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It is a fact that the highest number of admissions into acute psychiatric beds takes place just after the start of the new year. There are several potential theories as to why that may be so. It could be that a person with a mental illness may be experiencing a “lower than normal” psychological period,…

  The General Data Protection Regulation – usually referred to as GDPR –  was passed in 2016 and will become enacted into European Law in May 2018, and was designed to “beef up” the existing EU legislation relating to Data Protection. Now, before you all go running off to purchase books, Consultants, videos and indemnity insurance,…

Recently I wrote about the potential benefits of pet ownership in a residential care setting. I am sure that many care homes have pets – either owned by the home or by the residents who live there. There are also numerous homes, where families and friends bring their own pets into the home to visit.…

Many years ago, pets were the reason that I was asked to become an advisor to my first Parliamentary Select Committee. My crime? I wrote the first definitive “Pets Policy” for a major Housing Association. This was hailed as a breakthrough at the time, as it actually said that the organisation “welcomed applications” from prospective…

It seems as though summer may finally hit the UK with some extremely hot days and humid hot nights. This is welcomed by most people although those who work indoors may not always see the benefits of sunshine when you can’t open doors and windows to enjoy it. I am fortunate to have a large…

It is evident from numerous sociological studies, that over many hundreds of years, the role of older people has had a major impact on the functioning of both family groups and society as a whole. In the days of the Hunter Gatherer, the weak, old and infirm remained in the camp and looked after the…

We often talk about empowering and enabling older people in relation to their care. Most people would see the two as pretty much the same thing, just with a slightly different slant.   In many cases, they are.   However, for some people, enabling can be very disempowering. Furthermore, it can be counterproductive in a…

Earlier today, I read about a “Silver Surfer” in care – a lady of 92, who moved from London to Ireland a couple of years ago, following the death of her husband. She decided that she wanted to be closer to her son and her grand-children, and that she wanted to live in a “retirement…

I guess this sounds like a completely mad suggestion! How on earth can care home owners be expected to improve standards to meet the Fundamental Standards / Essential Standards / KLOE’s / SCREWS, or whatever else the government decides is the current “benchmark of quality”? The truth is that most Care Home owners either have…