Homecare – A to Z Directory

Tips for Hiring Software for Residential Care Homes

You don’t have to be a tech savvy person to know that the world of software has become more diverse, complicated and expensive than ever before. This is especially true for those in the residential care business, who must keep their residents safe, entertained and informed. To make decisions about what software might work best for you and your residents, it’s worth exploring all of your options beforehand. We’ve put together this list of tips to help you find the software that best meets your needs with minimal effort on your part.

ANDROID APPS

Don’t believe the hype. This is true of many different software solutions. The only real benefit that you’ll get from an Android app is the portability to which it can give your residents. If you’ve heard about movie apps, or maybe some kind of new social media or media app, by all means try them. But other than that, don’t consider these as your main option for technology in your home. The truth is that most apps are not designed for a care home setting and are more expensive and confusing than they need to be.

WIRELESS INTERNET

Wireless internet offers many advantages over other types of internet connections. It’s cheaper, it’s more secure, you don’t have to deal with cables when you need to move residents, and residents can play computer games online (unless you block them!). However, we recommend against wireless internet as a primary option for your home. It can be expensive, unreliable, and there are many hoops that you must jump through to get this type of connection set up in your home.

SMART COMPUTERS

You should seriously consider getting a smart computer for your home if you have one resident with low vision or mobility issues and several who need constant monitoring. These computers are designed for the elderly, and have large touch screens and cameras on them so that disabled residents can see what’s going on around them. Some smart computers even have voice-control capabilities so that a resident can tell you what they need or want, simply by speaking to you. It’s imperative that you purchase your smart computer from a reputable company, as there have been many stories of smart computer scams out there. Here is some information to consider about this new trend in home technology:

COMPUTER ENHANCEMENT OR EMERGENCY SERVICES

Many of the so called “emergency” notifications on almost every computer software package actually alert you to the wrong person when they really need help. This software also has an alarm system built into it, but it’s usually not very useful. If you purchase any kind of emergency notification software, or any kind of computer enhancement services, be sure to understand how they work and how reliable they are.

SPEECH-TO-TEXT SOFTWARE

If you have several residents with dementia in your home, then speech-to-text software is something that you should consider purchasing. It will take the word out of the hands of your residents and protect you from many different kinds of abuse. This software is also great for residents who have difficulty speaking, or who are always asking you to repeat yourself when you speak to them.

A VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEM

Voice recognition systems are another good option for many elderly people, especially if they have mobility issues and cannot easily use a computer keyboard or mouse. A voice recognition system can be used in conjunction with an IP phone or a smart computer (see above), and will allow your residents to give commands to their computer instead of using a keyboard or mouse. Here’s some information about voice recognition software, in case you’re interested.

Tips for Hiring Home Care Rostering Software

If you are dealing with the duties of a carer yourself or helping someone else look after their loved one, it can be difficult to find time to make your own appointments. To help try and alleviate some of the pressures around managing care services, many organizations have turned to rostering software. These programs allow parents and carers to schedule in time slots that work for them. They use common scheduling methods like shift work or fixed hours in order to recommend which days might suit your needs best for each company offering services.

Do some background research.

The first thing you need to do before considering a rostering software package is go through your options and assess their suitability for your situation. If you are buying a package from scratch, you will need to decide what features you need and what features would be helpful if you had the option to upgrade in the future. You should also consider the types of users that will potentially be using it. Will it be used by carers themselves or used by a manager. In order to decide which type of user might be best to use the program, you will need to know your goals and what outcomes you are trying to achieve.

Consider how long the appointment will last.

Older users often prefer fixed times and dates over scheduling in hours and days, so if you are thinking of using software that supports these methods, then you should consider whether this is going to be important for your needs. Having too many appointments can also be a problem. The shorter your appointment is, the easier it is for both carer and patient to manage their time together better. This could lead to fewer cancellations and a higher rate of attendance which can benefit everyone involved.

Consider how flexible you will want the software to be.

There is a range of different methods that you can use to program your appointments into rostering software, from setting fixed days and times for appointments to scheduling in hours on certain days. Having multiple options allows you to pick the one that works best for you and your situation, but flexibility should be considered when deciding which software package will work best for your business.

Who will be managing the appointments.

You need to consider how and when the appointments will be set. If you are planning on using this software by yourself, then having a tool that can work in your own time is important. If you want someone else to use it, then they will need to be able to log appt and times in. The different options that are available can all differ in these elements, so you should look at each package individually and determine whether they suit your needs best or if you simply prefer one over another.

