Helping Hands
Helping Hands is an award winning provider of live in care. Approaching our 25 year anniversary we are one of the largest and most experienced direct employers of live in carers across England and Wales. Customers are supported by our own Registered Nurse, local network of Managers and Trainers as well as an extraordinary team of talented and dedicated professional carers. Balancing independent living with bespoke care needs. Still a family run business Helping Hands is regarded as the foremost care provider in the UK. Our established, award winning full-time live in care service allows customers to stay at home in familiar surroundings with an incomparable level of one to one support. Embracing personal care, housekeeping and companionship it is a direct alternative to residential care that empowers customers to retain control and independence.
- Updated:
- 14 November 2018
- Location:
- National
- Sectors:
- Care
1. Action Plan
1. The National Dementia Declaration lists seven outcomes that the DAA are seeking to achieve for people with dementia and their carers. How would you describe your organisation’s role in delivering better outcomes for people with dementia and their carers?
As a leading provider of Dementia care in the home, Helping Hands is committed to training our carers to become Dementia Specialists and to also share our knowledge with customers and local communities so the profile of Dementia can be raised. Alongside better understanding of the types and stages of Dementia, our emphasis is on giving carers, family members and members of the public practical advice and coping strategies. This information is shared via Helping Hands Dementia Family Days held in local towns across the country. Members of the public are invited to attend our free events.
2. What are the challenges to delivering these outcomes from the perspective of your organisation?
The challenge lies in keeping up with increasing demand as the marketplace grows. We invest heavily in building awareness of Dementia but it is not enough. More emphasis needs to be put on growing public knowledge of the condition – in terms of explaining what dementia is, how it can make someone act and what help is available.
Member contacts
www.helpinghands.co.uk
2. Actions
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Helping Hands will continue to train carers to be Dementia Specialist Carers
We train our carers to not only have an awareness of Dementia but most importantly to know how our customers are experiencing Dementia and to assist them in their daily activities using practical techniques – such as the ‘hand over hand technique’.
Carers are supported by their managers and Helping Hands Dementia Lead Trainer, Jayne Vale – winner of the National Dementia Care Awards. Jayne has had cared for many people with Dementia and has also experienced it first hand as a family member. She uses her unwavering passion to make sure all staff have a good understanding of caring for someone with Dementia.
- Status:
- Delivery
2012 - Third Quarter Update
New member.
-
Helping Hands will continue to share our Dementia care knowledge with our customers’ families and members of our communities via Dementia Family Training Days
Helping Hands launched free Dementia Family Days to the public in 2012. After a successful turnout and overwhelmingly positive feedback, the strategic decision was made to share our knowledge at events across the country.
From Solihull to Surrey, the Dementia Family Days offer award winning training to families in local areas. The sessions are designed to inform and support those with a loved one living with Dementia. They are also welcomed as a great opportunity to meet others in local areas that are in similar circumstances.
These Free of Charge sessions cover:
A brief overview of Dementia Behaviour Changes Person centred care How can you help?
- Status:
- Delivered
2013 - Third Quarter Update
New member.
-
Helping Hands launches practical aids to help families including Dementia Toolkits and a dedicated Dementia Helpline manned by our Dementia Specialist Lead Trainer
Dementia HelplineAs part of our commitment to providing excellent care in the home and in addition to the Dementia Family Days hosted around the country, we are pleased to introduce the Helping Hands Dementia Helpline.
Available to anyone who is living or working with someone with Dementia, the helpline will be a direct link to Jayne Vale, Helping Hands’ Dementia Specialist and winner of Dementia Personality of the Year. Once a Carer herself, Jayne trained at the University of Worcester, one of the top 3 universities in the country for Dementia studies, and now uses her experience and knowledge to help both families and Carers.
Jayne comments, “It doesn’t matter if you are a healthcare professional, carer, Helping Hands customer or family member looking for advice about a loved one, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have a question. I can help explain behaviours, and more importantly give you practical tips on how to deal with certain scenarios.”
Contact the Dementia Helpline in 0808 1611 626.
Dementia Toolkit Working in partnership with Dementia UK we have developed specific resources to help carers engage and orientate those living with Dementia at home. This toolkit is designed around the researched evidence that visual prompts can be more helpful than words alone.
Life Story WorkA rewarding activity that involves looking at the past and present of an individual’s life it can have huge benefits as to understanding individuals’ emotions and engaging with them in a truly person centred way. It doesn’t have to be a book, it could be a box, dvd or collage – as long as it can evolve it can take any form. Our toolkit offers a format for collecting information about the different stages of a person’s life and ideas as to the kind of thing you might want to include. The best examples we have seen use a variety of materials, photos, pictures from magazines and even objects.
Visual PlannersVisual reminders to reinforce key activities throughout the day can also be helpful, used in conjunction with a simple planner the families with which we consulted also asked for some blank cards so that they could personalise with their own image.
Carer & Room CardsA simple sheet for you to collate images of those involved in your circle of support, whether carer, family or GP these visual reminders may help reduce anxiety around appointments or changeover in care. Likewise, clear flashcards identifying rooms and potential hazards may help with orientation within ones home.
- Status:
- Delivered
2013 - Third Quarter Update
New member.
-
Helping Hands will increase its 300 Dementia Carers
As the need for quality dementia care increases, Helping Hands has been busy training a dedicated team of Carers who will specialise in the intricacies of dementia care and now has over 300 qualified dementia carers across the country.The advanced training, available to any Helping Hands Carer starts at the very beginning of their training and is then continued through the Social Care Institute for Excellence training on the Dementia UK training programme. The latest practical techniques are at the very heart of the dementia carers work.
This is all brought together by the Helping Hands Dementia Champions – passionate practitioners with extensive experience in care who have passed their knowledge to the 300 carers. The Dementia Champions are based across England and Wales and conduct the training programmes and then ongoing contact as questions arise. Our dementia customers and families also have access to the Dementia Champions via the dementia helpline.Nazia Scott, Dementia Champion for the North region comments, “It doesn’t matter if you are a healthcare professional, carer, Helping Hands customer or family member looking for advice about a loved one, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question. We can help explain behaviours, and more importantly give you practical tips on how to deal with certain scenarios.”
- Status:
- Being implemented