Respite care for the elderly and how it supports the carer

Respite care is a short-term stay, often around one to two weeks, in a care home, such as Birchwood House, and is usually arranged to give a carer a holiday from their care-related duties.  These breaks can be planned or, in cases of emergency, unplanned or at short notice. This is particularly common when friends or family members are acting as a carer and allows them time to look after their own health and well-being.

The benefits of using the internet and modern technology

Since the arrival of Covid-19 and having to live through lockdown in the last 12 months, the reliance on the internet and technology has massively increased and become the norm. Staying in touch with friends and family using communication platforms like Zoom and Facetime has seen huge adoption, fast-tracking their way into our everyday lives.

What care options are available for those in later life?

Families going through the emotional stress of placing a spouse or relative into care, often tell us they find the terminology confusing so this blog aims to help explain the different types of care available. Understandably, most elderly people want to live independently in their own home for as long as they can. But many people are not aware of what their local options are.

White Christmas had by all at Birchwood

We went all out to make sure it was a white and jolly Christmas for the residents at our home in Speldhurst, Kent. With a snow machine adding a dusting of white to the beautiful House, staff held a festive event to bring joy to the residents after a difficult year. The team have been doing all they can to keep things as normal as possible and keep spirits high by working hard behind the scenes to create a magical Christmas celebration for the residents.

Maintaining positivity for residents and homecare clients

We’re delighted to kick off a new initiative to show the smiling faces of our staff behind their masks to help our residents and clients recognise their support and maintain positivity. Aptly named Birchwood Smiles, every team member will be wearing a lanyard around their neck, with a large picture of their smiling face on it. This will help them to engage with residents and clients, even when wearing full PPE.

Take care of your mental health during lockdown

The lockdown that has been imposed by the Covid-19 outbreak has made us think about how important it is to take care of your mental health whilst either in isolation, or just unable to socialise and interact with others in person for a long period of time. Here are some useful tips for the elderly for taking care of your mental health during these periods which can be relevant and applied now, or during future periods of isolation.

Looking after the elderly in summer

Although summer is only just upon us and we are probably yet to hit the hottest day of the year, the recent spell of warm and sunny weather coupled with spending more time than normal at this time of year indoors during the Coronavirus lockdown has got us thinking about our top tips for looking after the elderly as we get deeper into the summer and the weather gets warmer.

Request a Callback
We do not share these details with any third party.