It is indeed my pleasure to write to you during these difficult times amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. I understand that you will be busier than ever supporting your loved ones be it the checking in with them and sending your love , or the providing of hands-on care, and I’m writing to let you know how we can help.
Leaf Care Services has five available rooms at our Dementia Care Home in Ixworth, Suffolk, but we’re not selling rooms, we’re selling a joyous haven where families bond and relationships flourish. Rated Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2019, we offer small-group-living, compassionate leadership, advanced care, and a bank of shared knowledge evidenced through our online Blog.
At the time of writing, our care homes are Coronavirus-free, and we believe that this is no happy accident, but instead, a testament to the levels of due diligence conducted within our premises through well-governed internal policies aimed at keeping our people safe, well, and content.
At Leaf Care, we can offer solutions to your placement challenges and can alleviate your day-to-day pressures. Those placed have the freedom to live a life that closely reflects the one that they are used to, inclusive of their hobbies but with round-the-clock care that is aligned to their needs. We would be delighted to share more information with you about our care homes that comprise how we operate, our relationships with external partners, and how we set ourselves apart from others.
Our available rooms are limited, and we don’t want you to miss out. For further information, email us at care@leafcareservices.co.uk or call us on 01603 618111. *Please be patient with us as we are currently receiving a high number of calls and emails. We will respond to your query as soon as possible.
Yours faithfully
Christen McDonnell
PS, we are in this together, putting people at the centre of our actions, and we look forward to hearing from you.
PPS, I have attached our most recent Blog below, titled, Keeping your loved ones safe in the face of a pandemic. I hope that it offers some insight into our care home.
Keeping your loved ones safe in the face of a pandemic
On the 23rd March 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic forced a UK lockdown—a government-imposed ban on any movement inside the country and the closing of all nonessential businesses—as a way of keeping people safe and in an attempt to reduce the rate at which this disease spreads.
The broader impacts of a pandemic are gargantuous for any business, but for organisations such as care homes and hospitals,—whose primary responsibility is to protect their people—
the required adjustments to manage and contain such a threat to human life can feel overwhelming.
With those over 70 years of age carrying an increased risk of dying from the virus, and those 80 or older, even more so, dementia care homes certainly have their work cut out for them, with most residents falling within the vulnerable age categories. A further challenge for both care home managers and carers is helping those with dementia to understand the severity of the pandemic and the need for strict measures, without causing alarm or triggering a state of alert.
What protective measures should dementia care homes be taking?
Like any organisation that employs or houses large volumes of people, businesses have both a morale-based and Government-led obligation to make alterations to processes and procedures to help reduce the community-spread of the virus, and by flattening the curve, reduce fatalities by buying our NHS time to treat, and scientists time to learn and create a vaccine, but what extensive measures should care homes be taking?
Here, The Leaf Care Group shares the vital measures that care homes should be taking to keep their dementia care residents and staff safe:
- No Visitors Policy
Until the Government lifts restrictions, there should be no external visitors to dementia care homes. Leaf locked down our care home a week earlier than Government recommendations, influenced by global trends and information received on how the disease was spreading in other EU countries. We urge all care homes to be vigilant of the possibilities of a second surge of the virus when lockdown measures are lifted and to keep staff well-reminded of how to remain safe, both inside and outside of work.
- Staff Tracking
It can prove lifesaving to keep a daily log of where staff have been and with whom they have been in contact. At Leaf, we take the temperatures of all of our team and have them complete health questionnaires before the commencement of their shift. We have encouraged some of our care workers to live-in, reducing their contact with people outside of our care home. Our staffing teams only work for Leaf, and we don’t employ agency staff.
- Social Distancing
All residents that travel throughout the care home should be asked to comply with social distancing, in line with government guidelines, and monitored by care home staff. At Leaf, in-house seating is set two-metres apart to reduce contact between residents.
- Barrier Nursing
Care duties (where possible) should be completed within social distancing guidelines. At Leaf, we have been using barrier-led nursing techniques since the outbreak of the pandemic, with all staff using masks and goggles for nursing or close contact tasks, regardless of any sign of infection.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
All staff should be provided with PPE to help protect them and those around them. Leaf supported the timely issuing of PPE with ongoing weekly training that includes updates on PPE supplies along with staff support options.
- Health Checks on Residents and Staff
Coronavirus-based symptoms in residents and staff should be recorded and monitored daily. Those that present with symptoms associated with Coronavirus should abide by self-isolation Government guidelines in the knowledge that there is access to healthcare as and when required. Leaf are advocates of Coronavirus testing any resident or person within the care home who presents with symptoms, minimising chances of the disease spreading and allowing us to implement isolation measures.
- Reducing Team Sizes
Where more than one carer is needed to complete a specific task, carers should be mindful of operating in groups as small as they can, with as much distance between people as possible.
- Adherence to Crisis Management Strategies
Management teams should be proactive in both establishing and implementing safety measures while working within their care home business model and its supported frameworks.
- Minimising Risk
The acceptance of new residents into a care home during the pandemic should be placed on hold. Leaf has not accepted any new residents into our care home since the outbreak of Coronavirus to ensure that our residents remain safe. Now that Coronavirus testing is available, we are requesting that testing procedures are implemented, before considering any new admissions, ensuring safer working practices.
Where residents require a medical assessment from a visiting professional, we have a designated isolation unit where residents can be treated in line with social distancing guidelines. If an individual requires hospital care, we can safely integrate them back into the care home, regularly monitoring them and abiding by 14-day isolation recommendations. Our contained units comprise four rooms that include a kitchen area, dining room, living area, and bedroom.
How to stay connected when your loved one is in care
During this challenging time, and where residents are isolated from family and friends as a means of protecting them, residents are exposed to further challenges that include anxiety, depression, and deflation; It will be helpful for them to know that their new ordinary is temporary and that they are not alone. There are uplifting things that you can do to stay connected with your loved ones that include phone calls, video calls, texting, sending scrapbooks, or sharing photos.
The daughter of a resident here a Leaf Care Dementia Homes recently shared,
Thank you for organising the video calls with Mum, they are a life-line for her and us while all this is going on’—Wonderful evidence of actions that can make a world of difference.
What support is available?
Leaf currently has five available residential rooms situated out on the wing of the care home. These rooms can be used to quarantine residents that are presenting with symptoms or can be available for your person with dementia if currently living with you at home. The rooms can be utilised to support families that are caring for a loved one, should the carer need some respite, or become unwell themselves with Coronavirus symptoms and require time to recuperate while keeping others safe. Located in the countryside, our care home creates a sense of haven for our residents. If you would like to make a room enquiry, please call us on 01603 618111.
