It’s more important than ever that we take the time this year to reflect on our mental health. Mental Health Awareness Week is running from 10 – 16 May, and focuses this year on nature and the 5 ways to wellbeing. There are a number of mental health resources for those who are struggling, including Every Mind Matters, and Somerset Mindline (emotional support and mental health helpline open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – phone: 01823 276 892)

When moving into a care home, some people can find it a real shock to the system. Our AMAZING team go above and beyond to make sure that all our residents settle in. Frank moved into Eastleigh Care Homes a couple months ago. And then Covid -19 hit which restricted what Frank could do with his time. However our team took the time to get to know Frank. They found out that he is a lifelong Shrewsbury Town Football club fan, and enjoys nothing more than watching their games and finding out who scored. Our dedicated team went above and beyond, even managing to contact Shrewsbury Town Football Club who very kindly offered to donate a signed shirt and cap to their lifelong fan Frank. As you can see from the photo, Frank was ecstatic to receive the gift. And is hoping the mighty Shrews can win their next game.  

Eastleigh Care Homes had some very fluffy visitors. This past week we were visited by James & Josh from Alpacas of Hall Farm. They were accompanied by a few of their Alpacas, who walked the grounds and met the residents and staff at our Minehead home. Everyone enjoyed the visit and couldn’t get enough of stroking the Alpaca fleece. James & Josh were also very informative and answered all our questions. This activity was such a hit among our residents that we have already booked in with Alpacas of Hall farm to visit our other sites in South Molton. https://alpacasofhallfarm.co.uk/ 23505,23506,23507,23508,23509,23510,23511,23512,23513 5 thumbnail fancy Click on this photo to see all the animals Alpacas of Hall farm have and maybe book an Alpaca walk for yourself https://alpacasofhallfarm.co.uk/

Eastleigh Care Homes would like to give a huge Well done to Lou Heppenstall. While most of us have spent our spare time slouched on the sofa, watching Netflix during lock down. Lou one of our support workers at our East Street Homed has been out raising money for Dementia UK by completing a 100km Dog walking challenge. Lou and her four legged friend managed to raise a very impressive £580.          

Many families hope to enable their elderly loved ones to live independently at home. Caring for the elderly at home requires a realistic and honest approach, with strategies to ensure that everyone’s needs are met. The amount of care and support needed will depend on the needs of the elderly individual and the time and resources available to their family. It’s useful to take the following approach when you start caring for elderly relatives at home: Be realistic about what you can do: It’s understandable that you want to help, and may even feel an element of duty. However, it is far easier to be realistic at the beginning of the care journey than wait until resentment has built, you’ve become burned out, or there has been an unsafe situation or crisis. Consider your commitments, lifestyle, finances and abilities realistically, to decide what you can consistently offer and provide. Speak openly with your parents: We all carry the dynamics of childhood into our adult relationships with our parents. However, it’s important to be honest on both sides, even if that’s made more difficult by cognitive decline, perhaps because of dementia. Try to be open-minded and sensitive about their concerns, whilst […]

Typically, we don’t think of grandchildren stepping into the caring role for their grandparents in the UK. Whilst it is commonplace in other cultures, here it is only becoming more of the norm as grandparents live longer and their grandchildren enter adulthood and are suited to a caring role. Yet, it’s very under recognised; we don’t even have data to tell us how prevalent it is. At Eastleigh, we are here to support the whole family as they care for ageing loved ones and we recognise that taking care of grandparents brings its own unique challenges. The time of our lives In our experience, grandchildren taking care of grandparents fall into this role at a point when they are only just finding their feet in adulthood. There seem to be multiple reasons why it happens, and why caring doesn’t fall to the immediately younger generation of sons and daughters. Often it’s a matter of practicality, with the ‘sandwich generation’ being unavailable due to being at the peak of their career, or through their own ill health. Regardless of the reasoning, caring for a grandparent when in your late teens or twenties comes with its own concerns. Often there are conflicts […]

Choosing the right level of care for your loved one can feel like a minefield. There’s a lot of different terminology to understand, at a time when emotions and anxieties are likely to be running high. Senior assisted living is, effectively, the first level of residential care. An example is our self-contained apartments in Rossiter House in South Molton, Devon, which is adjacent to one of our residential care homes, East Street. Senior assisted living enables the individual to live as independently as possible, in their own apartment, but with a wider support network easily on hand. You should expect there to be a self-contained flat with a living area, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen or kitchenette. However, residents should also have access to care staff, if needed. Usually the amount of support is tailored to the individual, but you should choose the facility based on the availability of services and facilities such as: Onsite manager or warden: An onsite manager or warden should be available, at least during office hours. They will organise everything from building maintenance to social events. They aren’t a carer but oversee the running of the premises. 24 hour emergency alarm system for help: All apartments […]

