When prospective residents come to take a look round Cedar Lodge in Evesham, people often have questions about the kind of help they can expect to receive from a care home. There are many different ways our care home staff can support you. How and where we offer assistance will be determined by:
- what you tell us is important to you,
- where we assess you might need extra support (for example, in taking your medication),
- the outcomes you want to achieve – like improved mobility etc.
In this article we go into depth about one of the main types of support we provide at our Evesham care home for residents – which is personal care.
Personal Care
This is an activity that people are sometimes bashful to ask about. However, we encourage you to do so, as it’s a key part of the day-to-day service offered in any care home – like our care home here in Evesham.
Personal care is a broad term that encompasses lots of different activities. In the morning, this would entail helping an individual to get ready for their day – such as by helping residents with a flannel wash, shower or bath, brushing their teeth, combing their hair, selecting clothing and helping that person to dress. Staff offer as much, or as little help as required – as the goal is to preserve as much of your independence as possible. In the morning, we employ more staff so that each of our residents can get up at a time of their preference and receive timely personal care, which reflects that resident’s wishes of how they would like to get ready for the day – for example, by drawing on their routine before moving into Cedar Lodge.
Personal care also involves helping a resident go to the bathroom – whether that’s helping them to the toilet, replacing pads & underwear, or helping an individual to clean themselves after they’ve passed urine or had a bowel movement. Staff will make regular visits throughout the day to assist people with their toileting needs, but beyond these times, the staff are always around to assist you whenever nature calls – you just need to let them know. Good toileting care ensures everyone remains comfortable and dignified, so we see it as a crucial part of our job.
In the evening, we offer personal care to help people get ready for bed too. Like in the morning, staff are dictated by what time you’d like to retire to bed, and typically this personal care involves a wash, toileting, any oral care plus any creams that need to be applied before you go to sleep. Throughout the night, if you need to use the toilet, staff are on standby to help you up and to give whatever assistance you require.
Pads – NHS or private?
Most residents will be used to wearing some form of protective padding to line their underwear in case of any episodes of incontinence. This can take the form of a pull-up pad which can replace the underwear, or a padded slip which sits inside your pants. Some people only wear pads at night. Whereas others wear pads in the day and night with different absorbency levels, if they find they’re more incontinent at a specific time e.g. when asleep.
Whether we take over the ordering of your pads when you move into Cedar Lodge will depend on whether you are prescribed pads by the NHS or whether you purchase them privately. If the former, your NHS pad deliveries will be delivered to the care home ready for you to use. Whereas if you purchase your pads privately, such as through Boots, you or your loved one will still need to do this after you move in.
If you feel that your episodes of incontinence have gotten worse, then we can fill out a referral form for you to the Bladder & Bowel Care Service at Hereford and Worcestershire Health Care NHS Trust. As part of this referral, the staff at Cedar Lodge would record everything you drink over 3 days (known as the input) and then weigh any used pads over the same period (known as the output). If the output reaches a certain threshold, the NHS will then take over the ordering of your pads so that your enhanced continence needs are met.
Catheters, Conveens and Stoma Bags
Depending on your specific health circumstances, you may be prescribed a catheter or a stoma bag from your doctor. If this is the case, these supplies will be delivered to our care home from the NHS much like the rest of your prescribed medication. Staff will be able to assist you in emptying leg/night bags on your catheter and with the replacement of your stoma pouches. If you are prescribed a conveen, staff can also assist in applying the sheaf and attending to the night bag. All of these materials are disposed in our clinical waste bins after use and regular check-ins from the local nursing team ensure that the continence support you receive from us remains informed by best clinical practice.
Above all, the support we provide with personal care at Cedar Lodge is underwritten by a respect for your privacy and dignity. By offering a helping hand with these essential tasks, we hope to take the worry of them away from you, so that you can focus on enjoying life’s many wonderful moments.
If you or a loved one is looking for care and have questions about our service at Cedar Lodge, call us on 01386 293 033 to chat with our management team. We’d be happy to answer your queries and show you round our small local residential home.