On 12th and 13th October, we will be exhibiting at The Care Show at the NEC in Birmingham. The Care Show is free to attend for all care providers. Registration can be made here. The Care Show focuses on offering outcomes and solutions for social care providers, providing over 80 hours of sessions with experts.  

We’re thrilled to be attending the show and will be on Stand H82. We would love to meet you and show you our digital care planning platform and demonstrate how Nourish could be the perfect solution for you.  

Nourish founder & CEO Nuno Almeida will be on a panel titled ‘Full of Care, Free of Paper – The Digital Revolution’ with Samantha Crawley from Excelcare as chair, Zoe Fry from The Outstanding Society and Katie Thorn from Digital Social Care. This talk will be in The Outstanding Society’s Learning Lounge, located 3.15pm on Day 1 of the show. The panel will cover social care providers moving towards a digital way of working using innovative technology such as Nourish.  

With most providers now using digital tools for their care records, Nuno Almeida, will share examples of how digital is supporting an integrated view of each person drawing on care and support, which is creating opportunities for improving care quality, for care providers, commissioners and regulators – but most importantly, a smoother experience for the person and their family.

Join Nuno in the Technology Theatre from 1.45pm on day 1 of the Care Show for his thought-provoking talk on the impact of digital on care quality.

The Outstanding Society have partnered with The Care Show to provide a Learning Lounge for attendees, covering topics such as the CQC KLOEs, recruitment and moving to a digital way of working.  

You can find out more about The Learning Lounge here.  

The Outstanding Society was set up by Camilla Thimble, who owned a care home in Dorset that was rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC. Linking with other Outstanding rated homes, The Outstanding Society was formed to promote sharing best practice within adult social care throughout England, assisting other care services in achieving an Outstanding rating.  

At Nourish, we sponsor The Outstanding Society who share our vision for empowering care teams and promoting best practise among care providers.  

You can find out more about Nourish’s partnership with The Outstanding Society here.  

Thank you to Future Care Group, who published the following blog on their website after rolling out Nourish in their 18 nursing homes. We love hearing how Nourish is helping and improving care services across the country!

Phishing has been in the news and on social media a lot in recent months. Have you received an email from HMRC, PayPal, your bank, delivery companies like UPS, or maybe you’ve received an email claiming ‘you’ve won an iPhone!’? These are common examples of phishing emails aiming to catch you out.  

A phishing email is designed and targeted by cybercriminals or ‘hackers’ to create the illusion of a genuine email. They normally claim to be a company that does exist, but the email will not be from the genuine company. For example, they could be trying to look like a delivery company that was ‘unable to deliver your parcel’ or HMRC with ‘fraud that needs to be actioned’. These emails can look very genuine but will have dangerous consequences. Most often these emails will contain a link that when clicked by the user will usually ask for some sort of personal details or can place viruses or software onto your device.  

Nourish has noticed an increase in attempted phishing emails in the sector over the last 6 months, these emails are targeted and can look very genuine. Some phishing emails have come to us pretending to be from companies such as care providers, NHS, HMRC, Microsoft and many more, some of which have been very good copies. These emails look exactly like a message from an organisation or person you trust. Official sources should never be asking you for any sensitive information via email.  

Attacks can cause serious problems if not handled correctly or caught early. The hackers can install malware or ransomware, sabotage systems, steal intellectual property or money, steal or lock access to data or personal information.  

The costs to recover this can be very large if they ever do return the property or data they have stolen or accessed. They simply may publish the information which could lead to claims or reputation damage.  

The cost of productivity to recover or recreate what is stolen or lost may also cost a company significantly.  

It can cause loss of customers if trust is broken, and they may no longer trust the organisation to keep their information or customer data safe.  

Financial costs of fines or penalties for breach of regulatory requirements would also be a considered factor if there is more that could have been done to prevent the attack. 

Knowing for sure is impossible however, some key things to look out for to identify a phishing email are:  

If you believe an email may be suspicious or phishing, ensure firstly that you do not click on any links or attachments. If you think it might not be genuine but is something you are unsure about, find a phone number for the company on another source and call to validate.  

