Director's Comments:
Hi there,
I would like to welcome all our new staff, I have had the pleasure to meet most of you and look forward to getting to know you all. We always value the knowledge and experience which new people bring to Care Assist.
To our existing staff team, a massive thank you for your hard work, commitment and loyalty.
Sophia Phills
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So what's been going on?
News from Care Assist services!
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Kings Road
Corina's and Houriyeh's Trip to the Salon
As her key worker, I had encouraged Houriyeh to visit the local salon as I felt this would be a good opportunity for her to unwind and help her to look and feel confident in herself. Houriyeh was quite nervous to begin with because it has been a long while since she last styled her hair and she preferred to attend only if I supported her.
When arriving at the salon, Houriyeh was easily acquainted with the staffs at the hair studio and she was very comfortable engaging with them all and requesting what she would like to have done.
During the process, Houriyeh had her hair washed, styled nicely and eyebrows done and nails painted. Houriyeh was indeed excited and very happy with her experience and as she had left the salon into the community, she felt very happy with her new look and wanted to continue spending more time in the community as was aware that other people were admiring her and this helped her to feel really confident.
Walking with Houriyeh in the community, I had noticed she had tears in her eyes and when I asked what happened, she explained she was feeling very emotional and happy and it has been a long time since she has made an effort to look nice and the last time she did this was when her sister got married a long time ago back home in Iran. Houriyeh had thanked me for assisting her to attend to spoil herself more.
We went for a meal in an Indian restaurant and then I completed her grocery shopping. Houriyeh said this is the longest she has been out since living in Kings Road and for the first time was not in a rush to head back to the service. I felt this was a good opportunity to Engage Houriyeh further in activities of her choice that is local in the community. I was also happy to be able to help Houriyeh gain this happiness as it has made our relationship stronger and I feel she can be herself around me. Houriyeh was happy to have pictures taken and asked to keep some for herself.
Before starting my role at Kings Road, I was aware that I have never worked in the care industry before and was excited to see what being a support worker entailed. During my time at Kings Road, I was welcomed by the staff who treated me very nicely and the residents also made me feel very welcome. For me, what made Kings Road so special is that everyone was like a family, there was always a positive experience working alongside my team and all roles shared equally. I was able to develop my communication skills by liaising as much as I can with the residents and aiding each of them to express their feelings. Kings Road has a relaxed atmosphere and a very vibrant homely environment. The training opportunities are excellent and cover a wide range of areas within the care industry that has indeed benefit my role.
Corina Carstea
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A peak into our residents' life...
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David, one of our residents, enjoys cycling
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Houriyeh enjoying her Arts and Crafts session
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Hamilton Road
We have started Smoking Cessation Groups at Hamilton Road, 6 of the residents started attending the group.
The group has been running from the 25th May 2016 to date, a trained nurse attends the service to monitor the residents peak flow and to discuss alternative aids they can use instead of smoking cigarettes.
Group meetings proved effective and after the 3rd session our resident Gregory has stopped smoking completely!
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Hillingdon
Robert's Birthday
My name is Robert Blackwood; I have been living in the Hillingdon service since 2015. I have made friends with people in the service. I like all the staff who work with me, they are all very nice.
I remember when I moved in to my new flat. I was a bit scared about the move. Imagine moving in to a new area that you have not been to before. I wanted to change my life around, you know that feeling; when enough is enough and it’s time to move forward with your life. You know as they say live is all about taking risks and learning from your mistake.
On the 25th of June 2016 it was my 50th birthday. I was very excited, I wanted to celebrated with friends/staff and family of course. The staff were very helpful and helped me organise the party. They also helped me invite my sister.
I have been in my flat for one and half year and staff are now helping me to move on. I am looking at flats/bedsit with my support workers. I am planning for the future, talking about the things I need to buy and what type of support I need to live on my own.
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Robert with Rosemary and Kola (Staff)
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Robert celebrating with his sister, Ms Blackwood, Lalita and Rosemary
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Ms Blackwood, Robert and Everton
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CA Employee Profile
Each newsletter issue focuses on a different Care Assist employee and their experience working within the organisation and community care industry.
Christopher Eades - Additional Responsibilites, Kings Road
Hello there, my name is Christopher Eades and I am the additional responsibilities for Kings Road Residential Care Home. I have been working in this role for just over one year now and generally working within Care Assist for over two and a half years.
The main thing I like about working for Care Assist, is seeing all those who live in a Care Assist service grow within themselves and move on to better their lives from when they first come to live with us.
My overall goal, within my working life, is to become a CQC inspector. I wish to choose this career path as I want to help as many people in the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities sectors benefit from excellent care/support services, so they can feel more in control of their lives and also more included in to society.
Christopher Eades
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How To Manage Stress At Work
Working in our industry tends to be quite stressful. Support workers dealing with vulnerable adults and clients with mental health problems can be particularly prone to stress which manifests itself through common symptoms listed below.
Mind, the mental health charity published a very useful guide on how to manage stress (excerpt from the document above). You can read / print it here: Mind - How To Manage Stress.
Learning how to manage and reduce your stress level is very beneficial for everyone working in the industry and can also help you assist your clients better when they are in a state of distress.
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Would you like to be included in our newletter or have an interesting story to share?
Please email Anna at a.apanasewicz@careassistuk.net to be published in the next issue.
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