Caron Cares

The Social Care Alliance The election may be over but the politics is not. Social Care is a topical challenge, one that is not going away now the votes have been counted, and with the Conservatives remaining in office their manifesto, harsh at is was, remains. Many people like myself fight for better care for […]

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Carer’s week June 12-18th One week to draw attention to the amazing job carers do day in day out. Is that really enough? Should we need to have such a week? Should carers not be automatically applauded and appreciated for the selfless job they do? Questions, questions. We know the answers, so then why do […]

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  Think Drink As the temperatures start to rise it becomes more and more important to check that our elderly are drinking sufficient water to avoid becoming dehydrated. Many elderly people today still don’t drink sufficient fluids and certainly not water. However, there are a few tips to help maintain their fluid levels. Add sugar-free […]

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  Constipation needn’t be a pain in the bum! This article has been kindly written for Caron Cares by  Nutritionist Hazel Pelham and looks at some gentle, effective solutions to the troublesome issue of constipation for elderly people. This is what Hazel advises.   Constipation is a common problem for older people.  Reduced mobility and […]

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Age Related Sarcopenia One in 20 older people and one in three who live in residential or nursing home may have age-related Sarcopenia. This is the term for loss of muscle mass and strength and one I hadn’t come across before. The National Sarcopenia initiative aims to increase awareness and screening. The British Diabetic Association […]

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OOops!   As a blogger/writer I tell it like it is. No mincing my words, no apologies. I don’t make things up and I don’t exaggerate. I just tell it as it is. I was given two ready meals from Apetito/Wiltshire Farm foods. I don’t like food waste when I know people go hungry in the UK […]

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Evicted In old age, your home is your castle, safe as houses as the saying goes. Or so it should be. However, there are more and more instances where people are being “Evicted” from care homes! I am not wanting to be negative, but it is important for readers to know what can and does […]

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In praise of our NHS As a health and social care blogger, I decided to put the NHS emergency services to the test. Only joking, that would be really irresponsible of me, not to mention selfish taking up time and resources that are already as we know stretched to the limits. I did, however, find […]

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The Election Here goes! I never used to think of myself as politically minded. One day I was with a care home owner I was interviewing for a Devon Life article, and he said “Take off your political hat”. It was then, I realised I had one.   Sadly since then, I have gone from […]

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Gifting Assets   (Shared from the WHICH website and very important to read and know) The cost of care – residential care homes and nursing homes in particular – can be very high, so it’s understandable that some people might be tempted to ‘offload’ assets so that they are excluded from the financial assessment. You […]

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Battle Burnout More and more campaigners are finding themselves facing Battle Burnout. People like Jenny Moore who has fought for 7 years to have the voices of elderly people heard. Carol Dimon, Ruth Ablett,Karen Armstrong,Christina Taylor,Joanne Fowler, and many others have fought for years to ensure change happens. I am questioning my efforts too. Who […]

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In praise of the NHS Nowadays all we seem to hear about is how the NHS is failing our elderly, certain treatments refused on the grounds of age, poor standards of care in overstretched and understaffed hospitals, I could continue…. However, I was delighted to see that the system still offers an amazing standard of […]

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Does exercise slow ageing? We all know that exercise is good for controlling pain, weight, sleeping and just simply feeling better. Studies show it can help prevent diseases associated with ageing such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and dementia, but can exercise actually slow the ageing process? Researchers at King’s College London, believe […]

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Recognising Elder Abuse Elder Abuse is not acceptable – Would you recognise some of the less obvious signs ?  We all have the right to feel and be safe, regardless of our age or circumstances and it important that we are vigilant to ensure our elderly loved ones are safe and treated with the dignity and […]

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When should someone stop driving? When do you think elderly people should stop driving? Should there be a stated age, or re-test ? For many elderly drivers their car means independence to them, they can drive to the supermarket to shop and get out and about to visit friends.They can also visit partners or friends in […]

