As winter blankets the world in snow and cold, it’s the perfect time for care homes to embrace the season and create a joyful, warm atmosphere for the people you support. Engaging activities can lift spirits and promote social interaction. Here are some creative winter activity ideas that will not only stave off the chill but also create lasting memories.
Transform common areas into a winter wonderland by decorating with snowflakes, lights, and holiday-themed ornaments. Encourage the people you support to participate in decorating sessions, fostering a sense of creativity.
There’s no better way to enjoy the winter months than by baking cookies, muffins, and other treats together. Serve hot cocoa with marshmallows for the perfect winter combination.
Cosy movie nights with classic winter films like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Frozen” are a delightful way to unwind. Don’t forget the popcorn and warm blankets for added comfort.
Crafting activities such as making snow globes, hand-painted ornaments, or knitted scarves can be both therapeutic and enjoyable. These creations can also be used to decorate the care home.
Create an indoor snowball fight using soft, fabric “snowballs”, using cotton wool. The people you support can have a good time, reminiscing a childhood activity without the need for cold weather or heavy clothing.
Arrange for musical performances, either from talented care givers, people living in your service or visiting musicians, to add a touch of winter magic. Singalongs or listening sessions can be heart-warming for everyone.
Plan outings to nearby light displays or invite local carollers to perform at your care service. The sparkling lights and festive songs can bring the magic of winter right to your doorstep.
Winter-themed quizzes, crossword puzzles, or bingo games can keep the people you support mentally engaged while embracing the season’s spirit.
Using scissors and white paper, create cutout snowflakes for decoration either in bedrooms or communal areas.
Organise a holiday card exchange with other care homes or schools. The people you support can create cards to send and receive, fostering connections with the broader community.
Winter offers a multitude of opportunities for care homes to create joyful experiences and foster a sense of community among the people you support. These winter activity ideas provide a blend of creativity, warmth, and social engagement, ensuring that the colder months are filled with memories of togetherness and cheer.
With cyber-crime on the rise and new threats constantly emerging, it can seem difficult to manage cyber risks. Both ransomware and cyber-extortion can access and hold company data, usually with the intent of making money off the company from which it was stolen.
Take a look at the image below to see the key differences between ransomware and cyber-extortion:
Ransomware is a type of software designed to cause harm to a computer, server, or network, and is used by cybercriminals to obtain data for financial gain. The attacker will demand payment from the victim to restore access to the information held at ransom. Payment can be any amount of currency even crypto currency.
One way is phishing. This is a technique for attempting to access sensitive data. Attackers may do this by sending convincing emails that look like legitimate businesses or people to encourage you to open harmful links. If the person receiving the email thinks the email is genuine, they may fall victim to this, the harmful software is downloaded and executed on their computer. The attacker can then access sensitive data.
The Latest Phishing Statistics, AAG“Phishing is the main delivery method for ransomware. A 2022 study of 1400 organisations found that of the 26% that had experienced a ‘significant’ increase in the number of email threats received in the last year, 88% were victimised by ransomware. Compared with the 65% that experienced ransomware without such an increase in the number of email threats, we can see the dangerous link between these two attack types.”
By following the simple mnemonic ‘SLAM’, you can help protect your organisation from an email phishing attack:
S – Sender of the email
L – Links in the email body
A – Attachments to the email
M – Message for the communication
The Latest Phishing Statistics, AAG“An estimated 3.4 billion spam emails are sent every day. Over 48% of emails sent in 2022 were spam.”
Take a look at the image below to view some ways to spot a phishing email. Read more about how to protect your organisation from phishing emails here.
Our ISO27001 certification enables us to become risk-aware as we are required to thoroughly consider risks and have stringent plans in place to mitigate them. Our primary aim is to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data at all times. By remaining informed about any new changes to cyber security and making good use of any additional technical or security measures, we can reduce the likelihood of these risks occurring.
