Tag Archives: Respite Care

Royal Reminiscence

Posted on by Nicky Macfarlane

Whilst there was a somewhat sombre atmosphere around The Huntington & Langham Estate since hearing the news of the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the residents have been joining together in periods of reminiscence with wistful storytelling.  The joy of hearing stories that might otherwise have been lost in the sands of time, has however lifted the mood.

Parties on the high seas

A resident of Huntington House shared memories of attending parties on the Royal Yacht as a child, invited alongside her father who served as an engineer on the vessel.

Hide and Seek with a future Queen

A resident of Langham Court remembers her mother telling the story of helping to hide a young Elizabeth during a game of hide and seek while working in member of the Royal Family’s household.

Writing history

Upon hearing these unique perspectives from Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the residents of The Huntington & Langham Estate were provided with pages from the book of condolences from Guildford Cathedral, where these stories have now been recorded and immortalised.

Hidden treasure

Over the next few weeks we will also be collecting current coins, stamps and other memorabilia, which will be buried in a time capsule in the grounds of the estate.  Alongside planting a Royal Gala apple tree, which will bear fruit around the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death every year.

The importance of short term Respite Care

Posted on by Nicky Macfarlane

The importance of short term Respite Care

The demand for Respite Care during the summer months is unsurprisingly high, with many families heading off on holidays whilst their children are on the summer break from school and others planning action packed days, during the warm weather.

For those who have a caregiving role in the family, the need to balance the support they give with their wider family can be challenging at this time of year.  Whilst caregiving is very rewarding, it is demanding both physically and mentally and being able to take time away, can be hugely beneficial to health and wellbeing.

What is the purpose of Respite Care?

Taking a break from caring for someone else is the main reason people consider respite care, giving carers time for themselves.  This can be based on day care, care in the home or a short stay at a residential care home of 1 to 4 weeks.

Professional Elderly Care - Huntington and Langham resident with children

When is it time to consider Respite Care?

There are many reason caregivers make the decision to organise Respite Care for a person they support and our recommendation where possible is to plan this ahead of time during busy periods like the Summer Holidays.

  • Simply take time out to reboot and recharge physically and mentally
  • To enable them to spend more time with children or the family during school holidays
  • When the list of general household to do’s aren’t getting done and they need to catch up on themselves.
  • During renovation work to the home, which is likely to be disruptive
  • The need to attend medical appointments or treatment themselves
  • They simply just need a break

What are the benefits of short term residential respite care?

Whilst there are a number of options available for a respite break, such as asking friends or family to help out, employing a live-in carer or sourcing home care from a paid carer, there are added benefits from opting for short term residential care.

A short term stay in a luxury all inclusive residential home like Huntington House, can be a holiday in itself for people who need extra help in their day to day lives or live alone with change of scenery and the peace of mind being in a welcoming, safe and secure environment.

These short stays can also be a great opportunity to trial the services and environment of a Residential home, if a full time move is being considered.  The socialness of joining in activities and chatting to the other residents and staff is often the thing people enjoy the most from their stay.

Respite Care for people living with Dementia can also be beneficial when it is in a specialist dementia care home like Langham Court.  With the reassurance the person living with dementia’s needs will be taken care of, gives carers peace of mind to have a break whilst the stimulation of taking part in activities created with individual abilities and needs in mind can be a positive experience for those living with dementia

Residential care

 

Who pays for respite care?

Where respite care can’t be fully funded within the family, there is funding available for respite care and local councils will complete an assessment of both your individual living and financial circumstances.   This will be completed as a carer’s assessment and a needs assessment for the person who needs the care.

The Huntington & Langham approach to respite care

Whether recovering from an operation, injury or medical condition, or if you’re a carer and need somewhere safe for your loved one to stay while you take some time for yourself, our respite care is second to none and comes part and parcel with complete peace of mind.

We create a personalised care plan before any stay so that you and your loved ones can relax, knowing we’re providing specialist support in a comfortable home from home.   We often find people settle into the home very quickly and extend their stay.

“I don’t think you could find many Huntington’s. It’s extremely well run. Different people get different things. I love it! I came for two weeks and have stayed for months. It’s the attitude you just couldn’t fault. They have been very understanding to me as a smoker as so many places don’t these days. AND they’ve let me have my dog Woolly – they had a vote on it and then Maggie said “Woolly is welcome!” Respite Resident at Huntington House

You’ll be welcomed into the family and are encouraged to make the most of all that we have to offer here, such as an exciting activities programme, freshly-cooked meals and beautiful gardens, along with high quality care from our fantastic team.

