Back in January, COO, Sam Manning tasked care homes across the Excelcare family to host their own hydration challenges, to help encourage team members and residents to increase their daily fluid intake and see the benefits this had. The entries for the competition were judged this week and we’re proud to announce the winners of the competition are The Willows Care Home - Excelcare and Lime Court Care Home - Excelcare To read more about how they decided to get involved, click the link below. https://www.excelcareholdings.com/news/excelcare-hydration-challenge #Excelcare #CareHome #Care #Family #Love #HydrationChallenge

“The level of care my mum receives could not be better, she is happy, looked after and feels safe and loved.” This #FiveStarFriday we are celebrating excellence across our homes in Cambridge, Essex and London. We are so proud of the hard work and dedication our teams show towards the people who live in our care homes, and so are their loved ones! Click the images below to read the five-star reviews we have received this week! #Excelcare #CareHomes #CareHomeReviews #FiveStarReviews #ExcellenceInCare #BelongWithUs

This week was #ShareWhyYouCareWeek, which was dedicated to celebrating the positive reasons why people work in the care sector and showcasing the benefits a career in this sector can have on your life and the life of others. Across the family, we encouraged team members to share why they care and thought we would share some of the responses we had. Click on the images below to see some of the reasons why our team members care! #Excelcare #Care #CareHome #ShareWhyYouCare #Love #Family Care Hires

This month we’re celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month, which is dedicated to observing the rights of LGBTQ+ people and looking back at the history of gay rights. Across the family, activities are being hosted across the month to celebrate LGBTQ+ people who live and work in our homes, as well as educate people about historical gay rights movements. This year, we joined Stonewall's Diversity Champions program and began working in collaboration with them to help ensure each of our homes are safe spaces for people regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, or how they identify. Stonewall is also providing us with resources to help educate our team members and the people we care for about gender diversity and how to accommodate people’s needs. Keep an eye on our care home pages for updates about the activities we get up to throughout LGBTQ+ History Month. #Excelcare #CareHome #Care #LGBTQHistoryMonth

Today is Time to Talk Day, an important event in the calendar year that encourages people to have open, honest conversations about wellbeing and mental health. People say a problem shared is a problem halved, and Time to Talk Day encapsulates this phrase. When opening up, many people find that rather than being a burden, friends and family offer to support in whichever way they can, and getting any concerns off of your chest can feel like a weight off of your shoulders. Today is about starting conversations and taking a step towards tackling any issues you are currently facing, whilst remembering you are not alone. There are ways you can approach the conversation of mental health with someone in a considerate way. Here are some helpful tips from organisations Mind and Rethink Mental Illness: - Ask questions and listen – Try to use open and non-judgemental questions to help you understand someone’s experience in a better way. - Think about the time and place – It might be easier to start a conversation while you are doing something, such as walking or cooking. - Don’t try and fix it – Even though you may want to offer quick fixes, the likelihood is that the person might have already tried your suggestions or may just want to talk instead of being offered advice. Therefore, it might be better to listen without offering advice, as talking in itself can be very powerful. - Treat them the same – Support the person you care about by not treating them any differently when they open up to you about mental health struggles – they’re still the same person as they were before. - Be patient – If someone isn’t ready to talk yet, then that’s okay. It will probably be easier for them to open up to you another time because you’ve let them know you are there for them. #Excelcare #Care #Family #TimeToTalkDay

Join us tomorrow, Tuesday 31st January, where we will be answering the questions about dementia that people are too afraid to ask. Excelcare’s Ann-Marie Harmer (Dementia Care Lead) and Zoe Halliday (Head of Clinical Transformation) welcome you to an open discussion about dementia and coping with feelings of guilt when supporting somebody who lives with dementia. Sometimes, when caring for someone who lives with Dementia, we find ourselves wanting to ask certain questions that may seem inappropriate. For this webinar, we are encouraging you to submit any and all questions anonymously, so we can help to answer them in a safe and controlled forum. Follow the link here to register and submit your questions: https://forms.gle/qSzYC98pX71X5otr7 Registration will close at 12pm today.

Only 5 days to go until our next free dementia support webinar! Join us at 6:30pm on Tuesday 31st January where we will answer all the questions about dementia that people are afraid to ask. You can submit any questions that you have when you register. All questions will be kept anonymous during the forum. Follow the link here to register and submit your questions: https://forms.gle/qSzYC98pX71X5otr7 Registration will close at 12pm on Monday 30th January.

