Calm and relaxation to offset chaos or agitation
Open communication
Open to gaining new information
Solitude and peace

E White


To clear clutter and obstacles away
To start a fresh beginning
Mental clarity
Purification of thoughts and actions 






Sunday 10 June 2012

My friend, 'Bad Back.'

Its  well known that back injuries, among many others come hand in hand with being a carer. When it happens it is an instant turn around in your usual day to day routine.
There have been many back incidents during my time. Sadly, each time it happened, the recovery period got longer, the good times in between got shorter.Until eventually I was deemed unfit to do the job.


Hard news to swallow when you absolutely love the job you do and think you are set up for quite a few years. There is a period of recalling all those you have met and helped and the knowledge gained over time....what now??!! It is because of all of this, the Carers Coffee Pot has come to light. I have my Back to thank for it!

I would like to share with you how I eventually became friends with my Back.... Painkillers,anti-inflammatries,hot water bottle, tens machine, heat rub,physio,rest,sleep, bag of frozen peas.They have all played a part.But so has'acceptance'.

You see, when it first all kicked off  I was so angry. In my mind I was able to jump up and run around but my body didn't respond that way.I couldn't lift a kettle up for myself, I had to use walls and furniture to get about. I couldn't do my shopping because I couldn't drive let alone push a trolley up and down the aisle's. Then to add insult to injury I found I had a problem pulling my knickers up!!!!AAAArrrgh!!! Alot of negativity and can't do's! It had to change.

First off I decided to seperate from my back and its troubles...(keep with me)....by doing this I would take care of it better, give it time to recover and together work towards little goals and achievements. I accepted there was pain and restriction however, instead of the 'can't do's' they would become the 'can do's-but not how you would normally do it!!!'

Housework would be broken down to daily chores. Dusting one day, laundry the next etc. Shopping would be done daily-ish, it would involve a walk to the shop and only buy what I could carry, keeping it light.Cooking would be something quick and easy (but tasty!)and the washing up would be done with my foot resting on the bottom shelf of the cupboard under the sink, to help out with posture(still have trouble after being at the sink for ten minutes or more). In general I made sure everything was within reach to reduce any possibility of over stretching(still do that one too!)

By setting these tasks it meant I was at least moving (one way or another)and it gave me something to get up for each day, I had something to do! I would have a little chat with 'Back' each day...how are you doing?...on scale of 1-10 whats the pain like today!

Of course, I had exercises to do from physio too.Sure enough, each time it worked.

Today,'Back' is as good as its going to get.There are limits in ability,but,if I sit down and swing my knickers over one foot the rest is sure to follow!!!

Thursday 7 June 2012

Show me again!

You have gone on your manual handling training and done all the safety stuff and correct procedures. Signed all the relevant forms and helped yourself generously to the 'buffet' provided on the lunch break!

It doesn't stop there. Each service user is an individual, their needs are individual, their whole care package is individual.

You may have used a hoist many, many times but each persons level of mobility varies. This is why there is even more training you have to go to, so you can be 'signed off' and be put down as part of the team to carry out the care.

Very often it will take place of an afternoon after your morning visits and before t-time starts. You are usually starting to feel tired by now after your early morning start and just want to get home, BUT it is neccessary to get trained for a forthcoming visit.

My advice, make sure in the session you do actually have a go. Its worth it because (and it really does happen) when the time comes to do it for real, there is usually something that can be forgotten.

With all this in mind and advising the 'have ago' approach, I came across some video clips which I thought you might like to have a peek at. Even if it's to shout at the screen 'But we don't do it that way....where's your gloves!' at least it shows , you took onboard more than you thought in your training sessions. See, it is worth it and you are as good as you think.

Click on the 'How to...see how its done' at the top of the page. Enjoy.





http://astore.amazon.co.uk/carerscoffeep-21
Warning 1961

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

- Jenny Joseph

Friday 1 June 2012

Don't forget your toothbrush!!

I'd arrived at the visit and straight away I had to get into action. I'd let the paramedics in, the warden was on their way and I was trying to not get in the way but be helpful where I could be.

It's very strange when this kind of thing occurs.Which is why I always had the attitude of not taking each visit for granted. You never knew what was going to happen and when it did, it happened quickly.

So instead of the usual duties required, I hear the words from the paramedics saying 'we are taking her in....Could you get some things together?'

Packing! You don't find details of this in the notes! Health and safety and duties etc are all covered, but packing a hospital bag at short notice ? Nah! Nothing to say what a service user would require in such an event.

On a personal note, I always found packing for myself would take a lot of preparation, a few weeks beforehand. Lots of 'packing lists'.Sorting out your toiletry bag because you always came across something in there you'd forgotten you had. Planning your laundry schedule so that everything you want to take is clean and dry to pack in good time. Oh, and then there's all the stuff for 'just in case' (pardon the pun)!Books,crosswords, music,extras. The list goes on! ( Talking of 'cases', its also nice to get a new bag of some kind whenever you go on a trip, don't you think???!!!!)

Back to the hospital bag. I decided to go down the route of having enough to get by for a day or two. It went something like this:-

Nightie's
Cardigan
Slippers
Underwear
Specs
Wash bag..Including toothbrush!
Medication had already been dealt with by the paramedics.
Handbag
Housekeys

This would obviously, vary slightly for the gentlemen,but you get the gist!

On reflection I think it would help if this kind of thing was recorded somewhere in each persons notes.At the very least you would be able to make sure they had the bare essentials and be as comfortable as they could be in such an eventuality.

http://astore.amazon.co.uk/carerscoffeep-21



Franklin D. Roosevelt
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.