Huntington House is a leading accredited Level One Dragonfly Residential Home.  In our recent audit we received an Excellent rating from the team at Meaningful Care Matters, who described our care as:

“A highly engaged service with a high value on meaningful moments and a true person-centred philosophy, which is congruent in look, sound and feel as well as with regulatory compliance requirements. People’s individuality and expression is evident, and people can express that freedom and be themselves.

MCM Dragonfly Care

Our Home Maker team have a great mix of different skills and interests which helps offer variety in the day; with some residents enjoying the more structured activities such as quizzes whilst others value time with the team who are great at offering more 1-to-1 time and conversations.

How can I organise Respite Care?

If you, as a caregiver, need some time out, or you feel your loved one might benefit from a change of scenery, our respite and daycare services could be ideal for you.

We encourage anyone thinking of Respite care to come and visit us to take a tour of the homes and Estate, simply give us a call on 01428 604600 or Email us at huntington@hlestate.co.uk

 

How we lead the way as a Dragonfly Care Home

Posted on by Nicky Macfarlane

Why we believe meaningful care matters

Huntington House continues to lead the way in the provision of residential care and as the first accredited Level One Dragonfly Home, achieving an Excellent rating from Meaningful Care Matters, for the delivery of the Dragonfly Approach in 2022.

Offering a highly engaged service with a high value on meaningful moments and a true person-centred philosophy. People’s individuality and expression is evident and people can express that freedom and be themselves.

“I don’t think you could find many Huntington’s. It’s extremely well run. Different people get different things. I love it! I came for two weeks and have stayed for months.

It’s the attitude you just couldn’t fault. They have been very understanding to me as a smoker as so many places don’t these days. AND they’ve let me have my dog Woolly – they had a vote on it and then Maggie said “Woolly is welcome!” Resident of Huntington House

Molly and Christine

A leading Dragonfly care home

Meaningful Care Matters conducted the audit during June 2022, accrediting the home with flying colours, recognising the hugely impressive achievement of the whole team at the Huntington & Langham Estate after the challenges of the last two years from managing Covid-19.

On receiving the news Charlie Hoare, Managing Director of The Huntington and Langham Estate said:

“I’m so very proud of our team, and completely overwhelmed with the outcome, especially having managed to maintain such a high standard of true person-centred care when Covid-19 has presented so many challenges along the way.

 

Reading the report made me incredibly emotional, having needed to navigate the government Covid-19 guidance over the last 2 years, whilst maintaining our family ethos and the Dragonfly Approach at Huntington House.  Knowing that the effort to balance it all, has had a positive impact on people’s lives makes it all worthwhile.

 

There is something so fundamental about looking after each other; it is why we exist as humans. Life in care homes should reflect life in general, and while the care industry still has a way to go to achieve a truly holistic approach, being the first accredited Level One Dragonfly Home is arguably the best evidence that we are leading the way.

 

For me, both professionally and personally, it’s the positive comments from the people that live and work here that are so important, as well as feedback from family members.

Having an independent audit by Meaningful Care Matters, ensures that we remain focused on the most important part of running a care home; the people and their freedom to be themselves.

 

The expert insights provided in this years report, into how to embrace people’s individuality, and the impact of the environment on their experience of life in a care home, will become our care encyclopaedia for the next year, until the next audit!”

Working with Meaningful Care Matters

Established in 2019, Meaningful Care Matters (MCM) focuses on the development of resilient relationship-centred cultures of care shaped by the people living and working within them. MCM believe that caregiving is meaningful for everyone involved when cultures of care express the personhood of people within them. In these person-centred services both “caregivers” and recipients of care can flourish.

The Dragonfly approach is about the ‘whole person’. While traditional care focuses primarily around clinical needs, the Dragonfly approach gives control back to the person who is being cared for and values the person on an emotional and social level, meaning each person is “free to be me”.

 

“There is a real feeling of home here. It is informal relaxed and family like. We always ask “How would I want my loved one to be treated?” That’s the starting point. With the Estate, you can feel the love – everyone truly does care and people have fun!

