The Christmas and New Year holidays are fast approaching and my team and I wanted to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Spare a thought for carers at Christmas
Care doesn’t stop just because it is Christmas though. Residential care and nursing homes are 24×7 operations and domiciliary and home care providers will be operating throughout the holiday period, so spare a thought for all the carers out there and if you see them visiting, take time out to wish them a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Spotting the care signals at Christmas
Christmas and New Year is the one time of year families always get together and is often the time when you will first notice a change in an elderly relative or friend. If you are meeting up with an elderly relative or friend that you haven’t seen for a while, take some time out to observe them, their behaviour, speech pattern and movement.
If you see something that you believe isn’t quite right, don’t be alarmed, but spend some time talking to them whilst you are together to see if you can identify anything specific. Although it can be worrying and alarming to observe a change, it doesn’t mean that you have to pack your elderly relative or friend off to a residential care home, there are many ways to give the elderly support and assistance to stay in their own home.
If you have some concerns about an elderly relative or friend, please call us on 02392 251351. Although our offices are shut over Christmas, please leave a message with your phone number and one of the team will call you back, as we will be checking our phones for messages every day. We are happy to give you advice and guidance on the social care system, as well as helping you find care services if you wish.
