Planning to Sail Away this Summer? Is your vessel UK flagged, being used as a pleasure vessel and are you a UK resident? If so, then read this article by Lester Aldridge Solicitors - Marine Department, to prepare for departing the UK’s waters.
We are getting better overall at talking about death. But when someone does die, suddenly we're faced with "What do I have to do?" The first two important things to be done are organise the funeral and register the death with the registrar in the area where the deceased died. Here as part of their "Life Matters" series for Lymington, Lester Aldridge Solicitors explain how it all works from there.
This month the Lester Aldridge feature article in the "Life Matters for Lymington" series is about how to get the best out of your first meeting with a new solicitor. So this might be a very good time to get in touch with the team at Lester Aldridge and take advantage of a first meeting, free of charge!
This month the Lester Aldridge feature article in the "Life Matters for Lymington" series is about the complex and often thorny subject of who pays for social care: there may potentially be funding available but the vast majority of people fund some or all of their care costs whether in a residential setting or living at home.
This month the Lester Aldridge feature article in the "Life Matters for Lymington" series is about stamp duty, the rules seem to keep changing so this up to date update should be helpful to anyone who's in the process of or considering buying a property.
For an increasing number of people, surrogacy is being chosen to achieve the dream of parenthood. This often leads to an arrangement where the surrogate mother lives and gives birth in an overseas country. A surrogacy arrangement abroad is not automatically recognised in the UK and the intended parent(s) will not automatically be recognised as the child’s legal parent(s), which is why this month's Life Matters article by Lester Aldridge recommends seeking legal advice early...
Stop press 18 June having published this article yesterday, sad to learn of the death today of the amazing Dame Vera Lynn, darling of the Forces who helped raise morale in World War Two. Lovely though to learn as well that she was surrounded by her close relatives. Ed.
Iconic wartime singer Dame Vera Lynn has surprised and delighted residents of Colten Care's Canford Chase home with her personal response to a card they made and sent for her 103rd birthday.
As lockdown approached in mid-March, Colten Care staff were looking for imaginative and interesting ways to cheer everybody up.
“It was a rather wet and grey afternoon and everyone was naturally apprehensive about lockdown,” recalled Canford Chase Companionship Team Leader Julie Wathen. “Vera Lynn had just put out a public message, as her birthday was a couple of days later, encouraging everyone in Britain to ‘keep smiling through’, as she’d sung in the lyrics of We’ll Meet Again at the start of the Second World War.
“We decided to create a card for her as a fun activity to cheer us all up. I felt she was a great role model again for these troubled times and one our residents could really relate to. Her message about smiling seemed especially appropriate for us to rally behind.”
The greeting in the card wished Vera a very happy birthday, stating: ‘Here at Canford Chase, you will be pleased to know we are still smiling through.’
Julie researched a contact address in East Sussex for Vera Lynn and posted the card that day, not expecting a reply.
An unexpected and most welcome reply!Three months on, all at the home were thrilled to receive a letter from the famous lady herself, typed and sent by a personal assistant, and addressed to ‘all the residents at Canford Chase’.
It read: “Thank you so much for the beautiful handmade birthday card, which took pride of place on my mantelpiece.
“It was very special to see your happy faces and to know that you ‘keep smiling through’.
“In these difficult times, it’s so important to smile and the beautiful yellow flowers in your photos are bright and cheery.
“I send you all my very best wishes and thank you again for taking the trouble to produce such a very special birthday card.”
Resident Doris Storey, who celebrated her 101st birthday in lockdown just after Dame Vera became 103, said: “It was so lovely that we did the card and photoshoot, and that Vera Lynn replied. She would obviously have had lots of cards.”
When Julie reminded Doris that her birthday and Vera’s were around the same time, she laughed and said: “Not bad for a couple of old ones.”
In a TV broadcast for the recent 75th anniversary of VE Day, Vera Lynn said that while people may be apart due to lockdown measures ‘hope remains even in the most difficult of times’.
Canford Chase is one of seven Colten Care homes rated Outstanding by care sector regulator the Care Quality Commission.
With more than 30 years’ experience, Colten Care is an award-winning family-owned care home company. It has 21 quality care homes covering Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex and offers a range of services spanning residential, nursing and dementia care.
Colten Care operates six residential nursing and care homes in the New Forest, including three in Lymington: Belmore Lodge, Court Lodge and dementia specialist Linden House. There are also homes in Brockenhurst (Woodpecker's), New Milton (Kingfisher's) and Mudeford (Avon Reach). Click on the links to find out more about each home...
It is not currently possible to visit Colten Care's homes. Please find more details here: https://www.coltencare.co.uk/news-events/coronavirus-update
It's called a face covering by the government, presumably not to confuse with the PPE class of mask - but whatever, we’re calling it a mask!
And, with the new rules coming in for wearing one on public transport and in an increasing number of other places, having ignored this subject for so long we are finally facing up to putting our faces inside one!
For example the pros and cons of the pleated versus the shaped variety. When they say there’s a place for a filter what do you put in there! And do you then wash the filters or take them out for washing the mask. And if you buy a tougher material will it pull on the ears! How do you avoid “contaminating” your mask getting it on and off. Etc. Looking online for general advice on these matters we found none - only a plethora of masks for sale.