If the email is sent from a person you think you might know, contact them on another method of communication to ensure that they sent the email.  

Most email providers allow a reporting option to report any suspicious emails, this allows email systems to improve the detection of phishing emails. Some providers will also spam emails into a separate spam inbox.  

Finally, when you suspect or think it is a phishing email delete the email from your inbox to avoid accidentally clicking or opening in the future.  

First, don’t panic! Make a note of everything you can remember happening, especially taking a note of any information you think they may have gathered from you during the phishing attempt.  

Change any passwords as soon as you realise you may have been compromised, also changing the password if it is used elsewhere.  

Where possible check any access to the account in question to see if any new attempts have been made to access it.  

If this attack was on a work or school computer, contact the appropriate person or IT Department as soon as possible in order to start working toward securing all accounts where possible.  

If you shared any information including card or bank details contact your local police, bank and card company as soon as possible as they will be able to stop the cards or money being taken if it is still yet to happen. 

As discussed, the consequences can be significant. However, there are ways you can protect your care service: 

Being vigilant to phishing emails and knowing what to do if you do receive one and even what to do if you become a victim of one is extremely important.

To find out about Nourish’s data security management take a look at our blog. 

We’re all taught that oral health is essential to keep our teeth healthy but what does this really mean? Poor oral health can lead to malnutrition, pneumonia and a weakened immune system which can make it harder to recover from common illnesses. Studies are being conducted to see whether dental hygiene has any links to dementia. So how can we encourage better dental hygiene?

Getting people you support to the dentist is no easy feat. Dental practices aren’t always accessible, medical settings can be quite distressing and getting there requires accessible transport and extra staff. Instead of taking the people you support to the dentist, why not bring the dentist to you? Domiciliary dental services provide dental care right at home.

Some local NHS trusts offer training on dental health for a few members of staff, appointing these staff members as Oral Health Champions. These Champions undertake the training and the responsibility of training existing and new staff.  Ensuring your service is working to the NICE guidelines and the Oral Health policy could also become part of the Champions’ role.

Activities are a simple and fun way to encourage conversations about good oral health. Brushing your teeth may not seem fun but, depending on the people you supports abilities, it can be! If you have any keen knitters, download knitting patterns for knitting teeth, tooth fairies or tooth fairy pouches for grandchildren, young relatives and friends’ children. Arty people could have a go at crafting teeth and toothbrushes out of leftover cardboard and painting them. If you have any connections to a local school or nursery, invite them over (Covid-19 permitting) for a lesson on mouthcare. You could even have a sensory afternoon of science experiments, making elephant toothpaste, growing plaque with yeast and sugar and, egg brushing.

The Nourish platform allows dental hygiene to be logged, tracked and managed and provides an Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) for new admissions. In Nourish, you are able to plan, manage and evidence dental appointments and visits and use the OHAT for regular reviews on the oral health of those you support. The Alerts and Warnings function can ensure appointments and reviews are not missed. Because dental health can have a significant impact on the general health of the people you support, the ability to monitor means early intervention is possible.

Without actively maintaining fitness and strength, day to day tasks can become increasingly difficult to carry out. A sedentary lifestyle in later life can produce major health implications, affecting everything from our bones, mobility and even eyesight.

It’s recommended that people over 65 should aim to spend 150 minutes on exercise each week and there are ways to stay fit no matter your age or ability. We have noted fun and different ways stay active as you age.

A healthy and balanced diet goes hand in hand with keeping fit. Food is what we use to fuel our bodies so eating the right types will give us with the energy needed to be active.

A poor diet can have emotional effects as well as physical, with studies highlighting a link between improvements in depression and anxiety when better eating habits are introduced. Changing the way you eat, opting for a more balanced and nutritional menu can help you avoid bad moods, lethargy, aches, pains and low energy levels.

Eating healthy simply begins with being more mindful,  this can mean taking a little more time to consider the types of foods you are purchasing, the size of your portions and keeping an eye out for consuming too much of a particular food group.