Spotting the early signs of dementia in men is often a case of pulling together different elements of a complex puzzle. All of the statistics point to more women than men being affected by dementia. Indeed for every one man with a diagnosis, there are two women. This means we as a society may not always realise the differences between spotting the early signs in men, compared to spotting them in women. However, there are many factors which may mean this picture is far more multi-faceted and intricate than the 2:1 statistic presents. As one scientific review of the evidence states, “We must move beyond the notion that “women are at greatest risk and that Alzheimer’s disease dementia is a “women’s disease” to focus on sex and gender differences. We need to understand the different presentations, risk factors and signs so that we are capable of spotting the early symptoms in our male loved ones. With accurate diagnosis you open the door to emotional, financial and practical support. What accounts for the difference in dementia between men and women? Unfortunately, there’s actually very little deep research into the gender divide of dementia so far, although there are increasing calls for […]

  Spring is just around the corner, and we’re seeing signs of bulbs pushing their way up in our gardens at our North Devon and Somerset care homes. It’s a welcome sign of hope and a perfect reminder that getting outside is wonderful and beneficial for all of us. It’s not just an old-wives tale either. Studies involving over 290 million people have shown that time spent outside in greenspace has an incredible array of benefits on our health, from reducing cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes risk, to reducing stress, premature death and blood pressure. At the moment, with the pandemic still placing restrictions on us, heading outdoors is one thing we can do. So, what are some of the benefits that are particularly relevant to the elderly? Benefits of being outside for the elderly 1.     Vitamin D – the sunshine vitamin We’re all becoming more aware of the sizeable benefits of Vitamin D. Our bodies mostly get the Vitamin D that we need from the sun. In the UK, we particularly need to spend some time outside everyday between March and October to get enough Vitamin D. What we’re probably less aware of, is how important Vitamin D […]

World Book Day To celebrate World Book Day, we will be holding a Fancy Dress competition on Thursday 4th March 2021 for our staff & residents. We all need something to make us smile right now so why not have a little fun… Dress up as your favourite book character and see what can be won! Rules are listed on the attached image. #e9eee6 bounceInUp Mad Hatters Tea Party Residents and staff are hereby summoned to a Mad Hatters Tea party on Thursday 4th March at 2pm. bounceInDown 03/04/2021 14:00

The residents in our North Devon care homes are truly spoilt by the abundance of beautiful spots, as are we! We thought we’d share with you some of our favourite places where you can find peace and tranquillity. These are the most peaceful spots in North Devon that we love: Peaceful hidden gems in North Devon 1. Watermouth We’ve been fortunate enough to spot dolphins in Watermouth Cove, and you can’t escape from the magical sense of peace that those sightings bring. Yes, right by the cove, in the summer, jet skis launch, but fundamentally, this is a peaceful place for watching the world go by. If you have the mobility to get to Broadsands Beach, you won’t be disappointed and you’ll feel as though you’re floating through a child’s story book. 2.Ash Bridge, near Watersmeet A short and easy ½ mile walk from Watersmeet House is Ash Bridge where there is a beautiful picnic spot. You’re surrounded by ancient woodlands here and can listen to the water splashing nearby. 3.Wistlandpound reservoir There are lots of accessible paths at Wistlandpound Reservoir, which can be found on the edge of Exmoor, not far from Exmoor Zoo. It’s the abundance of wildlife […]

Dignity & Respect at Eastleigh Care Homes. Here at Eastleigh Care Homes we ensure that all our residents and staff are treated with Dignity & Respect. In order to display what Dignity & Respect means to each individual we have made dignity tree’s. Not only do they look beautiful and brighten up both staff and residents day when they walk passed it but it holds a much deeper meaning. Dignity is paramount to us to ensure each resident is treated as an individual. We always do our best to promote person centred care in everything we do. From each bedrooms being personal and full of their memories and home comforts, the care being provided is person centred to each individual. Aswell as our activities team finding out old hobbies/interests the residents once or continue to enjoy. We are very proud of our care team and all the staff who make each day as bright as they can for our wonderful residents throughout this time. Now more than ever finding what our residents enjoy is more important than ever.