Jess Osmond, Head of Legal and Compliance“Cyber attacks and phishing attempts are prevalent and constantly evolving in an attempt to catch people out. At Nourish we remain risk-aware and have processes in place to reduce the likelihood of these risks occurring. We encourage our customers and partners to talk to us about keeping data safe and utilising tools such as the DSPT.”
By using a business continuity plan Nourish aims to take actions to mitigate effects of any unforeseen or unexpected actions, including a cyber or ransomware attack. We encourage all organisations to implement their own business continuity plan and we can help with this with our advice and business continuity guidance for customer’s template.
You can read more about Nourish’s security management here.
Autumn is a season filled with vibrant colours, Halloween, and the desire to be cosy. It’s the perfect time to engage the people you support in creative activities that celebrate the beauty of autumn. Crafting not only provides a wonderful outlet for self-expression but also offers numerous cognitive and therapeutic benefits.
Leaves can be arranged into autumnal scenery. Alternatively, twigs can be used to create shapes, objects or even animals. Fallen leaves can also be used to create leaf rubbings. Place leaves under paper and rub crayons or coloured pencils over them to reveal intricate leaf patterns. The created art can be pressed between wax paper or glued to the page to preserve the creation.
Painting pumpkins can be a wonderful and mess-free activity that poses less risk than carving. Painted pumpkins can be used to create centrepieces for your tables or to decorate the reception. Activities using pumpkins can provide a sensory experience as pumpkins are textured and scented.
Wreath-making is a fantastic group activity. Use fall foliage, pinecones, and ribbons to craft beautiful wreaths that can adorn the common areas of your care service or the bedroom doors of the people you support.
Using leftover mason jars, create lanterns by painting and decorating the jars with autumn or Halloween scenes. You can use LED tea lights to create a lantern effect.
Help the people you support create simple bird feeders using pinecones or toilet roll tubes, peanut butter and birdseed. Hang them outside windows so the people you support can enjoy watching the birds.
Make scarecrow figurines using sticks, old clothes, and raffia. These can be placed in the garden for a touch of autumn whimsy. Find out if your local area is doing a scarecrow hunt that your scarecrow can be entered into or if the people you support would like to participate in.
These craft ideas can be tailored to suit the people you support. They not only provide a creative outlet but also promote social interaction, cognitive stimulation, a sense of accomplishment and a cosy autumnal atmosphere in your service. As we embrace the beauty of autumn, these craft activities can help the people you support connect with the season, reminisce about their own experiences, and create new memories filled with warmth and creativity.
The Nourish platform allows you to quickly and easily plan and record the activities for those you support. Details such as what activity was carried out, for how long and the levels of engagement can be stored within Nourish, along with photos which get automatically stored to individual care plans. Find out more by booking a demonstration of the Nourish platform with our team.
In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare and social services, the way we manage and maintain care records has a profound impact on the quality of care provided. For many years, paper-based records were the norm in social care settings, but this traditional approach came with its fair share of challenges and limitations. In this blog, we will explore the pains of using paper and why transitioning to digital solutions is the way forward.
Using paper to record care allows for inefficiency. Documenting care notes by hand is incredibly time consuming and means there is a delay in updating records for the people you support. In a fast-paced environment, having access to real-time information is paramount. The delay caused by paper can have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of the people you support as changes to their needs may be critical and time sensitive. This risk of outdated or incomplete information can compromise the quality of care.
By using a digital care management system, your care teams can record care notes on the go and senior members of the team can be kept in the loop and take action where necessary, ensuring the people you support are receiving the right care at the right time. With full oversight of your service in real-time that can be accessed anywhere and anytime, nothing will be missed!
Human error is much more likely when using paper to record care. Handwriting may be illegible, and documents can be misplaced or misfiled which can lead to inaccuracies in your data. These errors can have serious consequences for the people you support.
A digital care management system not only allows for legible records all in one place but also has Speech-to-text functionality that removes the need to type notes, you will be reducing errors and unnecessary stress so there’s no need to worry about spelling mistakes, grammar or punctuation.
Paper records are vulnerable to physical damage and loss, putting sensitive information at risk.
