no.327
incorporating
April 2024
The Number One magazine for the care sector
Home pioneers new ‘fall risk’ reduction pilot PORTSDOWN View care home in Bedhampton is recruiting residents to a pioneering ‘fall risk reduction’ programme aimed at improving residents’ strength, confidence and independence. The home has launched ‘Steady Strides’, a 12-week physical resilience course for residents. In house-personal trainers and staff will run two 40-minute training sessions a week. Designed by Connaught Care, classes will involve a combination of lower body strength training to support walking and standing; balance exercises to increase confidence whilst in motion; and muscular endurance exercises to increase resilience and strength. Extensive walking practice will also play a key role. The three month programme will also provide valuable data to the operator on how to reduce falls and improve safety across its portfolio of homes. Managers will be able to calculate the average fall rate and how this can be improved over the course of Steady Strides. Resident feedback will chart real time improvements to their mental wellbeing and confidence. The programme has been modelled on the Otago Exercise Programme in New Zealand, which found that strength-based training can lead to a reduction in falls of between 35 and 40 per cent. Stephen Orwin, Connaught Care’s
life enrichment and wellbeing coordinator who is running the programme, said: “A bad fall can have a devastating impact on anybody’s life, and even just the fear of falling can discourage people from participating in the activities they love. Strength-based exercises are crucial for restoring a lost sense of confidence, whilst making residents genuinely stronger as well.” The results of the pilot will inform the work of a ‘falls steering group’ at Connaught, which will compile data on falls from every one of its homes. By gathering data from multiple different settings, the steering group will develop a new companywide strategy for improving the wellbeing and safety of residents. Dorota Ozturk, deputy manager at Portsdown View, added: “This is such a critical issue but we are the first to systematise a programme, as far as we know. “Astonishingly, people living in care are three times more likely to fall than people living at home, and we see every day the impact that mobility issues can have on a person’s quality of life. Helping our residents get up and moving about in a structured programme like this could be a gamechanger, and we can’t wait to see the results.” The class is optional but open to all residents regardless of current mobility.
RIverside House Care Home in Morpeth has unveiled its latest therapeutic companion, a robotic cat named Marmalade, which has already leapt into the hearts of residents. Marmalade is an animatronic cat that looks, feels and sounds like a real cat, with soft fur, soothing purrs and pleasant meows. Designed to provide comfort to those living with dementia, Marmalade responds to petting, hugging and motion much like a real-life cat would thanks to a network of sensors and its VibaPurr technology which provides sound and vibration to replicate a real cat’s purr. The robotic feline allows Riverside’s residents to flexibly enjoy elements of pet therapy, which has been proven to provide wellbeing benefits and calm those with dementia.
Residents enjoy VR experience RESIDENTS at Vale View Heights, a 50bed care home in Sidmouth, East Devon have enjoyed the unique experience of diving under the ocean from the comfort of their sitting room with virtual reality headsets provided by the Ocean Conservation Trust at Plymouth Aquarium. As part of its broad activities programme Vale View Heights has a ‘Magical Moments’ list for residents, where they say what they’d most like to do or what they’ve always wanted to accomplish. Resident Dennis Friend, 100 next year, said he’d love to return to Plymouth Aquarium so the team at Vale View Heights set about making his dream a reality.
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Fortunately, the Ocean Conservation Trust at Plymouth Aquarium offered to deliver a virtual reality workshop to residents at the home, meaning many more residents could enjoy the experience too. A team from Plymouth Aquarium helped 12 residents don their headsets and experience life under the sea for a few hours with programmes such as ‘In the shark tank’ and ‘Under the ocean’. They also brought with them various objects from the seabed such as dolphin skulls, ribs and dorsal fins as well as a wolffish skull. Activities coordinator Janet Stanley said: “It was a real pleasure to be able to provide the residents with such a unique and unusual activity.”
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