Introduction At Apple House care homes we strive to support residents to lead a healthy lifestyle and to be as independent as possible. We provide access to a programme promoting healthy living and wellbeing, with home cooked fresh food, regular exercise, and creative activities. This article outlines why it is important to give people with autism the opportunity to take part in creative activities and regular exercise. Challenges for people with Autism For people with autism, you may notice that they can have challenges in interacting in social situations as it can be overwhelming at times with direct verbal communication. …
At the very heart of our work, our ethos, is the desire to facilitate those we support to recover their voice. Their right to be heard and understood. Being heard is so close to being loved that, for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable. –David Augsberger We take our voice, our opinion, our choices, for granted. We eloquently express our needs and our viewpoints and know that we are listened to, that the other person ‘gets us.’ The notion that we could be spoken for and on behalf of, that our voice translates not into our wishes but into …
By Andrew Wright, Art Psychotherapist, HCPC reg (UK) BAAT, Mindscape Art Therapy – [Senior Support Worker, Little Amberwood Care Home] What is Autism? Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects an individual’s behaviour and communication. People with autism may lack social awareness, emotional reciprocity and the ability to sustain conversations. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by severe and persistent deficits in social communication and interaction (American Psychiatric Association 2013). In the UK the Autism Act (2009) led to the government producing statutory guidelines for autism. With a clear pathway of diagnosis, where everyone has a right to an assessment. …
We would like to wish all of our teams, families and loved ones and our wider health and social services teams a very merry Christmas and holiday period. Our teams are working hard to ensure a safe and peaceful Christmas can and will be enjoyed for all the people we support. We have seen the introduction of Lateral Flow Device tests (LFD) and our staff are busy attending the webinars and training to ensure that these can be delivered in a timely manner. You can see more information regarding these tests here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-lateral-flow-testing-of-visitors-in-care-homes Our teams have gone over and above this …
It’s very easy to announce that a care home is family friendly, but what does that mean? Historically, care homes and nursing homes followed the hospital model of rigid visiting times. This in turn meant that families may not have been considered to be intrinsic in the planning of care pathways or, in fact, in the individual’s life inside a care environment. Today, things are changing for the better but there is always more work to be done. Apple House care homes embrace an ethos of inclusion. Families and loved ones have a hugely crucial role to play and, as …
What is stress? At the most basic level, stress is our body’s response to pressures from a situation or life event. Some common features of things that can make us feel stress include experiencing something new or unexpected, something that threatens your feeling of self, or feeling you have little control over a situation. [Mental Health Foundation] In the following article, Jayne Jackson, registered manager at Apple House care home, writes an open and very insightful reflection on how stress plans can and do have a profoundly positive impact for a gentleman she supports: Our care plans are person centred and very individual to …
There is something very therapeutic about cooking. Mastering techniques and putting one’s own creative spin on a well-loved recipe. Collecting eggs from our Redcroft hens and reaching for a cook book for that special cake recipe… But, wait a minute! Cookery should be accessible to all who love it, shouldn’t it? We think so! Which is why, when ‘L’ (who is registered blind) showed a culinary passion, we decided to set out and find a way to make all our cookery books accessible to her in the format she knew best. Redcroft contacted RNIB and began working with them to create an …
We value the work of each and every one of our care workers who work with compassion and professionalism each and every day. No two days are the same working in our homes and a career in care can be both rewarding and motivating. We are supporting Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Councils #proudtocare Twitter week from the 9thth to the 15thth of September 2019 in support of the great people who work with us. Keen to find out more? You can follow us on Twitter: @AppleHouseLtd You can also see our details in the BCP ‘Proud to Care’ list of Care …
Last Thursday Apple House care homes’ Director of Operations, Romaine Lawson, was proud to attend the offices of Care England in London to participate in the inaugural meeting of a steering group headed up by John’s Campaign. John’s Campaign was founded by Julia Jones, daughter of June who lived with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and Nicci Gerrard, daughter of Alzheimer’s sufferer Doctor John Gerrard who sadly passed in 2014 after a prolonged hospital admission. Doctor Gerrard’s health deteriorated during a five week hospital stay during which time he was detached from the care and support of family members by a …
This Thursday we are excited to be travelling to London, to the offices of Care England, to join a steering group headed up by Julia Jones of ‘John’s Campaign’ which will focus on the importance of collaboration with families and loved ones in the care sector. Joined by CQC and leading representatives of the sector, presentations and discussion will centre on what is already being achieved and what work can be done to take John’s Campaign’s ethos even further forward. John’s Campaign was founded in 2014. Since then, overwhelming support has been shown from across the UK. Over 1000 wards, …
