Tag Archives: social care
There is no minimum standard of training for healthcare assistants before they can work unsupervised
0 July 2013 Last updated at 10:45
Healthcare assistants ‘should get standard training’
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
There is no minimum standard of training for healthcare assistants before they can work unsupervised, an independent report has found.
Workers should get at least two weeks’ training to prepare them for providing basic care in hospitals, care homes and at home in England, its author said.
Journalist Camilla Cavendish also said some staff were only given a training DVD to watch before starting work.
The review was set up in the wake of the Stafford Hospital scandal
Robots to help people with dementia in Western Isles
NHS Western Isles is putting robots into the homes of people with dementia as part of a pilot scheme
NHS Western Isles is putting robots into the homes of people with dementia as part of a pilot scheme to help them to continue to live independently.
A relative or carer – potentially hundreds of miles away – can drive the machine around the house to check that everything is all right.
The pair can also have a chat through a two-way video call system.
The Giraff robots are 1.5m (4ft 11in) tall with wheels, and a TV screen instead of a head.
A relative or carer can call up the Giraff with a computer from any location. Their face will appear on the screen allowing them to chat to the other person.
How Care Homes Can Help Isolated Older People
Guest blog by Jason Tucker
Isolation and depression in the elderly has been a hot topic in the media in recent months. Following a slew of studies and reports the plight of older people has been thrown into a new light. Sadly, as a youth-obsessed nation the issues surrounding the elderly aren’t often given much in the way of attention by the press, but with a recent study showing that social isolation leads to a 26% higher chance of death over a seven year period, people are beginning to realise that something needs to be done.
The shrinking of our social circle seems to be directly correlated with our increasing age. As friends pass away and our ability to get out and about is limited it becomes harder to build and maintain relationships. Older people who have had children may find that they help in care of grandchildren, which helps keep them active and in regular contact with relatives. But with families living further apart than at any previous time in history, it’s not uncommon for grandparents to only see their grandchildren every few months or on school holidays.