To get the most out of your exercise, you’ll want to stick to activities which increase your heart rate but are also low impact. High impact sports and exercise require some recovery time, therefore, a person may not be able to consistently do them. As consistency is key for fitness in later life, it is recommended that people over the age of 65 do activities which are considered low – moderate intensity, these types of exercises can be completed regularly and safely.

As you build your strength you can slowly work your way up to more intense exercises for a longer duration of time, challenging yourself as your body gradually adjusts to the change. Many people are surprised at how quickly activities they once struggled with now require little effort and energy, however, it’s always best to consult your GP before increasing your activity levels.

Walking

Increasing the number of steps you take in a day is a great way to improve your fitness levels without much planning or the need for any specialist equipment. Brisk walking is the best way to get your heart rate going, it involves walking at a faster pace than you typically would.

Walking exercise can be completed in a number of locations, a 15 minute brisk walking around your garden in the morning can help get your muscles warmed up for the day ahead, combine exercise and leisure by walking around and taking in the beauty of your local parks.Community walking clubs are also a superb way to socialise while you exercise, group exercise can help encourage and motivate you.

At-home Exercises
Exercises you can complete in your home are excellent as they allow you to keep active whilst remaining comfortable. Regular at-home exercises can improve your strength, flexibility, and stamina. Pieces of the furniture in your home can be utilised as tools to aid your activity and the weight of your body for resistance.

Exercises completed from sitting positions improve many aspects of your fitness including posture and back strength. Sitting exercises use the muscles in your upper body and work wonderfully for people with existing mobility issues.

An example of a sitting exercise :

Upper Body Twist

The upper body twist can help you build and maintain strength in your back and shoulders.

Standing is important for health, it encourages good circulation in the lower half of your body, with some studies indicating that standing for periods of the day can reduce risks of cardiovascular disease, and metabolic conditions.

An example of a standing exercise that can improve your fitness levels :

Sideways bends

Heavy Gardening – This is an enjoyable at home activity that can also be counted towards your daily activity. Heavy gardening can be used as a form of resistance training without the need for high spec gym equipment.

Moderately large and heavy pots can be used as a substitute for weights, helping you build strength as you pretty your garden.

Exercising in water is a fantastic way to keep fit as you age, water provides relief during exercise, as less stress will be placed on your joints. People will often find that they are able to complete more activities in water for longer durations -so much so, water exercise provide pain relief for people with arthritis

We’ve listed some water exercises that are enjoyable and help you maintain fitness:

Swimming – Swimming laps raises heart rate and provides an overall work out for your body, strengthening your lungs and heart in the process. Your local leisure centre will likely have swimming sessions for different ability levels.

Water Aerobics – Water aerobics uses dancing to get your heart pumping, these sessions typically last between 45-60 minutes, 2 water aerobic sessions a week would put you well on track to hit the goal of 150 minutes of exercise.

Water Balance Exercises – A high number of people over the age of 65 have falls and accidents, many falls are due to poor balance, the injuries sustained from falls can greatly affect mobility for years to come. Water balance exercise such as water Yoga and Tai Chi can help you improve your balance, the water will provide support whilst you build strength and control. These types of classes are very useful in helping older people maintain independence and are also brilliant for well-being and relaxation.

Adding simple exercises to your daily routine can have a lasting impact on your health as you age.Once the change is adopted, increased physical activity will just become a normal thing to do. Many people are motivated to keep up their fitness routine as they recognise the change in themselves – better moods, and increased physical strength can give a person confidence and a new vivaciousness for life. The long-term benefits of fitness for older people are extensive, exercise and a healthy diet can go a long way in warding off degenerative diseases such as dementia, reduces the risk of medical conditions that lead to stroke such as hypertension, and limits the risk of falls and subsequent mobility issues.

The Good Care Group is a Live-in care provider rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. They provide excellent care, support and companionship to help you continue to live safely and comfortably in your home. Find out more about live-in care by The Good Care Group by visiting https://www.thegoodcaregroup.com/ or contact them on 020 3728 7575