 

Even during the pandemic, we managed to have outdoor parties and we could use the buggies to go round the beautiful gardens”. Team Member at Huntington House

 

Huntington House Team

There is lots more information about The Huntington and Langham Estate available on our website. https://huntingtonlangham.estate/

We love to show people around the Estate and our two wonderful homes so please do send us an Email to huntington@hlestate.co.uk or call us 01428 604600 to arrange a visit.

How do you choose the right type of Care Home?

Posted on by Nicky Macfarlane

For many people, it is not until you find yourself in the situation where, either a close relative or you need greater support with personal care, that the question “What types of care homes are available?” needs answering.

If you then find yourself overwhelmed with the multiple and varied choices you can have to receiving care and support, you are certainly not alone.

Thankfully there are several independent practical guides and resources online, which we can recommend to explain the options available and provide practical tips on choosing the right type of care.

What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?

The AgeUK website is a good place to start your research, so you can be clear what the differences are between a care home and a nursing home and how these relate to people living with Dementia.

Age UK offer an overview of the main types of care provision and an independent view of the options available.

  • Care Homes – is the most commonly used phrase when referring to services such as ‘providing personal care, such as washing, dressing, taking medication and going to the toilet. They may also offer social activities such as day trips or outings’.
  • Nursing Homes – (or Care Homes with nursing) ‘provide personal care as well as assistance from qualified nurses. Sometimes called care homes with nursing.’
  • Care Homes with dementia care – ‘designed to make people with dementia feel comfortable and safe’
  • Nursing Homes with Dementia Care – whilst not currently covered by Age UK on their website, this is a specialist category of care for those living with Dementia that we would also include given our experience at Langham Court where we are able to offer our residents bespoke nursing care aligned to their personal needs.

 

How do I choose a Residential Care Home?

Before starting on your journey to creating a shortlist of prospective homes, we would always recommend talking to a professional, such as a GP to help establish the right approach to care needed for yourself or a loved one.

A needs assessment is, however, only part of the process to choosing the right home.   The style of home you select is a very important decision when it comes to making the move into Residential Care of any genre.

There are several national chains of Residential care providers in the UK, many offering a hotel or concierge style experience for residents at their properties.  With smaller regional chains offering their own models of care, by comparison at The Huntington and Langham Estate, as we are a family owned and run home, we are passionate that we offer just that –  a family home from home for all our residents.

Everyone’s approach to how they like to live is personal, which is why we encourage our prospective residents, along with their families to visit us and spend time familiarising themselves in our home.  Quite often it’s the moment people step through the door that they know it’s right.  Just like buying a new house, it’s the location, outlook, decoration, and layout which create those first impressions.

With so many properties and models of care available, Carehome.co.uk is a good source of information, offering a comprehensive directory of over 17,000 homes across the UK.  Their website makes it easy to search by location and type of care.   Featuring reviews and awards, also offering comprehensive details of each property and a rating for comparison.

 

What makes a good Care Home or Nursing Home?

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are the main regulatory body of all health and social care providers the nation over.

Carrying out inspections of all properties they are a good source of information about the standard of care you should expect to receive, rating the 5 set categories of: Safe / Effective / Caring / Responsive and Well-led.

We go beyond these categories to focus on a person centred care approach, partnering with Meaningful Care Matters to provide a meaningful experience for our residents everyday allowing them to be “Free To Be Me” each and every day.  All of our team are conscious of doing the right thing “in the moment” for our residents, rather than be constrained by schedules or processes.

Adopting the Butterfly and Dragonfly approaches to care, we believe we are able to improve the quality of life and lived experiences for all in our care.

 

What are the options to fund care homes or self-funding your long term care?

3 useful links to begin your research into the funding of care are listed below.  Talking to a local solicitor or accountant can also be a good source of information as they will often be supporting others take the most effective approach to funding care.

We would also be happy to share our knowledge of options for funding for anyone considering becoming a resident at The H&L Estate.

 

We are here to help you make the right choices

Whilst choosing the right care home or nursing home can seem daunting, with lots of things to be taken into consideration, there is lots of help available and a willingness to help.  After all we are all #GladToCare.

Please do get in touch with us if you would like to visit The Huntington & Langham Estate, the kettle is always on!

Understanding Parkinson’s – Part I

Posted on by Ricky

Parkinson’s is a condition we’re  familiar with at Huntington and Langham. As something we deal with on a daily basis, the effects on both the individuals and their families are not always widely understood. This is something we endeavour to change…

Providing support to those who need it is of utmost importance to us, be it in the form of nursing care within our home or helpful advice for those who need it most.  And so, we sought a little help from our friends at Parkinson’s UK to delve a little deeper into how living with Parkinson’s can affect you or someone you love.  The leading charity for Parkinson’s, offering support for those living with Parkinson’s, their aim – much like ours – is to help those with Parkinson’s improve quality of life.