So for us the obvious person to whom to ask all these questions was Di Wood of What the Blazers based near Lymington. Di is adept and actually brilliant, at recycling and upcycling and making amazing gorgeous things from leftover fabrics. As the seriousness of the crisis started to dawn on us all she began sewing like a crazy person for the NHS, in between also making fabric face masks for NFDC volunteers - and then as she said, she just decided to carry on.
Which is how face masks appeared on Di's What the Blazers website.
And now she offers a fabulous range including the two different "types" of face mask - and for extra fun you can have a bespoke design such as Superman! All at comparable prices to if not lower than most of the masks you find if you search online for face masks. You can see the range and fabrics used and also read more about the different types of mask construction on the Di's website: the page all about masks - which also enables you to buy online.
About wearing and caring for your face maskDi explained that you really do need to wash your mask after every wearing - and that includes putting it on and taking it off just once. (She explains that she normally has two with her just in case; she'll put one on in the car park eg before going into the supermarket and take it off only when back at the car, for several good reasons: especially not wanting to be a carrier and inadvertently spread the virus, but also if we wear a mask and people see us it’s a good reminder to them, to keep distance and stay alert.)
As for the type. (And thank you to Di's two models for demonstrating the two types.)
Some people apparently prefer the pleated type, easier to carry around and prefer to put their own filter in. Also probably more efficient because you end up with 3 layers. We learned that people use coffee filter papers and vacuum filters for that filter layer. (See more on this subject below.)
Others prefer the shaped type with its filter backing – and you conveniently just wash the whole thing. Which sounded more appealing!
And yes, wearing a mask for a sustained time CAN lead to ear “ache”! And apparently there’s a clever trick you can do with loops and hooks and buttons, or with a hair bungee, in order to attach the mask around the back of your head.
I’m about to select preferred and upbeat colours of the shaped variety from Di’s selection and will add to this article if I discover it’s easy to explain about the bungees!
Di also gave me this weblink about filters, for those who prefer the type of mask where you take these in and out and want to DIY their filters.
Di also offered a link to this article, government advice on how to wear a “face covering”
And they say…
“A cloth face covering should cover your mouth and nose while allowing you to breathe comfortably. It can be as simple as a scarf or bandana that ties behind the head.
Wash your hands or use hand sanitiser before putting it on and after taking it off. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth at all times and store used face coverings in a plastic bag until you have an opportunity to wash them.
Do not touch the front of the face covering, or the part of the face covering that has been in contact with your mouth and nose. Once removed, make sure you clean any surfaces the face covering has touched.
You should wash a face covering regularly. It can go in with other laundry, using your normal detergent.
When wearing a face covering, take care to tuck away any loose ends."
Making your own maskAnd if you’re handy and have time on your hands too you might want to make one: instructions via same government link above.
Personally we’re going to choose from the lovely What the Blazers selection!
If you’re interested in delving deeper into this subject and/or seriously concerned about best protection against coronavirus we also found this article from the Guardian.
If you have extra advice for novice mask wearers please do email and we’ll add to this article for the benefit of all!
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“A credit to their profession, leading by example to keep everyone safe.” Zoe Mills is brimming with praise for her nursing colleagues as they step up to the many challenges of caring for older people during the pandemic. Read about the excellence of clinical care in Colten Care's homes below...we know from personal experience how good it is, too.
A former NHS ward sister, Zoe joined care home provider Colten Care in 2016 and is now a Clinical Lead. “Nurses in care homes are often underestimated. There is a perception that somehow they are not as professional as those who work in hospitals and that’s completely unfair.
Our residents present severe frailty and complex needs all the time and we need to balance our clinical skills with leading safe, appropriate care without the immediate back-up of a doctor on hand.
We always have to demonstrate sound, up-to-date clinical knowledge. When you go into nursing you expect challenges along the way but I think the manner in which my colleagues have risen to the demands of managing Covid has been phenomenal.
They have maintained the safety of residents and colleagues, shown amazing skills in team working and kept up everyone’s mental wellbeing.
I am surrounded by inspirational nurses day in, day out who deliver the highest standards of care.”
Among Zoe’s colleagues is Jeanette Hendon, Colten Care’s longest serving nurse with nearly 26 years under her belt. Jeanette says: “As an on-duty nurse, you are the clinical expert and you need to be at the top of your game all the time. I love my job – you have the responsibility of balancing clinical expertise with leadership skills as residents, families and colleagues look to you for reassurance and direction as a clinical situation changes.”
Also part of Zoe’s team is Care Co-ordinator Kim Gritt, one of 15 Colten Care staff who are training to become Nursing Associates. This is a nationally recognised role that provides support for registered nurses while creating a career pathway for carers. It offers the potential to convert to RGN after three years of juggling study at Solent University with paid nursing. “This is an ideal opportunity for me,” says Kim. “At the end of the day, it’s all about having the best team in place to provide the highest standards of resident care. We want to be the best we can be.”
Zoe, Jeanette and Kim all work at Kingfishers in New Milton, one of seven Colten Care homes - a third of its total of 21 - to be officially rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. This is a remarkable achievement rate compared to other operators.