At Nourish, we take data privacy and security seriously. Our platform is ISO 27001 accredited, Cyber Essentials Plus certified and GDPR compliant. Our servers also meet high security standards required by the NHS and we undergo regular security audits to ensure the highest standards of data protection. In addition, in the Nourish platform we have implemented access controls to ensure only authorised users can access data.
With paper-records, there is only one copy for the entirety of the care team to work from. If both a carer and a registered manager wish to see the care plan at the same time, this creates some difficulty in the realm of hindering collaboration within care teams and slowing down the decision-making process.
By using a digital care management system, records are stored in a secure cloud that can be viewed by multiple members of the team at the same time with real time updates allowing for the most appropriate care to be delivered to the people you support.
Physical paper records require space to be stored accurately and according to care regulator guidelines. Physical records also require constant use of paper and take up a significant amount of space as well as the need to be archived for a certain amount of time as per regulator’s guidelines. The CQC’s latest guidance point towards their stance on sustainability, hinting at care provider’s needing to be environmentally conscious in order to achieve a Good rating.
Using a digital care management system reduces the need for paperwork and is an easy way to become more sustainable. Care records can be viewed from one central location which means if there are multiple locations in one group, there is a reduced need to travel between services, another step towards becoming environmentally friendly.
The care industry is evolving, and so are the regulations that govern it. Keeping up with the shifting landscape while relying on paper records can be a compliance tightrope walk.
Digital care records align seamlessly with regulatory changes. Inspectors increasingly expect the precision and accessibility that digital records offer. Embracing our platform can help you sail through inspections with confidence.
Effective communication and collaboration are the lifeblood of a well-functioning care team. Paper records often isolate vital information within handwritten notes, creating barriers to collaboration.
Our platform is designed to break down these walls, fostering seamless information sharing among care teams. Say goodbye to disjointed handovers and hello to improved teamwork and person-centred care.
Extracting meaningful insights from stacks of paper records can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Our digital platform equips you with powerful analytics tools that transform data into actionable insights. With our platform, you can effortlessly generate reports and make data-driven decisions that enhance care quality and outcomes.
There’s a wealth of information you need to know about an individual you are supporting. Whether it’s medication management, pain management, incident management or workforce management it can be extremely hard to join the dots when you still have paper care records.
With a digital care records platform, not only can you streamline your processes, but it also acts as a central hub, connecting with other powerful systems where information is shared between them, providing care teams with rich and up-to-date information at their fingertips.
The difficulties that come with using paper for digital social care records are evident in the inefficiency, inaccuracy, limited accessibility, and sustainability concerns associated with traditional methods. Embracing digital solutions not only addresses these issues but also enhances the overall quality of care provided. The transition to digital social care records is a step towards a more efficient, accurate, and sustainable future in social care settings.
Find out more about the benefits of Nourish by contacting our team for a personalised demonstration of our platform.
Armchair Travel is an easy way to get the people you support involved in an immersive experience. By implementing Armchair Travel days into your care service’s activity programme, you can evoke memories of past holidays, learn something new and fuel the adventurous side of the people you support.
Armchair Travel can be enjoyed by everyone and, in a lot of ways, already is. Travel documentaries, vlogs and blogs are very popular and it’s always fun to see someone’s holiday snaps when they’ve returned from holiday.
To really create the holiday atmosphere, give the people you support passports and tickets with their flight time, flight terminal, seat number and holiday destination on. With the help of your care team, make an area of your care service look like an aeroplane, stamp their passports and tickets and sit them in their seat and simulate an air journey. Bring a trolley through with snacks, do flight demonstrations, you could even wear an air steward outfit.
Decorate your main Armchair Travel area in the theme of the country you have chosen. Use images of key landmarks or scenery for posters, any essential oils that match up with the destination you have chosen. Play traditional music to set the atmosphere and use any other items that will really make it feel like you’re in that country.
For the menu of today, serve traditional or famed food, drink and snacks from the country you have chosen. While you are dining on food from around the world, share facts about traditions and etiquette from the country you have travelled to.
