What have we been talking about in past newsletters?

We’ve been sending out a regular newsletter since August 2013 and have touched on a wide range of subjects. Here’s a chance to re-visit an issue if you didn’t see it at the time…

April 2015 Pets as Therapy / Bespoke Care Charts / Book Review: Dementia: The One-Stop Guide / Designing Outdoor Spaces / Free download /

March 2015 It’s not the garden design that matters… / Have you seen Alive Inside / Skills for Care Culture Toolkit / SCIE Guidance on the Care Act / Book Review: On Pluto, Inside the Mind of Alzheimers

Feb 2015 Twist-N-View now available with breakaway device and anti-bacterial cord / How to adapt your environment for people with dementia / Book Review: The Things Between Us

Nov/Dec 2014 Care Charts Founder included on list of HSJ Innovators 2014 / Does the colour of crockery make a difference / An exclusive Christmas offer on Many Happy Returns Chatterbox cards / The power of music / More news from the Garden / Book review: Dancing with Dementia

October 2014 Epsom Hospital puts Care Charts at the heart of their dementia care / COT Toolkit: Living well through activity in Care Homes / More News from the Garden / Book Review: Person-centred Dementia Care by Dawn Brooker / The CQC annual report on the state of health care

September 2014 Care Charts UK named as one of the New Radicals / PJ Care adopt Care Charts for their neurological care centres / Calling all care caterers / The Understanding Dementia MOOC / Rootless Garden: Using Activities Inspired by Nature / Book Review: And Still the Music Plays

July/August 2014 How Avery Lodge is using its Display Care Charts / When Conversation becomes Therapy / Why WW2 Experiences Still Matter / Book Review: Dear Dementia, the Laughter and the Tears / Bright Shadow Brings Energy and Fun / News from the Garden: A Healing Garden Project

June 2014 The power of touch / Using dolls in dementia care / Book Review: Kate Granger’s 2 books / Palliative Care / Staff Training Board / News from the Garden: Kim Grove

May 2014 Reminiscence Boxes / Jargon Buster (TLAP) / National Care Open Day / Care2Improve / Garden News: Buzz Creative Spaces / Free Poster Download

April 2014 Scottish Inspectorate approve Care Charts / Virtual Hospital (DSDC) / Good Care Week / Joining up Care Homes and Primary Care Services (scie) / Garden News: Top doctor backs ‘garden gym’ / Grief / Free Carer’s Chart Download

March 2014 See Change: Think Pain (NAPP) / Quality Paperwork v Quality Care (JRF), Nutrition and Smell / Grief (scie) / Garden News: Thrive

February 2014 Peninsula Community Health adopt charts for all hospitals / Benefits of Physio (CSP) / Dementia courses (UTAS, John Hopkins) / Book review: Living well with Dementia / Charts in Award-Winning Home / Garden News: Chalfont Design’s Dementia Green Care Handbook

January 2014 Care Rocks / Delirium (DSDC) / Garden News: a sensory experience / Care Awards win / Environmental Assesssment Tool (King’s Fund) / Integration (scie)

December 2013 Innovator’s Award win / Birmingham Care Show / What Motivates Staff / Staff Training Board / Flowers of the Month

November 2013 GB Care Awards finalist / Peninsula Community Health Care complete charts trial / Birmingham Care Show / Flower Power / NHS Changeday / Reminiscence Conference / HCBC ‘Be Sure’ film

October 2013 Charts selected by award-winning care home / Why use pictures / Pain assessment app / Flowers of the month / Book review: Managing dementia in General Practice

September 2013 Charts testimonial / Resource: Making involvement count

August 2013 Launch of Art Packs / Paper v screen / Eden Alternative / Schwartz Center Rounds (King’s Fund) / Launch of new sizes for Daily Prompt Posters / Staff Training Board

 

 

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Money isn’t the motivator we think it is…

Screen capture from YouTubeIt’s surely very simple, isn’t it? Pay your staff more and they’ll provide better performance. Not so, according to Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. In certain circumstances, he suggests, it could even lead to less efficiency.

The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life.

Here is an entertaining YouTube clip that helps clarify what Pink is talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

This is not an excuse to pay staff less – Pink does make it clear that for his hypothesise to work employees have to be earning enough money to know they can pay the bills – but it does suggest the frequently presented argument: ‘staff need to be paid better if we are to expect higher standards’ does not stack up.

Another way of looking at this is in terms of employee engagement, and if you’re conscious that your staff may not be as engaged as you’d like, you are not alone. Globally, according to Towers Watson’s 2012 Global Workforce Study, only 35% of employees around the world are strongly engaged, meaning they are freely giving their time, energy, creativity and knowledge to their work. And in the UK it is a lowly 27%, ranking us 9th in the 12 largest economies.

Engagement is understood to have a huge impact on staff retention: Engage for Success suggests that “highly engaged organisations have the potential to reduce staff turnover by 87%; the disengaged are four times more likely to leave the organisation than the average employee (CLC 2008).”

There’s a lot of interesting reading in the links provided above, but if you want it in a nutshell, make sure that your company values are clear and understood, empower your staff by ensuring they have the right tools and training to do their jobs properly, value them in the same way you value your ‘customers’, give them scope to excel in their work, and make sure you listen to, and act on, their ideas for what could be improved. And it is all these things, say the experts, and not extra money or bonuses that will help you retain your staff and improve your chances of having a happy and engaged workforce, translating into better outcomes for the individuals in your care.

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We won the Innovator Award!

GBCA trophy plus logoLast month I heard we had been shortlisted for the south east Innovator Award by the GB Care Awards, and on Friday 29th Nov we went to the Awards Ceremony to hear that we’d won! As much as I already knew that these products, inspired by my husband’s experience with dementia, really do make a difference, it’s always wonderful to have it confirmed by something like this.

In the judges’ words: “Zoe has developed and continues to develop a truly excellent innovative idea that meets the needs of the residents and staff and ensures quality of care. A well deserved winner – congratulations!”

I met some great people on the night, and would like to congratulate all winners and runners-up.

Latest: See also Observer / Nesta list of New Radicals 2014

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