Myhomecare Education Newsletter for September

Coronavirus ~ COVID-19 🦠

All the information you need regarding COVID-19.

Our Core Values 💙

Core values are what support the vision, shape the culture and reflect what a company values. They are the essence of the company’s identity – the principles, beliefs or philosophy of values. What are our Core Values?

· Customer First – We never compromise on quality – we deliver services to world class standards, nothing less ever.

· Accountable – We represent our clients and customers with dignity and honesty. Our stakeholders trust us.

· Responsible – It is about seeing the whole job through to the end. It is not done until it is all done.

· Empower – Our leaders within the business are encouraged to problem solve, innovate and use the latest technology to support others.

· Effective Communication – Clarity, openness and a willingness to listen characterises our approach to interacting with others.

· Respect – Integrity, fairness, equality, diversity, cooperation, responsiveness and perceptiveness in how we treat others.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT FOR CARERS AND NURSES.

Everyone experiences loss during life. However, for carers and nurses many of the changes and losses experienced come quickly and can lead to feelings of grief. Other people may understand that you feel grief for the person who has died but they may not realise that you can also feel the loss of not being a carer/nurse for that person anymore.

Some of the losses that affect can include:
•   Losing your sense of being an individual - your independence, privacy and time for yourself
•   Missing out on employment and career opportunities and your financial security being affected
•   Not seeing friends or family due to caring commitment
•   Missing the relationship, you used to have, or might have had, with the person you care for
•   The person you care for going into residential care, so you feel you are no longer valued or needed
•   You may also experience grief before an actual loss occurs. This may happen when someone you care for has a terminal illness and you know you will have to face a loss.

These kinds of losses may affect your self-esteem, confidence and hopes and dreams about the future.

Bereavement counselling offers the opportunity to explore, understand and work through feelings of grief. Although everyone's personal reaction to a bereavement is different, most people experience some of the following emotional responses when someone close to them dies such as disbelief, shock, anger, sadness, relief, guilt, depression, anxiety, despair, longing and loneliness. Carer support groups can offer different types of support. Your general practitioner or local health office can provide advice on supports available in your area.

Grief is a natural reaction to loss. It is as much a part of your emotions as joy and sadness and is not an illness. It can occur not only following a death but also as a result of major life changes such as:
•   Separation or divorce
•   Changing or losing your job
•   Moving or migrating
•   Children leaving home.

Feelings of grief
Grief is not just one feeling, but a range of feelings and everyone responds differently to it. You may feel physically unwell as well as emotionally upset.

Physical symptoms include:
•   Shortness of breath
•   Dryness of mouth
•   Loss of appetite
•   Crying
•   Tiredness
•   Sleep problems.

Grief can also cause deep emotional upset including feelings of:
•   Loneliness
•   Anger
•   Fear
•   Guilt
•   Rage
•   Resentment
•   Confusion
•   Ongoing sadness
•   Not wanting to go out or do the things you used to do.

These symptoms can be frightening but are normal reactions to grief.

Some of the signs described above may also be symptoms of other problems so it's a good idea to talk about them with your doctor. Make sure your doctor knows about your caring role and how it affects you.

If you are feeling very anxious or fearful, if you have trouble looking after yourself or think about hurting yourself, it is very important to get professional help from your doctor, a counsellor or a psychologist.

How to cope
•   Talk about it – talking to people you trust about your loss may help you to accept the situation
•   Seek pastoral advice or spiritual support if you feel it will help
•   Crying helps as it allows painful feelings to be expressed
•   Make some time for yourself each day
•   Have plans in place for when you feel down to make it easier to cope
•   Take care of yourself – get plenty of rest, eat well and take time to talk
•   If you are bereaved, only sort out the personal belongings of the person who has died when you feel ready – this act may help you to accept your loss.

Ongoing grief
In some cases, loss may be felt for years or sometimes for a lifetime. If you are struggling to overcome your grief, there are Carer support groups which can help you get through times when your grief seems overwhelming. They can also be a safe place to talk about feelings such as anger and resentment.
Exercise, such as walking, deep breathing or writing in a journal are other safe ways to release angry feelings, blame or resentment. For some people crying can be a great release.

Support groups
Support groups can be a safe place to talk about your worries and to hear how other Carers have coped with difficult situations. They offer different types of support and if you find that one particular group doesn't suit you, then ask about others in your area.

Your public health nurse or general practitioner can offer support and advice on services available in your area. Your Carer Resource Centre also can help put you in touch with your local Carer support groups. Contact them on1800 24 07 24. You can also check your local newspaper or parish newsletter for local support groups.

Other useful articles or links:
Citizen’s Information - Bereavement Counselling and Support

Contacts:
Bereavement Counseling Service
Tel: 01-8391766
Website: www.bereavementireland.org
Email: bereavement@eircom.net

Senior Helpline:
LoCall: 1850 440 444
Email: www.seniorhelpline.ie

HSE National Information Line
Monday to Saturday, 8am-8pm
Call Save: 1850 24 1850
Email: info@hse.ie

The Samaritans:
LoCall: 116123
Website: www.samaritans.ie
Email: jo@samaritans.ie

Carer Resource Centre
LoCall: 1800 24 07 24

Department of Family and Social Affairs - Support Payments for the Bereaved

Your Roles and Responsibilities When Dealing With a Client’s Finances

Staff must not handle any aspect of a service users finance unless the care plan explicitly states to do so.

Any request from service user or their family to do so must be referred to the line manager. Where a care plan states that assistance in this area is needed, clear instructions will be provided.

Assistance needed may include "collection of pensions, payment of bills and shopping". In all cases policies on recording and receipting such transactions must be adhered too. All paperwork must be signed and dated by staff; service user should sign where possible. Some of the paperwork needed to be completed can include: Financial Transaction Consent and Financial transaction form.

The following occurrences are strictly prohibited
•   Borrowing or lending money
•   Buying goods or selling goods or services from or to service user or their families
•   Staff are prohibited from accepting gifts or cash from service user or incurring a liability on behalf of the service user
•   Staff must respect and take due care of service user property and valuables whilst working with them
•   Staff are prohibited from taking items from service users’ home for safe keeping or any other purpose
•   Use of service users’ phone is not permitted except at the expressed request of the service user or for health and safety reasons. In both cases this must be recorded in the daily record book stating time and duration of the call
•   On no account may staff take visitors to service user’s home. Staff family or friends are considered visitors
•   Staff must not be involved in any aspect of service users will, whether signatory or beneficiary. Neither may any friend or family member of staff take such a part.

You will need to account for all dealings involving clients' money to avoid any misunderstandings and to protect both your own and your client’s interests • When shopping for a client a receipt must be shown for each item purchased. (This protects you as much as the client) • Record all transactions in the care plan and on the financial transaction form. • Pension books, cheque books etc. must be kept in your client's home in a safe place. You must not take this home. Under no circumstances should money be borrowed from or lent to a client.

ONE TOUCH HEALTH

• MyHomeCare uses One Touch Health app for all rosters & bookings, client care plans, documentation and also as a platform to communicate with staff. Each staff member has an individual log in and password

• No time sheets required – logged shifts are sent straight to payroll via app. Your up to date roster is available on your phone.
• All care plans and relevant client documentation available on One Touch Health App
• Staff can highlight concerns by using the important message tick box option on the notes section. It is important that you record your tasks and care provided in the notes section daily for each client. If you have any issues using the system, please contact your local team who will be happy to help!

Refer A Friend 💶