Social Care Alba Helps Celebrate Local Hero Awards

We were delighted at Social Care Alba to be chosen as one of the sponsors for the recent Lothian Local Heroes Awards.

Held in Edinburgh's George Street Assembly Rooms and sponsored by the Scotsman Publications, the Awards were designed to recognise the amazing - and often untold - caring contributions made by 'ordinary' individuals in our community. More than 300 guests turned up on the night to hear the winners and nominees for the 13 different awards announced by host Portobello actor Scott Hoatson. Categories for the awards included Young Carer, Health Champion, School of the Year and Child of Achievement.

The individual award sponsored by ourselves at Social Care Alba was that of Carer of the Year. It was won by Sharon Duncan, 44, of Fairmilehead. For the past 25 years Sharon has selflessly cared for Stefan, who grew up to be a youngster with a life threatening condition. Stefan was a baby when Sharon first took him and when he became seriously ill she grew to become his nurse as well as his carer. Over the years this has involved administering medication and learning to make lifesaving interventions.

And Sharon's caring contribution doesn't end there. For along with her husband Stewart she is also a foster carer and has opened her home to numerous other youngsters over the years. 

Sharon was delighted to receive the Carer of the Year Award, announcing that it meant the world to her, but that she didn't see caring as a particular trial. She added: "I absolutely love what I do."

Stephen Wilson, Director Social Care Alba said: “Although there were a number of individuals who deserved this award we felt that Heather really stood out. Her selfless nurturing of not just Stefan but all the other youngsters she has looked after over the years, as well as the fact she obviously revels in her role as a carer, made her an outright and obvious winner.

“Sharon has shown that caring isn’t always a one-way street. The carer receives a great deal of pleasure too and, of course, it can be incredibly rewarding.”

Other runners up for this award included Caroline Martin, Nicola Hogg and Pappender Singh.

Meanwhile, we're pleased to say 13 of our own carers enjoyed a well-deserved night out at the awards. As well as the ceremonies and dinner, guests were also give performances by the choir's Edinburgh's Got Soul and Edinburgh's Schools Rock Ensemble.

For more information about the Lothian Local Hero Awards, as well as pictures on the night, see here.

Continence Promotion

If you have incontinence, don't be embarrassed about getting medical help. The symptoms can be improved, and sometimes cured, with simple methods.

Almost half (45%) of all people with incontinence wait at least five years before they get help, according to Karen Logan, a continence nurse at Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust.

"There’s a huge stigma around incontinence, despite it being so common," she says. "I would urge anyone with symptoms to come forward, as it’s more than likely that we can sort out the problem and really improve their quality of life."

Get help if you've had incontinence problems for more than a few weeks, to rule out conditions such as diabetes.

Here’s where you can go for expert help.

Your GP and incontinence

Your GP can assess whether you have incontinence, decide which type of incontinence you have, give general advice on controlling symptoms of incontinence, provide information on pelvic floor exercises and bladder retraining, and provide treatment for incontinence with prescribed medicines.

If lifestyle changes and treatments don't solve the problem, your GP can refer you to a continence adviser or specialist.

Continence clinics

In the UK, there are over 360 NHS continence clinics, with specialist teams providing support and medical advice for people with bowel or bladder incontinence. "If you prefer not to see your GP, these are an excellent alternative first stop for diagnosis and treatment," says Logan. "We can significantly improve life for 75-80% of the people who come to us with incontinence problems."

Continence clinics can be based in a hospital or in the community, often attached to a health centre. You don’t need to be referred by your GP and you can phone them directly to make an appointment. On your first visit, a continence adviser, usually a nurse who specialises in bowel and bladder problems, will assess you and explain yourincontinence treatment options.

Continence advisers, and the incontinence physiotherapists who work alongside them, are particularly good at teaching pelvic floor exercises to women with stress incontinence (sudden leaks) and bladder training to women with urge incontinence (regular urges to use the toilet). They can also issue pelvic-floor-strengthening devices – such as vaginal cones, and continence pads and products – and explain how to use them.

To find details of your local NHS continence clinic:

• Call the Bladder and Bowel Foundation (B&BF) confidential helpline on 0845 345 0165.
• Call your local hospital for details of your nearest clinic.

The hospital incontinence specialist

If the help offered by your GP or local continence clinic doesn’t work, you can be referred to a hospital urologist or urogynaecologist for tests and possible incontinence surgery. If you have bowel incontinence, you may be referred to a colorectal surgeon or gastroenterologist.

According to Karen Logan, only 10-15% of patients who attend continence clinics have to be referred for surgery.

If you decide to have surgery, it’s important that your surgeon has the necessary skills and training. Check that they're trained in surgery for incontinence and have done these operations often enough to keep their skills up to date.

Now, read tips on living with incontinence or a pocket guide from the Care Inspectorate.

The First A.I. Healthcare Assistant

We are always looking to find new ways of helping you.

For the past year Social Care Alba have nurturing a secret Artificial Intelligence Healthcare Assistant. 

We are proud to announce the birth of Anna.  She will soon appear on Social Care Alba's website, www.Social-Care.org.  Like every new born, she will be taking her first tentative steps at helping you.   Anna will learn from the questions asked, building her knowledge to ensure that she gives you the most accurate response.

Anna will never judge, is available 24/7 and can answer the same question time and time again.  Over the coming months we want to learn the questions which are most important to you.  With your help we aim to teach Anna the answers which best meet your needs.

Please remember Anna is still young and may be easily offended.  Your questions need to be short, clear and spelt correctly.

