Integrated teams required to deliver healthcare in care homes
Multi-disciplinary teams should be set up to ensure that care home residents get the healthcare services that they need, says Professor Finbarr Martin, president of the British Geriatrics Society.
22 May 2012
Filling the gap for learning disabled people with dementia
The number of people with learning disabilities who develop dementia is growing fast, but there is a lack of specialist support, says psychiatrist Shekhar Mukherji, director of Mentaur Ltd, which has just opened a service for the client group.
22 May 2012
How to check whether your services are good enough
Providers must ensure their internal compliance mechanisms go beyond checklists to avoid poor practice, says consultant and former Care Quality Commission inspector Sughra Nazir.
27 March 2012
How one care home handled challenging pressure sore case
Care home nurse Sandra Hambett reflects on how she dealt with a seemingly intractable case involving a resident who had developed pressure sores but refused painkillers that would have helped her treat them.
04 May 2012
Care homes urged to share good practice
Care homes are being urged to share examples of good practice to help shape wider improvements to services.
17 February 2012
Deprivation of liberty safeguards guide for care homes
Care homes sometimes find it difficult to identify when they are depriving a resident of their liberty. Here deprivation of liberty safeguards expert John Leighton sets out what they need to look out for.
07 November 2011
How smart phones can improve home care for users and staff
Smart phones are helping home care staff improve support and stay safe while delivering efficiency savings for their employers.
02 March 2012
Help for home care staff in using the Mental Capacity Act
Mel Palmer explains how home care staff should apply the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in the case of a service user who is self-neglecting and refusing to take his medication
05 March 2012
Research: Protecting adults at risk across council boundaries
The Social Care Institute for Excellence has worked with London councils, the police and the NHS to produce guidelines on safeguarding adults
30 September 2011
Scie: Using the internet to improve social care
Ross Oldfield, co-ordinator of the Social Care Institute for Excellence's Get Connected project (left) , explains how providers can improve social care through the use of the internet.
01 November 2011
Benefits of home care reablement in the long term
Reablement is popular with service users and although not the cheapest option, may have longer term benefits. Jill Manthorpe reviews the evidence
11 October 2011
How dementia training in care homes can improve
Experts demand better training to improve person-centred care, reducing the need for antipsychotic drugs - but still training is not mandatory. Julie Griffiths investigates
30 September 2011
How to improve nutritional standards in care homes
A care home in Wimbledon has become an academy of nutrition as it responds constantly to residents' food fancies while maintaining quality, reports Jeremy Dunning
30 September 2011
JRF project identifies eight 'pillars' of a good care home
A Joseph Rowntree Foundation project has identified eight "pillars" of best practice in care homes to ensure good quality of life for residents.
05 August 2011
Best practice in dementia care home staff training
While the overuse of antipsychotic drugs remains a problem in care homes, one provider has pioneered a person-centred approach that has cut drug use and distress levels. Natalie Valios reports on how staff can gain a better insight into dementia
22 April 2010
Four Seasons cuts dementia drug use as sector awaits review
It is a year since the Department of Health announced a review of the use of antipsychotic drugs to manage the behaviour of people with dementia, particularly in care homes.
16 June 2009
Good Practice: Time to Share scheme for dementia patients
Shared Lives schemes are increasingly being used to support people with dementia and they are proving cheaper than alternative forms of help, reports Natalie Valios
28 October 2010
Better care for people living with dementia
The Social Care Institute for Excellence's Dementia Gateway , created with the Alzheimer's Society, is an online resource for carers and professionals living and working with people with dementia. It offers tips, tools and activities to help them meet their challenges
04 October 2010
JRF pilots equity release scheme for cash poor homeowners
Older homeowners on benefits have long shunned equity release schemes but a project is helping them tap their housing wealth to boost their independence, writes Jeremy Dunning
28 January 2010
Importance of palliative role in dementia
Housing 21 has appointed a specialist palliative nurse to tackle the neglect of dementia patients' end-of-life needs. Vern Pitt finds she has personal reasons for making a success of her role
12 April 2011
