Updates

Dear Relatives and Friends

You will of course be aware of the current health emergency and the steps that many care homes have taken to protect the elderly and vulnerable people they look after.

At United Care we have been reducing the number of visitors into our Homes to protect our residents, but now we need to go further. From now on we will be unable to accept visitors into our care homes until further notice.

This has been a really difficult decision to make but we are sure that it is the best course of action that we can take at this moment in time.

What does this mean – it means we are asking relatives and friends to stop their visits to loved ones, so that we can protect them from the risks of coronavirus transmission.

We understand this will be unsettling and difficult for some families, but it is not a decision we would be taking but for the current exceptional circumstances. Our priority at the moment must be to minimise any risk to the health of our residents.

Of course, we recognise that it is vitally important both for you and for our residents that you are able to stay in touch. We do not want you to lose contact with your loved one, so we will ensure we keep everyone in touch by arranging video calls, phone calls and emails or messaging.

If you have any questions for our homes we will try and answer them as quickly as we can. Please discuss your particular concerns with the relevant Home Management team so that we can arrange the right kind of communication for you and your loved one.

If a resident is receiving end of life care, we will, of course, arrange visits to the Care home, however, we will have to ensure you are not displaying any Coronavirus symptoms. We will have to ask questions about your health before we allow you to visit – we understand this may be distressing, but we have to do this. Hopefully, you can understand this at this time.

All of our relatives have been fantastic so far, and we want to reassure you that we are doing the very best we can to keep all your loved ones in good spirits, safe and well.

As soon as we have any further updates we will contact you.

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Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of illnesses, which have different causes but produce similar symptoms. These symptoms vary depending on the cause of dementia, i.e. the dementia sub-type. Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular Dementia, Mixed Dementia and Lewy Body Dementia are the four most common sub-types and apart from these subtypes, the area and volume of the brain affected may impact on how the person experiences dementia. 

Dementia causes damage to the brain, this damage can affect memory, thinking, language and the ability to carry out everyday tasks. As people move to the later stages of dementia, they will experience more symptoms and are likely to have significant memory loss and cognitive difficulties.

Pet therapy in residential care homes have proven to be the most effective type of therapy, it could improve a senior’s emotional, social, or cognitive ability. 

The animals used for the therapy can range from domesticated pets to farm animals. The documented benefits of interaction with pets are mental, emotional, and even physical. 

We all know that pets make us happy. Pet therapy has been linked to reductions in loneliness, agitated behaviours, dementia as well as increases in engagement, wellbeing, nutritional intake, and social interactions. Pets provide unconditional love and comfort. For the elderly with dementia, depression declines after they interact with a therapy animal.

A study from the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that being around animals has a positive impact on the body’s hormone levels. This could explain why pet therapy can help people with depression and anxiety.

United Care offers a high standard of aid for older people, including those who are living with dementia.
Regardless of which type of dementia is diagnosed and what part of the brain is affected, each person will experience dementia in their own unique way.

There are over 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this is set to rise to over one million by 2021.

The symptoms of dementia can include:

• Memory problems
• Cognitive ability, i.e. processing information
• Communication

United Care created a comfortable living to all our residents with the themed areas that add stimulation around reminiscences, encouraging them to live their lives as they wish and are able to join in, or not, as they please.

When things get challenging or difficult, our highly trained staff work alongside the entire family, giving them one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions. Our goal is to help residents and their families get the most out of their dotage and provide a safe, supportive and comfortable environment.

Welcome to our homes.