First steps in preventing dementia

Tweaking the brain's immune system with a drug has prevented mice developing dementia, a study shows.

Social Care Alba supports many people with dementia.  So far research has not developed a single drug to slow the progression of the disease.  However, the team at Duke University, in the US, have showed immune cells which start attacking nutrients in the brain may be a trigger for the disease.

They say their findings could open up new avenues of research for a field that has Experts said the findings offered new hope of a treatment.

Stopping dementia

In mouse experiments, a chemical was used to block the enzymes that break down arginine.

They showed fewer of the characteristics of dementia such as damaged proteins collecting in the brain and the animals performed better in memory tests.

One of the researchers, Dr Matthew Kan, said: "All of this suggests to us that if you can block this local process of amino acid deprivation, then you can protect the mouse, at least from Alzheimer's disease.

"We see this study opening the doors to thinking about Alzheimer's in a completely different way, to break the stalemate of ideas in Alzheimer's disease."

'Hope'

Dr James Pickett, from the Alzheimer's Society said the study was "offering hope that these findings could lead to new treatments for dementia".

He added: "This study in animals joins some of the dots in our incomplete understanding of the processes that cause Alzheimer's disease, in particular around the role played by the immune system."

Dr Laura Phipps, from Alzheimer's Research UK, said the study was "interesting" and shed "more light on the mechanisms of immune system involvement in Alzheimer's".

But she cautioned clinical trials in people were still needed and that "the findings do not suggest that supplementation of the amino acid could mirror the benefits seen in these mice".

Social Care Alba's Birthday

It has been 5 years since Social Care Alba was born.  Its creation started a new approach of providing support to people in their own homes by have a combined Health and Social Care provider.

Five years on we have a growing team of professionals who believe in our values of:

• Dignity
• Privacy
• Choice
• Promoting Independence
• Realising potential

Nurses, Social Workers, Pharmacists, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapists, Personal Assistants and more are all working together to deliver the best support possible, no matter what your needs.

We have created a number of world firsts over the past 5 years including communication tools, pain tools, biometric scanning and much more. Over the coming years we plan to build upon our success with new and innovative ways to support those who use our service.

Nataly and I would like to thank all those who have contributed to Social care Alba's success.  We look forward to continue investing in staff development, service users support and new research for many years to come.

Stephen Wilson

Crime Safety Tips for Home and Outside

It’s a sad fact that older people are often the victims of crime, but it is true and aside from carrying a policeman in your pocket with you every day, there are some simple steps that you can take to make yourself less of a target for criminals.

Here at Social Care Alba, we care about your safety and have compiled a printable list that you can use to keep yourself or your loved ones safe from crime whether in your home or out and about.

When at Home

• Never open your door automatically; find out who is knocking and be sure you know them before opening the door.

• Lock all of your doors and windows. Install deadbolt locks on all your doors.

• Change up your daily routine

• Leave lights on when going out at night; use a timer to turn lights on and off when you are away for an extended period.

• Notify neighbours and the police when going away on holiday.

• Be wary of unsolicited offers to make repairs to your home; these could mean trouble.

• Keep an inventory with serial numbers and photographs of re-saleable appliances, antiques and furniture just in case any of these items are stolen.

• Be sure to report crime or suspicious activities.

• Ask for proper identification from delivery persons or stranger.

•  If a stranger asks to use your telephone, offer to place the call for him or her yourself.

• Never let a stranger into your home.

•  Do not hide your keys under the mat or in other conspicuous places.

• Never give out information over the phone indicating you are alone or that you won't be home at a certain time.

While Out and About

• If you are attacked on the street, make as much noise as possible by calling for help or blowing a whistle.

• Avoid walking alone at night; have a friend accompany you in high risk areas.

• Plan your route, stay alert and walk confidently.

• Stay away from buildings and doorways and always walk in well-lit areas when possible.

• Have your key ready when approaching your front door.

• Don't dangle your purse away from your body; keep it close and make it harder for thieves to get at.

Many of these tips may seem like common sense, but we tend to forget even the most basic ones that could save our lives, our property and our family. Crimes against the elderly can show up in many forms and in many different places; staying alert and being prepared is the best way to thwart criminals and stay safe in today’s society.

What is Home Health Care?

Many of us have heard about in-home health care and know that at some point in a person’s life, it could become the difference between struggling just to get everyday tasks completed and enjoying an afternoon with friends doing what you like. Today’s in-home health care may be very different than what many people perceive it as but it is still designed to help seniors live independently for as long as possible and within the limits of their medical condition.

Home health care covers a wide range of services and can often delay the need for long-term nursing home care. It can include both occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy as well as highly skilled nursing duties. With a reliable home health care agency, you can expect assistance with everyday personal activities such as bathing, dressing and eating. It would also include assistance with cooking, cleaning and other tasks that could become difficult for those who are need the extra help. Many home health care workers also provide prescription monitoring as well as overseeing the dosing of over-the-counter medications.

As you can see, home health care can be divided into two very similar, yet different disciplines. On the one hand, you have health care that is designed to keep the client healthy and assist them with therapy, prescription use and other medical related issues. On the other hand, we see a home health care worker providing a wide range of personal and home related duties such as cooking, cleaning and various other home chores. Social Care Alba offers all of these services and more and they have a staff that is highly trained and fully attentive, often caring for clients for many years which attests to the level of care and support they provide.

If you, or someone you know, need some extra help getting through their day due to old age, injury or a handicap, consider home health care services and get your life back to normal. There are many excellent home health care service providers available, find one today and start living your life again.