Senior Home Care Archives - Deckchair Care

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019

6 Ways A Smart Speaker Can Help Elderly Parents.

Don’t write off the idea of getting a smart speaker for the elderly, just because they traditionally shun new technology, or struggle with the latest devices.

Google Home or Amazon aren’t just for the millennials or generation X. Because they are easy to set up and use, they are a great addition to anyone’s home, including elderly parent’s.

Hands-free voice activated.

Smart speakers have a great interface – straightforward, natural voice commands.

What’s better is that you only need your voice to activate a smart speaker features. This is especially helpful for anyone with mobility issues, vision loss, or reduced dexterity.

Once the speaker is set up, anyone can ask it to set timers and alarms, play music, add items to a to-do list and much more.

Search the internet without a screen

For the elderly who haven’t yet interacted with the internet through a tablet, computer or smart phone, a smart speakers provides an easy entry.

There’s no fuss struggling with an app on a mobile device. Anyone, young or old, can use a smart speaker to hear the latest news, get weather updates and sports scores, search the web for anything and even buy things.

Stay connected

Google home is especially good at keeping the elderly connected. Although it cannot call 999 during an emergency, it can call any other UK phone number. In the event that they need help but cannot get to the phone, this can be really useful, they can just say “OK GOOGLE, CALL JANNET”.

Even if the situation isn’t an emergency, smart speakers also work as a great speaker phone to chat with family and friends.

Home Automation

A smart speaker can be the control centre for a growing array of home devices, from turning on the lights to controlling the heating. With a smart speaker and a power socket or smart lighblub, people will be able to speak a simple command, like “OK Google, turn off the lights” to control their lamps hands-free.

A personal assistant

Most smart speakers have assistants to promt reminders and important information.

For example, “OK Google, remember that Deckchair Care are coming tomorrow at 9am” (Deckchair can even send these reminders to anyones personal assistant! Other reminders might be for medication or birthdays.

Entertainment

A smart speaker is a great device for staying entertained.

First, there are hundreds games you can play with your voice to engage the mind. There are classic options like Blackjack and Tic Tac Toe, and even popular real-world games like Jeopardy.

For the elderly struggling with vision loss, audio books can be purchased and then streamed through the speaker.

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

February 13, 2019February 12, 2019

Local Paper Shutdowns Leading to Elderly Isolation

The absence of printed local newspapers has left many older people cut off from finding out what was going on in their local areas.

Many local papers have recently stopped printing, cutting an important thread holding the local community together.

The Elderly often have no idea what’s going on with thieir hospital, council and schools are doing.

Many papers moving online assumes that everyone has access to the internet. But often this isn’t the case. Also, it’s not just older people, because there are a lot of people who don’t have access to a computer or the internet.

Many have phones, but some can’t afford the data package or they might only look at it now and then.”

A quarter of local and regional papers have closed in the past decade

Charities for the elderly have warned that older people can be particularly affected by the loss of local services, such as High Street shops, post offices, libraries and pubs.

Read more about the article on the BBC website.

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

February 8, 2019February 6, 2019

Workers leaving full-time employment to look after relatives

Carers UK says nearly 500,000 workers have left full-time work to look after older and disabled relatives in the last two years.

Campaigners have warned that >600 people a day are forced to quit their jobs to care for relatives; and more than three million people in the UK juggle paid work and caring for relatives.

More than 3m people combine care and work, but many are having to give up paid work altogether due to the pressure.

Carers UK says 15% of the population is now working and caring

Campaigners are now calling for the government to introduce a right of five to 10 days of paid care leave, which could save the UK economy billions of pounds each year.

Uplanned absences due to needing to care for relatives costs British companies up to £4.8bn per year.

Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, says there is a “growing need” for employers to be more flexible.

She said: “With 15% of the population now working and caring, there is a real social and economic imperative for UK businesses to adopt carer friendly workplaces.”

Read the full report here

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service

Thanks to ChatGPT for help creating and editing this article.

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019

Virtual Cycling System Helping Dementia Patients

Residents in a Liverpool care home have been trialling an exercise bike connected to a virtual reality screen to go on virtual bike rides across the world.

The system from Norway enables dementia patients to feel a sense of independence.

It’s also obviously great exercise, so helps with general wellbeing. There is also some evidence that exercise slows down cognitive decline.

Residents in a Liverpool care home have been trying the system out. Watch the video below.

See the original article on the BBC website here

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service on our website here.

November 25, 2018November 21, 2018

Care homes: Consumer rights for residents and their families

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has produced a summary that sets out what people need to know when choosing or living in a care home, and where they can go for further advice on their consumer rights

Read the Document Here

“A report by healthcare specialists Laing & Buisson in 2013/14 – Care homes can cost an average of: £29k per year (£2.4k pm) for a residential care home, or. £39k per year (£3.25k pm) if nursing is required.”

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service on our website here.

November 21, 2018

Consumer law advice sets out obligations for care homes

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is providing advice so care homes understand their responsibilities under consumer law.

The advice is being published as part of ongoing consumer protection work into residential care homes and nursing homes for older people (over 65s).

It follows the CMA’s examination of the sector last year, which found that some residents are at risk of being treated unfairly and recommended urgent action to reform the sector.

The CMA has also published an open letter to care homes, reminding them of their responsibilities under consumer law and urging them to review the advice immediately. Care homes may need to make changes to their contract terms and business practices as a result.

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care are an independent, privately-owned care agency. We look after the elderly in Cheshire and South Manchester.

Read more about our care service on our website here.

October 30, 2018

Triple lock delivers £220 for pensioners

Pensioners will enjoy a weekly increase in their pension from £164.35 to £168.60 next year (£220pa),

The state pension is expected to rise by 2.6pc from April next year, although this is below the 3pc increase enjoyed in 2017/18.

As inflation is currently below expectations at 2.4pc (September 2018), the increase is still more than the rising cost of living.

The state pension triple lock means it will rise every year by inflation, 2.5pc or average earnings – whichever is higher.

Read more about the pension increase here.

About Deckchair Care

Deckchair Care is a care company helping to look after the elderly in Cheshire. Read more about our independent care service on our website here.