Ensure there are alternatives for anyone who likes or requires a particular diet. With Nourish you can see quickly and easily who has an allergy or dietary requirements to assist your activity coordinators and kitchen team with planning a menu.
You can take part in various activities to enjoy the country you are visiting, from learning basic phrases if the country speaks a different language or have a themed quiz and learn some new facts. If anyone in your service has visited this country before, find out what memories they have of the holiday. You could watch a virtual tour of a landmark and play bingo with things to spot during the video tour. You could colour and decorate postcards and take holiday photos and create a scrapbook for your service and your armchair travels.
In the Nourish care plan, you can record a person’s history, likes, dislikes and more. In here you can note memorable holidays and significant travel memories, destinations and interests. To find out how the Nourish platform can assist you in evidencing your activity programme, book a personalised demonstration with our friendly team.
Our founder and CEO, Nuno Almeida, is featured on Care Home Professional’s cover for July 2023.
Nuno shares his thoughts on the social care sector, the growth and future of Nourish and how we align closely with the ambitions of our customers.
“We think we have the best product in the market. What makes the difference is our understanding of how a good digital product – with the right integrations, data science, sector knowledge, when all brought together – can translate into better outcomes for people needing care. We can do this from a single care home to hundreds of locations with a variety of types of care.”
Want to know more about how Nourish can work for you? Book a personalised demo with our team and see how Nourish can truly adapt to your care service.
Ensuring the people you support are hydrated and getting enough fluids is a big talking point across the health and social care sector. Fluid intake can be affected by the weather, a person’s mood, mobility, falls and more. Dehydration in care homes for older adults particularly, can be linked to increased falls, delirium, increased urinary tract infections and excessive use of antibiotics. A study conducted by Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust (London), the University of Oxford, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that people who live in care homes are more likely to be dehydrated. Though there is no definitive reason found as to why those living in a care home tend to be more dehydrated, the reasons are likely due to health conditions, medication, mobility and varying capacity.
There are many creative ways you can increase the amount of fluid the people you support drink by incorporating them into your activity programme.
Studies show that encouraging participation with food preparation can be a powerful tool for creating a positive experience. By encouraging conversations, independence and participation with food making, the senses are stimulated, and appetites can be increased. For many older adults living in care services, food preparation will have been a large part of their life and living in a care service can often feel like a loss of independence. The inclusion in food preparation enhances a sense of purpose and usefulness, boosting confidence and self-esteem, as well as promoting an interest in food and mealtimes.
Creating different smoothies not only encourages fluid intake but also fruit and veg intake. You can either create a variety of flavours and taste test them or encourage the people you support to make their own smoothie or soup from start to finish. This activity is great for finger dexterity, promoting independence and encouraging conversation and reminiscence on favourite foods and flavours.
Just by simply dressing up a smoothie to look like a mocktail can make a drink more appealing and exciting. Try adding a shot of grenadine to an orange drink, sugar with food colouring around the outside of the cup, umbrellas and other decorative items to not only make the drink look more appealing but also add a positive experience. These small additions can take a drink from being a necessity to being reminiscent of a holiday by the pool. The drink can go hand in hand with reminiscing about holidays, summer and favourite drinks.
Ice lollies and jelly are two desserts packed with fluid that can encourage hydration with the people you support.
If the weather is hot, keeping hydrated becomes even more important. Offering ice lollies is a great way to keep cool and keep the people you support hydrated. You could offer the ice lollies out in the garden if you have outdoor space or even organise a beach day. You could either take the people you support to the seaside or if that’s not possible, bring the beach to them with sensory activities like sand, water, fish and chips and ice lollies or ice creams.
Jelly is another dessert that has hidden fluid. This could be part of an afternoon snack or lunch or dinner for dessert one day or be part of a bigger activity. Have a throwback activity where you serve the food the people you support reminiscent of their childhoods. Jelly and ice cream was a big part of children’s parties, so this is a great opportunity to reminisce about parties attended as a child or throwing parties for their own children and encourage a positive association with food.