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  Pack your bag! Make sure you have a hospital bag packed for someone elderly you care for especially if they are not in the best of health.Such a simple idea that can really prevent someone elderly from having an even worse time if admitted to hospital in an emergency. A hospital bag should contain […]

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  NCC Home Learning are offering the public 1000 free courses in order to raise awareness of how to deal with diabetes, as well as general first aid awareness Following an incident where a member of NCC Home Learning staff had to be given first aid in a McDonald’s Drive-thru, managers at NCC Home Learning […]

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Social Care Alliance Over the course of the past 5 years, I have found myself mutate from reporter, using Caron Cares as a useful depository for information to a campaigner The fact that we need campaigners for better social care speaks volumes itself, and there are many of us. Each of us fighting for change, […]

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HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY TO CARON CARES Today I am celebrating a milestone. Caron Cares has reached it’s 5th Birthday. Most Bloggers get bored and give up after one year, but I am still going strong. I am probably even more committed to helping people caring for the elderly as the care sector continues to collapse around […]

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Transient Ischaemic Attacks – T.I.A’s A transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is in essence a mini stroke. It is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain. This disruption causes a lack of oxygen to the brain,which can in turn cause sudden symptoms similar to a stroke. Speech and visual disturbance, […]

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“People, not Problems” As a blogger and social media nightmare of the eldercare sector, I see it as my duty to keep up to date with media and in particular the online press coverage of “the elderly”. That’s it though, isn’t it?  “THE ELDERLY” clumped thoughtlessly together in a homogenous characterless group. “THE ELDERLY” clumped thoughtlessly […]

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GB Care Awards – National Finals Friday the 31st of March saw thousands of people who work in the social care sector gather at the International Conference Centre in Birmingham for a glittering night of celebration. Everyone was dressed to the nines and ready to party! This was a positive occasion to celebrate all that […]

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  Tiredness in later life Many people say they feel they are slowing down as they get older. Even my bionic Mother admits to needing to take things a little easier now she is over 70. Following a stroke, however many people feel a real increase in tiredness and find they lack energy as they […]

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Manchester care-home judged one of the very best in the country Dystlegh Grange receives “Outstanding” rating from C.Q.C. Care Home in the Country’s top *0.5% A Greater Manchester care home has been judged one of the very best in the country after receiving an “Outstanding” rating from the Care Quality Commission. This status – the […]

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Speech loss For someone who is rarely short of words, the prospect of not being able to effectively communicate would devastate me. Imagine feeling “devastated” and not being able to communicate that? How would someone potentially react? They may cry uncontrollably or they may refuse to get out of bed. Someone may even use the […]

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  Who do you tell in the event of a death? You have just lost a loved one and your world has lost its sense of reality. You are in a bubble and feel like the only person who has ever been bereaved. You then have the practical demands forced upon you by society, and […]

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This is what I never want to see – care home residents – monitored on screens from behind a desk “Is remote health monitoring technology the future for health care?” This is what I never want to see – care home residents – monitored on screens from behind a desk. I am known for my […]

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  Excellent Care needs to be applauded Carole Anne Langmead, from Barnstaple, in Devon, is a Health & Social Care apprentice who scooped a prestigious national award. Coming in 4th place, she was highly commended by the judges at the World Skills competition. I was delighted to learn of Carole’s achievement, so often my focus […]

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Making Mother’s Day less painful if you no longer have your Mum with you. Thoughtful and sensitive advice from Cruse. Please share this with someone who may appreciate it.

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Over prescribing for the elderly is dangerous Having visited my doctors recently and jokingly been told they just “give you pills” – I left with a whole list of them myself! GTN spray, aspirin, a statin and beta blockers. I am 48 and do have high blood pressure currently and have had some chest discomfort […]

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Planning Ahead – Why local planners need to speak to the elderly. Local planners need to consult with the elderly now to design for the elderly in the future. Simply issues to someone younger, become major ones to someone older. Call me controversial, call me outspoken, call me a pain in the proverbial…..call me what […]

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