Combining this expert insight, with our practical knowledge of managing Parkinson’s, we’ve created a series of articles to help you provide the best support you can to those who need it most.

What is Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition for which there is currently no cure. It’s the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there are around 145,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK.

Common symptoms include slowness of movement and muscle stiffness, but there are over 40 symptoms and it affects everyone completely differently.

Some of the less well-known symptoms include:
– Stress and anxiety
– Chronic pain and fatigue
– Loss of smell
– Changes in digestion or sleep

People with Parkinson’s lack a chemical called dopamine, because specific nerve cells inside their brain have died. Dopamine allows messages to be sent to the parts of the brain that coordinate movement.

For those living with Parkinson’s, this means that parts of their brain are unable to work normally. They may find that movements become slower, so it takes longer to do things. This can make everyday activities, such as eating, getting dressed, and using a phone or computer difficult or frustrating.

What’s the link between age and diagnosis?

Parkinson’s can affect anyone at any age. There are around 1,750 people under the age of 50 who have young onset Parkinson’s, but the majority of people will be diagnosed over the age of 60.

How can someone living with Parkinson’s manage and cope better?
The three main treatments to help someone manage their Parkinson’s are:
– Medication
– Exercise
– Therapies

Everyone’s Parkinson’s is unique. So different combinations of medication, exercise and therapies will suit different people. We recommend people talk to their GP, specialist or Parkinson’s nurse to see what works for them.  There are lots of ways to connect with people who understand what it means to be living with Parkinson’s.

To find out more, call Parkinson’s UK on 0808 800 0303. You can also join the online community on the forum, and hear other people’s tips, stories and experiences in the online magazine.

Is Parkinson’s hereditary?

It’s very rare for Parkinson’s to run in families. The vast majority of people have what is called ‘idiopathic Parkinson’s’, meaning that there’s no known cause. However, for a small minority of people with Parkinson’s, there is a genetic link.

How does living in a care environment benefit someone with Parkinson’s?

In the advanced stages of Parkinson’s, it’s likely that an individual will need extra support to carry out day-to-day tasks. This may affect their choice of home. They may decide that they could benefit from a care home or from care in their own home to help manage their condition.

A care home will offer more personal care than sheltered housing. As Parkinson’s symptoms progress and your needs increase, a move to a care home may be a necessary consideration.

How do you think activities such as fitness and activity can be of benefit?

Exercise is good for people with Parkinson’s. It can be as important as medication to help people take control of their symptoms and doing just 2.5 hours of exercise a week can even slow the progression of symptoms. However, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach and the best exercise to do will depend on the way Parkinson’s affects you.

How does a Parkinson’s diagnosis affect relationships and family life?

Parkinson’s may affect your self-image, mood and how you communicate with others. This may happen if you’re in a casual or committed relationship, or if you’re single. Some people have relationship issues in the early days, when they’re adjusting to diagnosis, while others may run into problems after many years of living with Parkinson’s.

Each person with Parkinson’s has their own experience of the condition. The symptoms you have may be different from other people. It’s important to remember that many people go through sexual and relationship issues at some stage in their life, so any problems you have may have nothing to do with Parkinson’s at all.

How has Parkinson’s research developed? Is a cure looking likely?

In the past 50 years, vital discoveries have been made that have revolutionised our understanding of Parkinson’s and the brain.

Now, thanks to this progress, breakthrough new treatments are being tested in clinical trials that have the potential to slow, stop or even reverse Parkinson’s.

What about family and friends?

Family and friends are often the information seekers and may focus on the person living with Parkinson’s needs rather than their own. It is important that family and friends recognise the impact of Parkinson’s on their lives and prioritise and maintain their own health & wellbeing too. It can be really valuable for family and friends to access support for themselves and connect with others in similar situations to share their experience.

How can Parkinson’s affect day-to-day life?

There is no ‘typical day’ with Parkinson’s. It is a fluctuating condition, so it can change day-to-day or for some people, hour to hour. Because of the range of symptoms involved in Parkinson’s, it also impacts on everyone with the condition differently.