Elaine Farrer, Colten Care Operations Director, and herself a nurse with 35 years’ experience, is clear that CQC recognition reflects a combination of long-standing home-based nursing excellence and a robust and consistent group-wide clinical and quality framework.
Her central management team of eleven senior operations, clinical and quality managers includes nine who are nurses with exceptional expertise. Their combined nursing experience runs to an astonishing 258 years.
Elaine says: “Because we continue to invest in nursing, we can offer our residents the reassurance of clinical excellence. We can meet the vast majority of clinical needs while welcoming older people into our homes.”
As well as enabling team members to train as Nursing Associates, and supporting homes with a consistent clinical and quality framework, Elaine can cite many other ways Colten Care champions and develops its nurses: “We operate a Royal College of Nursing-accredited preceptorship for all new recruits who are recently qualified, returning to work, or new to the UK. We support student nurses by offering placements at all our homes in partnership with Bournemouth University. Students benefit from the input of both practice assessors and mentors.
“Uniquely for a provider of our size, we employ a dedicated Nurse Learning & Development Manager, Sally Smith, who focuses on the ongoing training needs of our 250 nurses.
“As they progress their careers with us, we enable our nurses to take on more leadership and complex clinical roles supported by opportunities for reflective learning, team conferences and best practice sharing.
Summarising the team’s responsiveness to Covid, Elaine adds: “All our nurses have stepped up to the challenges of wearing PPE, caring for residents in isolation, leading the care teams, maintaining social distancing and supporting each other. While suddenly having to think differently, they have continued to do amazing work maintaining our consistently high standards of care.”
With more than 30 years’ experience, Colten Care is an award-winning family-owned care home company. It has 21 quality care homes covering Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex and offers a range of services spanning residential, nursing and dementia care.
Colten Care operates six residential nursing and care homes in the New Forest, including three in Lymington: Belmore Lodge, Court Lodge and dementia specialist Linden House. There are also homes in Brockenhurst (Woodpecker's), New Milton (Kingfisher's) and Mudeford (Avon Reach). Click on the links to find out more about each home...
It is not currently possible to visit Colten Care's homes. Please find more details here: https://www.coltencare.co.uk/news-events/coronavirus-update
Residents and staff across Colten Care’s 21 homes observed safe distancing as they enjoyed Dementia UK’s virtual tea party, Time For a Cuppa Together - part of Dementia Action Week which took place across the country last week albeit in a locked down way.
Among those involved were the two Colten Care specialist dementia care homes, both rated Outstanding by sector regulator the Care Quality Commission: Fernhill in Longham, Dorset, and our own Linden House in Lymington.
At Linden House, more than a dozen residents took part in a traditional afternoon tea with cupcakes, cake stands and tea pots, followed by dancing, in their village hall-themed room, Bucklers Hall.
On show was a giant papier mache teapot which they and staff members had made earlier in arts and crafts sessions.
The event was so successful, the home is looking to hold a similar get-together, Tea on the Terrace, every month.
Resident Trilby Mills said: “We had a lovely afternoon. It was absolutely delightful and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.”
Funds raised from Time for a Cuppa Together will go to support Dementia UK’s national helpline which enables families affected by dementia to access the support of specialist Admiral Nurses.
The helpline has experienced a surge in calls during the pandemic, with many carers and people with dementia reporting that they feel overwhelmed and do not know who to turn to. The helpline is there for anyone living and supporting someone with dementia.
Colten Care’s Consultant Admiral Nurse Adam Smith said: “Families with a loved one who has dementia need support more than ever during these incredibly challenging and isolating times.
“It was lovely to see our residents and staff get behind the idea of the virtual tea party to help. It worked really well.”
Dr Hilda Hayo, Chief Admiral Nurse and CEO at Dementia UK, said: “When normal support networks have closed down, our helpline nurses are imparting invaluable emotional support and practical advice.
“Colten Care’s support will allow more helpline nurses to help families through these uncertain times.”
Colten Care’s own dementia care strategy includes regular drop-in sessions with Adam and fellow Admiral Nurse Kay Gibson, support for Dementia Action Alliances in the communities served by all its 21 homes, and an ‘Ask-an-Admiral Nurse’ website - www.coltencare.co.uk/admiral-nurse.
The Dementia UK helpline is 0800 888 6678.
Colten Care is committed to raising money for charitable causes. In the past year, residents and team members have raised more than £20,000 for charity. For more information, visit www.ColtenCare.co.uk.
With more than 30 years’ experience, Colten Care is an award-winning family-owned care home company. It has 21 quality care homes covering Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex and offers a range of services spanning residential, nursing and dementia care.
Colten Care operates six residential nursing and care homes in the New Forest, including three in Lymington: Belmore Lodge, Court Lodge and dementia specialist Linden House. There are also homes in Brockenhurst (Woodpecker's), New Milton (Kingfisher's) and Mudeford (Avon Reach). Click on the links to find out more about each home...
It is not currently possible to visit Colten Care's homes. Please find more details here: https://www.coltencare.co.uk/news-events/coronavirus-update
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