Choosing a care home that meets these standards can alleviate some of the stress of this process. The National Standards you should expect from any care home are:

–       To be respected, involved in your care and support, and told what’s happening at every stage.

–       To receive care, treatment and support that meets your needs.

–       To be safe.

–       To be cared for by staff with the right skills to do their jobs properly.

–       That the care provider routinely checks the quality of their services.

You can enter the details of any care home on the CQC website and view the results of the most recent checks. For example if you are looking for a residential home, look at the details on their website and then match this up with a search on the CQC site. In this instance the care home met all the standards when it was last inspected. Ruling out any homes that don’t meet the CQC’s standards is a good first step before you decide to arrange for a visit to a care home.

What the standards mean in practice

When you visit a potential care home you’ll be able to talk to staff about how the care standards are put into practice in the home and see for yourself. Always rely on your own intuition and feelings when you enter a care home. Are you made to feel welcome? Are their clear communications about the values of the home? Are the residents busy with activities and hobbies? All of these things go to make up a picture of how good a care home is and whether it is the right place for you, your family member or loved one.

Being respected and involved in your care means being part of discussions around your treatment and changes that may be being suggested. You will be asked if you agree with any decisions that affect your life. The care should meet your needs and so there should be regular assessments to ensure that your cultural, social, spiritual and bodily needs are being fully met without prejudice or judgement.

Being safe means you should be protected from abuse and your human rights will be respected by staff. It also means that your health won’t be put at risk from infection and you’ll receive any medicine you need correctly. Staff will also be properly qualified for any task they are doing for you and there will be enough people to carry this out safely.

And finally your information will be kept confidential and you can complain if you feel that you need to and someone will be there to listen. When you visit a care home make sure you ask them to clearly explain how these standards will be met and put your mind at rest that you have found the best home with the right level of care.

What do you think about the Care Quality Commission’s standards?

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Reading or telling a story brings joy into the lives of millions of people each year. Stories are what connect us as people, young to old, across cultures and traditions. Listening to a story being told well is as entertaining and magical experience as any that you can enjoy.

This year the Society for Storytelling brought even more people together to enjoy National Storytelling Week. Events were held in schools, Care Homes / Residential Homes, offices, libraries and museum…In fact, just about everywhere there were people at the storytelling events between Saturday 26^th and Saturday 2^nd of February.

National Storytelling Week has been running for thirteen years, with the dates coinciding with Candlemas on the 2^nd of February. This old Christian festival includes a blessing on the throat, of course the storyteller’s main instrument. It is also falls nicely after Christmas giving us all something to look forward to once the festivities are over.

How to organise a reading event in a care home

Organising a reading event in a care home is a great activity that can be enjoyed by residents and staff alike. Hiring a professional storyteller is a good idea but you can also draw on the talents of colleagues and willing volunteers.

Look for a mix of male and female storytellers to encourage everyone to take an interest. The best storytellers engage with their audience, can project their voice loudly enough for everyone to hear and ideally put some of their own personality into their oration.

You can decide to have a theme for your event. Even if you don’t have a theme creating some continuity between the stories will help to keep your audience engaged. A nice idea would be to ask residents to read an extract from their favourite story.

Organise a time and place where listeners can relax and listen to the stories without interruptions. Another good idea would be to ask residents to invite young people from their family and group of friends to read stories they have written or their own personal favourites.  Many of the best stories are written in simple elegant prose and there will be something suitable for all reading levels to choose from.

The Society for Storytelling has a number of resources available to help you plan a successful reading event in the future. BUPA care homes have already planned to bring the joy of storytelling to their residents at the Braid Hills Care Home, Pentland Hill Care Home and Victoria Manor Care Home.

One of great successes that a reading event can hope to achieve is bringing a whole community together who have a similar passionate interest in reading, no matter what the age gap could be. Reading is a hobby that crosses over into many genres and sub-genres. A reading event like National Stroytelling Week is a huge opportunity to bring these genres together to a wide audience who may have never have had access to such stories before. No matter how far along in life you are, a new type of story can reignite the passion for reading.

What will you do at your reading event for National Storytelling Week? 

Author:Jamie Monteath – Follow him on Google+.

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