Hosting coffee mornings or outings to local cafés or garden centres are another way to encourage fluid intake and reducing loneliness at the same time. Going for a coffee with a friend is something that can be taken for granted and encouraging these activities can have a positive impact on mood, self-esteem and fluid and nutritional intake.
Assisting the people you support to remain hydrated is essential to their care. Some care services employ Hydration Assistants whose sole focus is to assist the people they support in remaining hydrated. Digital social care record platforms are also beneficial in keeping track of and monitoring fluid efficiently.
By using Nourish, you can record and monitor the fluid intake of the people you support. You can set fluid targets and set alerts and warnings if a person’s fluid intake is below target to investigate why this may be and give you the opportunity to provide further support on this.
By accurately logging information and observations you can make vital connections with other events that may be linked to the fluid intake of the people you support. With data recorded on Nourish, you are able to spot and track trends in hydration, what may have led to lower fluid intake and the impact of this to predict future events.
By using Nourish, you can also record photos of the people you support engaging in activities, to showcase and evidence their enjoyment. Recording photos are a great memento for the people you support’s families and friends and to look back on themselves.
Find out more about how Nourish can help you ensure the people you support are properly hydrated by booking a personalised demo with our friendly team.
In July, there are a number of events across the country for care services to find out more about Nourish and why using a digital social care records platform is beneficial to your care delivery.
Some of the events are focused for care services in specific areas to find out about what ICS funding is available in their region. Nourish will be attending the events listed below to give insight into relevant topics, demonstrations of our platform and answer any questions you may have about making the switch to digital care planning. We are working in partnership with Integrated Care Systems to support you with accessing funding and to make your transition from paper to digital as smooth and easy as possible.
Care & Occupational Therapy Show | 12th July | in person
At this free one-day event attendees will have the opportunity to make face-to-face connections with key figures in the industry as well as potential suppliers who can add value to your organisation. Attend informative panel discussions on various topics including clinical intervention, occupational therapy assessment methods, advertising ideas for healthcare providers, diagnostic tools and more.
The Nourish team will be on stand 252 and are available for a demonstration of the Nourish platform.
Worcestershire ICS | 13th July | in person
Worcestershire ICS and West Midlands Care Association have organised a Digital Social Care Marketplace event to give care services in Worcestershire the opportunity to find out more information about digitalising care records and funding available. The event will be held on Thursday 13th July, 10am – 2pm, at The Bank House Hotel, Bransford, Worcester, WR6 5JD.
How digital can impact the lives of people with learning disabilities and release ICB capacity | 13 July 1pm | Online
Join Paul Skuse (Head of Data & Analytics, Nourish), Lorenzo Gordon (CEO, Maldaba), Charlotte Downing (Membership & Engagement Manager, TSA) and Andrew Kendall (CCO, Alternative Futures Group) to discuss the role of digital and how it supports the life of those with learning disabilities.
Suffolk & North East Essex | 13th, 19th & 25th July | in person
At Nourish we are working in partnership with your local Integrated Care System (ICS), East Suffolk & North East Essex ICS, to support you with accessing this funding and to make your transition from paper to digital as smooth and easy as possible.
To give all care services in East Suffolk & North East Essex more information about digitalising care records and funding available, the ICS are hosting three events throughout July:
You’ll be able to find out more about the funding and how you can digitalise your care records. Digital care planning platforms, including ourselves at Nourish, will also be exhibiting. Our team will be hosting two workshops at 11.10 – 11.35 and 15.00 – 15.25 at all three events. We will demonstrate our platform, discuss what going digital means and outline all the benefits that come with going digital.
The start of July means the start of Wimbledon, the iconic tennis match that dominates our screens throughout the month.
Food
Bring the feel of Wimbledon to your care service with food traditionally served at Wimbledon.
Serve up the iconic strawberries and cream with a glass of Pimms on the side. For alcohol free alternatives, try this virgin Pimms recipe or serve strawberry lemonade.