This week, Ozzie and Sam were thrilled to make the first of their 2023 Excelcare Family visits to Waterhall Care Home in Milton Keynes - these visits have been scheduled in so Ozzie & Sam can catch up with our teams and take a look at all of the positive things happening in our homes. At Waterhall, Ozzie and Sam met with the Chef and spoke about the food they prepare for the people who live there. Sam and Ozzie congratulated the Chef for delivering delightful food, and Ozzie even complimented his matching hair do! They all shared a laugh together before moving on to meet with other team members. Yesterday's visit to Waterhall was very enjoyable, and has left both Ozzie and Sam looking forward to their upcoming visits even more than they already were! #Excelcare #Care #Carehome #Family

The importance of a cuddle is sometimes overlooked. It’s a simple yet affective act of intimacy that can bring great comfort to a person during difficult times, and help to raise a smile. This year has seen vast improvement, with restrictions eased and cuddling allowed again. Residents and team members knew that they had to seize this returned opportunity, and celebrated the day by celebrating the power of the cuddle and the positive impact this can have on a person’s day and overall wellbeing. Learn more: https://www.excelcareholdings.com/news/cuddling-after-covid-across-family #EXCELCARE #care #NationalHugDay #cuddlingaftercovid

This Thursday, 26th January marks the grand opening of the Jubilee suite at Abbot Care Home in Harlow. Named in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee celebrations last year, the Suite is a modern, luxury care suite that offers compassionate, person-centred residential, nursing and dementia care. Relatives, family members and people living locally have been invited to attend the grand opening, where they will have the opportunity to explore the suite, experience some live entertainment, and enjoy canapes and bubbly. Councillor Andrew Johnson will be in attendance to cut the ribbon and officially declare the Jubilee Suite, open. Read more about the new Jubilee Suite here: https://www.excelcareholdings.com/news/abbot-care-home-honours-her-late-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii-grand-opening-jubilee-suite

Have you ever had a question about supporting someone who lives with dementia, but you have been too afraid to ask it? Submit your questions anonymously below and join us on Tuesday 31st January at 6:30pm for a free webinar where your questions are answered. The webinar will be led by Excelcare’s Ann-Marie Harmer (Dementia Care Lead) and Zoe Halliday (Head of Clinical Transformation). Our monthly webinars provide a safe space to discuss and share your experiences with likeminded people who also support someone living with dementia or would like to know more. Follow the link here to register and submit your questions: https://forms.gle/qSzYC98pX71X5otr7 Registration will close at 12pm on Monday 30th January.

“Meals are adapted to the person’s needs. Nothing is too much trouble…” This #FiveStarFriday we are celebrating excellence across our homes in Cambridge and London! We are so proud of the hard work and dedication our teams show towards the people who live in our care homes, and so are their loved ones! Swipe across to read the five-star reviews we have received this week! #Excelcare #CareHomes #CareHomeReviews #FiveStarReviews #ExcellenceInCare #BelongWithUs

On Friday 13th May 2022, Excelcare launched a ‘Wellbeing Wish’ initiative across the group, inline with Mental Health Awareness Week. The initiative encouraged each home to put out a ‘wellbeing wish box’, where team members could write down something that would improve their wellbeing, up to the value of £100. Each month, one wish is drawn from each box and the lucky person has their wish granted. Now, after eight months of granting team members’ wellbeing wishes, we look back on some of the wonderful things people have wished for. Read more here: https://www.excelcareholdings.com/news/excelcares-wellbeing-wish-initiative-eight-months #Excelcare #CareHomes #WellbeingWish #TeamWellbeing #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwareness

We invite you to join our next dementia support webinar, where we will answer the questions that people have been too afraid to ask. On Tuesday 31st January at 6:30pm, hosts Anne Marie Harmer (Dementia Care Lead) and Zoe Halliday (Head of Clinical Transformation) will lead a safe and supportive forum in which they answer everyone’s questions about Dementia, which can be anonymously submitted in advance. Sometimes, when caring for someone who lives with Dementia, we find ourselves wanting to ask certain questions that may seem inappropriate. For this webinar, we are encouraging you to submit any and all questions anonymously, so we can help to answer them in a safe and controlled forum. Follow the link here to register and submit your questions: https://forms.gle/qSzYC98pX71X5otr7 Registration will close at 12pm on Monday 30th January.

“Two weeks of respite later she was happy and smiling… She now has two places called home.” This #FiveStarFriday we are celebrating excellence across our homes in Cambridge, Essex, London and Milton Keynes! We are so proud of the hard work and dedication our teams show towards the people who live in our care homes, and so are their loved ones! Click to read the five-star reviews we have received this week! #Excelcare #CareHomes #CareHomeReviews #FiveStarReviews #ExcellenceInCare #BelongWithUs

Maintenance Manager, Teo and Maintenance Operative, Tariq are being congratulated this month after being named as stars of the month at Support Office. This is a new initiative created by our COO, Sam Manning, to award people working behind the scenes for the important work they do! Tariq and Teo have shown incredible commitment to their roles, regularly working weekends to ensure their tasks are completed. Please join us in congratulating Tariq and Teo and stay tuned to see who wins Support Office Star of the Month in February. #Excelcare #Carehome #Care #StarOfTheMonth #Celebrate