Different companies offer different types of rostering software, which means that there are a range of options depending on what features you might require from them. Most companies can offer a range of different services.

Know the benefits offered by Home care in Banbury for seniors.

Home care in Banbury is considered as the perfect option for seniors who want to get the best care and treatment from experienced and skilled caregivers. It helps to maintain a good quality of life without the need of going to an assisted living facility or nursing home so that your parents will feel safe and secure. There is no need to leave the home because the elders can remain independent at their own home without going anywhere for care. Therefore, you will need to look for a home care facility that enables your seniors to perform all the activities of their everyday lives without any assistance. The dedicated caregiver is responsible for providing medication and running errands so that your parents will remain comfortable in their home environment. Rather than considering senior living facility for your parents, you should opt for home care so that they will get all the comfort of life in their own home.

Home care in Banbury offers you complete peace of mind that your seniors will get superior quality of care and treatment while retaining their independence. They will also get the best care at their home so that they will relax while staying at a known environment. This will eventually help in recovery and improvement of elderly people who are suffering from any kind of health problems. Environmental stability is extremely important for people who are suffering from mental health problems and hence it is important that you allow your parents to stay at home rather than going to any other facility. They will also stay close to their family members and friends which is extremely beneficial as it enables the older people to get recovery within a short span of time. It also allows the seniors to keep their pets and enjoy a social life that they have been living in the past. The elderly people will have the benefits of staying at their own surroundings while enjoying all the comforts of the home. Therefore, rather than sending your parents at any other facility, you should hire caregivers for making sure that they will get all kind of assistance they need for a comfortable life.

Home care in Banbury offers maximum comfort, dignity and independence to the elderly people without the need of going anywhere. It will help the patients in healing more quickly and comfortably so that there will be less chance of facing any kind of health problems. Additionally, home care is very important as it offers personalized care to the elderly while ensuring that they will remain comfort and enjoyment to people. It offers faster recovery from all kind of illnesses and surgery so that they will face less risks of facing infection, germs or bacteria. It is also very effective in extending the life of seniors so that all kind of stress will be eliminated. Thus, you need to choose home care facility carefully so that you will get the best kind of results from putting your elderly into the best quality facility.

Why Aging In Place Helps Seniors Live Longer

Aging in place is a terminology that’s used to describe the act of staying in your homes until you pass away from old age, as opposed to aging in a facility. According to statistics that was gathered by Adzooma, approximately 90% of United Kingdom seniors prefer to stay in their own homes as opposed to living in a facility. In fact, what this shows is that an overwhelming amount of the elderly prefer to ‘age in place’ regardless if their cognitive and physical ability makes it difficult for them to do so. It’s important that family members become aware of their family member’s true desire as it can affect their health and overall happiness. Let’s take a look at why it’s beneficial for families to utilize live in home care services to take care of their elderly parents, as opposed to bringing them to live in a facility.

Why Do Seniors Prefer To Age In Place

1) Maintains independence

Age related conditions can cause the elderly’s cognitive and physical ability to decline. This can make day-to-day tasks difficult for seniors. At some point, they may need help in order to do basic tasks. As a result of this, independence isn’t something that is possible on their own. However, with the help of a live-in care specialist and family members, seniors can maintain a certain degree of independence as they live in their own homes. This kind of independence is not feasible for people who live in senior living facilities. In fact, residents in these facilities have a lower level of control over their routines and their own lives. As a result of this, many seniors in living facilities, experience depression due to an inability to maintain some form of independence. By aging in place, citizens are able to maintain a larger degree of Independence, which helps to give them a sense of pride and dignity.

2) Healthier And Safer

We’ve all been told that live-in facilities are safe and clean for the elderly. However, when COVID infections were on the rise, many nursing homes were afflicted with the virus and as you know, death rates were especially high in elderly living facilities. This is because while the facility itself may be clean, staff members may practice unsanitary practices such as to not wash their hands when using the bathroom, intermingle in large crowds before they go into work and more. As such, most experts would agree that it is a much safer and healthier option for the elderly to live in their own homes. In fact, many scenarios have said that they feel much safer and healthier by staying in their own homes.

3) More Cost Effective

Believe it or not, the expenses associated with a live-in care facility are particularly high. Recent estimates suggest that the average private room can cost up to £75,000 per year. In some instances, you can even get shared rooms, but the expenses associated with those can be as high as £ 20,000 per year. Alternatively speaking, by utilizing live in home care services, you would pay a fraction of that cost.