Have a picnic in the grounds of your care service with the favourite picnic food of the people you support with Eton Mess for dessert. Use the official Wimbledon picnics for ideas on what to serve.
Balloon Tennis
For keen tennis fans who want to get involved in the action, hold your own version of Wimbledon with balloons and giant rackets. This is an easy way to encourage exercise and have fun at the same time. If you have enough willing participants, start a leaderboard with prizes for the winners or just have a non-competitive group game.
Rummage Box Reminiscence
Put together a Wimbledon themed rummage box, ideal for starting conversations and evoking memories in a sensory based experience. You can include items such as:
Quiz
Get in the Wimbledon spirit with a tennis themed quiz for the people you support. You can either use these online pre-made quizzes or you can also use these interesting facts about Wimbledon to create your own quiz.
In Nourish, you can record in a person’s care plan the things that are the most important to them, such as tennis or Wimbledon. This ensures that their interests are taken into account in activity planning. You can use Nourish to record any activities the people you support have done, you can also record them having fun by photographing their engagement in any activities if you have the necessary permissions.
Find out more about how Nourish can help you engage the people you support and evidence their participation in activities by booking a personalised demo with our friendly team.
Digital tools are becoming increasingly vital to support social care providers, improve care and help people to live fulfilled lives.
The government has set a target for 80% of CQC registered providers to use digital social care records by March 2024. At Nourish Care, we’re at the forefront of this movement, spearheading partnership working to transform the way technology companies collaborate.
Replacing paper care records is just the first step. There are many more innovative tools available to help you deliver person-centred care. Technology that prevents falls, supports pain management and simplifies medication records are all supporting providers in their work.
But if you’re using different systems, it’s important that they can communicate with each other and share data. It means your team will always have the most accurate and up-to-date information about the people you support.
This is where digital integration comes in. At Nourish, we’re accelerating the digital transformation journey by working together with other experts to push the boundaries of what’s possible with health and social care technology.
Having integrated technology simply means the different tools you’re using are joined up and coordinated. This avoids duplication or having to input data into different systems.
Integrating technologies together can revolutionise the way you deliver care. By connecting different systems and sharing information automatically, you can capture data easily on the go. This improves the quality of care, saves time and allows you to tailor care to each person’s life and needs.
Technology should never be a burden. You shouldn’t have to think about how your different systems are talking to each other, it should happen seamlessly. That’s why we work collaboratively with our partners as part of our Nourish Partner Programme. Together, we have the expertise to align all our technologies to create cutting-edge solutions.
Using Nourish alongside other platforms means that data only needs to be entered into one system as it automatically feeds into others. This syncing of information minimises the risk of errors, reduces administrative burden and allows care teams to spend more time on face-to-face care.
At Nourish, we believe in the power of integration and collaboration. That’s why we’ve partnered with the NHS, care authorities, change management solutions, and other leaders in the care sector to shape both our product and the future of digitally enabled healthcare.
Our Nourish Partner Programme can help with:
Denise Tack, Director of Partner and Business Engagement at Nourish Care“Our family of partners really understand the health and care sector and are carefully selected. Depending on the specific needs of your organisation, we can support you to choose the partners most suited to your individual needs. We’re working tirelessly together to strive for better automation that becomes part of everyday care.”
Nourish integrates with established NHS systems, like GP Connect, which gives care teams insight into a person’s GP records and medical notes in real time. This empowers care teams to make better, more informed decisions and provide safer and more effective care.
When using digital tools together, it can provide crucial information about where improvements can be made. For example, with rota management and HR tools, you can track performance and attendance and see where extra support may be needed.
If you’re looking to implement falls management technology, integration can link valuable information with Nourish to give care professionals access to someone’s history of falls. This means you can develop care plans and strategies to avoid falls in the future.
Let Nourish be your guide as you navigate the digital possibilities in your organisation. Together, we’re creating a more connected, efficient and compassionate experience for everyone. Find out more about how Nourish can enhance the care you provide by booking a personalised demo with our team.