With medication and small adjustments, some people are able to maintain the same standard of life they had before diagnosis for a long time. However, for some people the effects on their daily life will be considerable, for example including pain, not being able to sleep, anxiety and even being unable to move at all for short periods (freezing).

As Parkinson’s is a degenerative condition, people will see their symptoms become worse over time and respond less to medication. This means the impact on daily life will be more noticeable, and ultimately many people will eventually need regular support from health and care professionals.

A huge thank you to Parkinson’s UK for providing the answers to these questions for us. You can read Part II of our series on Understanding Parkinson’s here.

What is holistic nursing care? | Huntington & Langham Estate

Posted on by Ricky

Our approach to Holistic nursing care

At Huntington and Langham Estate, it’s amongst our values to take a holistic approach to the care we offer our residents.

We place equal importance on treating our residents with respect as we do on creating a happy, friendly environment. Just as in holistic psychology, an approach which emphasises the ‘whole’ rather than the sum of its parts, holistic nursing care takes a ‘mind, body & soul’ approach, rather than focusing on an illness alone.

Holistic nurses see the body, mind, soul and the environment as interconnected, instilling overall values of unity and humanism into the care they provide.

Carer and resident relationships

Holistic nursing care very much focuses on the relationship between the carer and the resident. The holistic nurse’s aim is to heal the whole person, rather than focusing solely on a problem area. This means ensuring the individual’s mental health is sound, in addition to ensuring they’re experiencing adequate social interaction, gentle physical exercise, nutrient-dense meals and time in the outdoors.

Holistic nurses are also encouraged to practice self-care so that they can provide high-quality care themselves, whilst taking time to understand their residents in-depth so that they can provide individualised care.

The mind, body, spirit and environment

An individual’s environment has an overall effect on their health. In order to experience maximum health and happiness, individuals need sufficient access to nature, as well as healthy foods and likeminded individuals with which to spend time.

Encouraging residents to take up new hobbies instils a new sense of purpose, as does spirituality; all of which can be experienced through activities to develop fine motor skills, such as knitting, gentle yoga and meditation.

Perceiving the mind, body, spirit and environment as interconnected is key to ensuring that each of these aspects is met through everyday care and activities.

Many of which can be achieved by establishing a strong, trusting relationship with residents, allowing their voices to be heard to create an effective, tailored wellness programme.

Individualised care

Taking a holistic approach allows carers to provide more in-depth individualised care, tailoring the care plan to the individual’s personal needs, whilst paying close attention to their quality of life.

Holistic carers can help promote healing through helping individuals make the right lifestyle choices for them, whilst involving their personal beliefs in the treatment process.

An individualised care approach emphasises the importance of a holistic carer and resident forming a strong relationship, in order for them to gain maximum health benefits and feelings of wellness.

We take pride in our holistic care approach at the Huntington and Langham Estate, always striving to meet the most intricate of individual needs. To find out more about the care we offer, please click here.

A home away from home at Huntington and Langham Estate

Posted on by Ricky

At Huntington and Langham Estate, we’re always delighted to welcome anyone who needs our support, as well as their families, offering a hand to hold and a friendly face. From offering day to full-time residential care, our carers are dedicated to tailoring their care to each and every individual need.

Finding a home away from home

We’ve been lucky enough to provide our care to a former anaesthetist, Bruce, who has been living at Huntington House since undergoing some major surgery at The Royal Surrey hospital.

It was Bruce’s wish to stay living in Grayshott, having lived there all his life – so finding somewhere that was both familiar and offered the support he needed was highly important.  Although Bruce’s mental health had remained positive following the surgery, his physical health required some extra support.

We’ve since been speaking to Bruce’s daughter, Sarah, who told us of Bruce’s initial resistance to the idea of moving into a care home. We were thrilled to hear that, after searching the area for a suitable option, Bruce has never looked back since his move into Huntington House.

During Bruce’s journey as an anaesthetist, he had watched many of the local GPs continue their careers at Huntington House, a place that he knew of throughout his career – but one he had not initially envisioned as somewhere to reside in his own golden years.

Our history of care at Huntington House

We have also been home for a former GP, a gentleman whom it was a pleasure to care for and a former district nurse stayed with us – a lady who worked at a local GP surgery just a few years back.

We’d also like to share a particularly special story, featuring a paediatric anaesthetist who was living with Dementia, with us at Langham Court a few years ago.

