Dear Residents and Relatives
Welcome to the summer edition of the Oakwood Court newsletter. I hope you have all had a great summer and have enjoyed the wonderful weather we have had this year. It has been a very busy summer for us here at Oakwood Court. In particular the preparations for the“Evening of Music” was a very busy time. A big thank-you to all of you who came to support us,I think you will all agree a great night was had by all and luckily the rain stopped to make it a wonderful evening.
Staff News:
The staff team has again remained stable this quarter with the only movement being the return of Megan as a bank care assistant. We are delighted to see Megan return and look forward to her remaining with us for some time. We are still in the process of recruiting another domestic to work alongside Air and Bernie to cover for annual leave and sickness.Past recruitment exercises have proved unsuccessful, therefore another attempt will be made to recruit.
Other news: Inspection:
In June we had an inspection from our regulator (The Care Quality Commission) and I am delighted to say that we were assessed as being compliant in all 7 assessed standards. A big thank-you to all of you who were here during the inspection and spoke to the inspector and gave us all a glowing report. There is a copy of the report on the notice board in the dining room, or alternatively you can download the report on line at
Choir:
The choir is going from strength to strength and I hope you all enjoyed our performance at the “Evening of Music” we now have 14 regular members and are even thinking of going “on tour” not to Wembley I’m afraid, but just to perform in our other homes (maybe Wembley next year!). If any more residents or relatives would like to join please come along. We meet every Friday at 10.30 in the quiet room. We are currently having a break but will reconvene in October to commence rehearsals for the (dare I say the C word) Christmas party.
New residents and relatives:
We would like to give a warm welcome to the new residents that have recently moved in. We hope you are all adjusting well to life at Oakwood Court. Please do not hesitate to ask if there is anything you need help with, or advice and information about. We are all on hand to help you make a smooth transition into the home.
Hairdressers price increase:
Bernie will be increasing the prices from October 2013. I think you will all agree they have been very reasonable and haven’t increased for many years. The new price list will be posted on the resident’s notice board in the dining area for you all to see late September.
Policies and procedures:
There have been no new policies this quarter. But there have been revisions to some of the existing policies. If you would like to see any of our policies and procedures please speak to me or Donna.
Work within the Home:
The kitchen refurbishment is now completed and went smoothly, a big thank-you to all of you for your patience during the refurb. There are no other major works planned for the budget year April 2013 – April 2014
Forthcoming
Events:
Did you know
That each resident has an allocated keyworker, who is responsible for updating the care plans and also forassisting with all those little extras. Please do ask if youare unsure of who your/ your relatives keyworker is or need help with anything.
There are different powers of attorney now, the previous Enduring Power of Attorney has now been replaced by the Lasting Power of Attorney. There are two different categories of attorney now. There is the property and affairs attorney and the relatively new personal welfare attorney. This gives the person legal powers to consent to treatment on residents behalf should they lack the mental capacity to make decisions themselves. If you require any further advice please contact me and I will be happy to discuss this further with you.
Volunteers - We need you!
I am always on the tout for new volunteers so if any of our new relatives can spare an hour or two occasionally to volunteer their time we will be very greatful. Specifically we need help:
- To assist our other volunteers to chair residents monthly council meetings
- To escort residents on trips – could you spare an afternoon to come along and help escort the residents? Or even to help with the occasional walk.
- Do you have any special talents for example, knitting, crocheting etc, or a speciality that you could do a talk about, or any other skills and could spend an hour or two a month providing an activity for the residents, do please let us know.
- To assist with acting as an ambassador for the home during our open day on Oct 5th. This will involve speaking to any visitors about your experiences of Oakwood Court
If you are able to assist with any of the above please speak to either myself or Madeleine
Reminders Section:
- We are still getting lots of unnamed items of clothing. Please remember to name clothing when it is new, or ask a member of staff to help. Perhaps you could also have a look in our clothing lost property to see if any of the items belong to you or your relative, there are lots of unclaimed items.
- Relatives please remember to replenish your relatives toiletries i.e. toothpaste, soap, shampoo etc
- If you or your relative purchase any ‘over the counter’ medication, please do let us know. It is important that we get it sanctioned by the GP, because it may cause contra-indications with existing prescribed medicine
- Our next coffee morning is on Oct 26th, if you have any unwanted bric-a-brac or could donate a raffle prize please speak to me or Madeleine.
I hope you all enjoy the remainder of the lovely sunshine and that you all remain well and happy. The next newsletter is due in November. And last but not least please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any worries, issues or concerns.
Best wishes - Diane