After several attempts to leave the building, presumably to try and go to work, the on-site carers provided him with a doll, stethoscope and crib, which he placed next to his bed. He was then able to re-enact the fundamentals of his job, putting his caring nature into action and satisfying his need to look after others. He proceeded to drape the curtain over the doll as a blanket, and used the stethoscope to check the ‘baby’. His bedroom was thereon transformed into a consultancy room, and after this, he didn’t try to leave the building again.

It’s stories like these that really make daily life at Huntington and Langham Estate special. Our mission is to make our people as happy and comfortable as possible, taking the fear away from the complications that come with age.

If you’d like to find out more about our care at the estate, please click here.

Bridging the Generation Gap

Posted on by Ricky

Here at the Huntington & Langham Estate, age really is just a number

Many people think that care homes are just for the older generation – but they couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, if you tried to work out the average age of people who walk through our doors, you’ll probably find that it’s around 30! Let us explain…

Here at the Huntington & Langham Estate, we’re here to provide expert care for those in need of a helping hand in our homes. But one other key thing that we focus on is community. That includes sponsoring local events, supporting local businesses and building great relationships with local schools.

Our links with local schools

That’s why you’ll quite often see local children laughing, learning and playing here in our homes, and we love seeing our residents thrive when spending time with the youngest generation. Our links with local schools bring so many benefits to the people who live here, and we believe this quality time is a key part of our residents being able to lead truly fulfilling lives. In our eyes, it’s something every care home should consider if they’re not already.

We are lucky enough to have great links with fabulous schools. The children come in every week and fill the home with much laughter, along with a unique energy, spirit and openness that’s so refreshing. They don’t see wheelchairs, they don’t see dementia and they don’t see age – they simply experience fun, connections, friendships and cake!

We have had a strong relationship with St. Edmund’s School in Hindhead for over 30 years and over the past 18 months or so, we have been lucky enough to host their reception classes here in our home. Every week in term time, the school’s reception pupils come along to learn, and our residents love having them here. The class alternates between our two homes, and the children usually spend time singing, chatting with our residents, reading books and getting stuck in with arts and crafts, and we also have all sorts of fun things like dressing-up boxes and games. The teachers bring in everything needed to hold each class here, but mostly, it’s about letting the children completely be themselves in the company of our residents.

This is what Karen Bailey, Head of Early Years at St. Edmund’s School, has to say about holding classes here in our home: “The relationship between the two generations is something truly special that just happens naturally. Our visits link young and old through play, giving us a greater understanding and appreciation of another generation that we may not otherwise have regular contact with. The children cannot wait to see their friends every week.”

More recently, we have welcomed the children from PK Preschool. They visit us once a month with their parents to sing, draw, read and play games. The interaction is a delight to see and most importantly, the experience is beneficial to both young and old.

help us to bridge the generation gap

If you are connected to a local school or nursery in the Grayshott area and would like to get involved, we’re always keen to build new relationships; we believe this quality time here in our home is just as beneficial for children as it is for the people who live here, so why not get in touch? There’s nothing quite like seeing these two generations come together and it really does show that age is just a number.

Seeing the world of care through new eyes

Posted on by Ricky

MD Charlie Hoare shares his thoughts on the importance of putting yourself in the shoes of someone else to truly understand their reality.

Blindfolded role play.

Perhaps not the first thing you’d associate with a care home. But it’s something that happens quite regularly here at the Huntington & Langham Estate.

A lot of our training for staff focuses on empathy, and when asked what empathy means to them, the answer is often “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes”.

This is great in principle, but not so easy in practice given that our team members have never lived in a care home, permanently lost their independence or been at the end of their life.

Role play can temporarily immerse you into a life unknown. It can create unexpected feelings and highlight aspects of life we didn’t realise we took for granted.

Dining in the Dark

I once went to a ‘Dining in the Dark’ restaurant and spat out a perfectly edible salad leaf covered in dressing as it felt like I’d put a slug in my mouth. I felt an unexpected vulnerability – my mind went into a state of panic with each mouthful after that salad leaf.

The main benefit of role play is that it takes you out of your comfort zone and into a place where it’s so easy to feel as though you’re no longer in control. Whether it’s being assisted to eat, walk, dress, wash, or whatever, being the other side of the care helps staff to realise how fine the line is between enabling and disabling.

Is there too much food on the fork? Am I giving the next mouthful too soon? Have I explained what it is? If you’re helping someone to eat and not asking yourself these questions then I’d suggest it’s time to don the blindfold.

Charlie