Carers across the UK face a difficult job and Amersham based Ashridge Home Care have adapted to make sure that carers and their clients are well looked after.

The team has embraced technology to continue its work and recruit additional carers and support the huge increase in new client enquiries.

Care homes are currently not the go-to place for care, people are afraid and care home providers are understandably not taking in new clients.

There are 13% confirmed Covid-19 cases within care homes currently with only 0.1% confirmed cased across 21 providers of live in care.

Ashridge Home Care Founder and MD Trudi Scrivener says there is only one way to get through this and that is to invest in support to carers and safe delivery of care to clients.

The head office team is working remotely from home and they have hence increased their virtual communications with their carers to include twice weekly organisational meetings via zoom, one for live-in carers and one for visiting carers.

These generally include an update on the latest government advice and introduce their latest motivational themes for the week including videos from external experts who have generously given up their time and expertise.

Motivation has been key to making sure that the carers really feel valued for the fantastic job they are doing. For example:

1) Local and highly reputable Home Economist, Jane Brinkworth launched Ashrilicious Food Lovers group online for the live in carers to learn new easy, nutritious meals to cook for their clients as well as featuring an online Q&A option so if a carer can’t access ingredients she suggests good alternatives. The group share photos of food and are encouraged to make mealtimes special.

2) Since Podiatrists are not making home visits, Footloose Footcare, a qualified local footcare practitioner shared a video helping carers to learn basic footcare and how to wear appropriate protective equipment with mask and gloves, to ensure their clients who can no longer attend appointments, are still looked after.

3) Zest Yoga, A Tring based yoga business, shared a ten minute yoga chair routine to enable carers to keep moving, mobile and help with circulation.

4) And frontman of Spandau Ballet, Tony Hadley, recorded and shared a morale boosting message to boost team spirit.

The carers are being supported through increased telephone calls and increased virtual catch ups.

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Zoom has been a great way for carers to talk to each other about the challenges they are facing and share ideas for keeping their clients from feeling lonely.

A closed private Facebook group where carers all share daily pictures to give each other ideas of activities to do with clients to keep everyone’s spirits up ranging from the head office team clapping for the NHS with their families every week, announcing live online events such as Singing for the Brain or new national theatre and cultural events showing live online.

Making sure that care is being delivered safely is a challenge when head office staff are unable to visit clients in their home to do the required monitoring, but at Ashridge Home Care additional oversight is possible through the online care monitoring system in place.

Trudi Scrivener, MD and Founder of Ashridge Home Care, said: “I am so proud of how the team have pulled together.

"It’s amazing how innovative everyone has been and the ideas just keep on coming.

"Our first priority has to be the care of our clients and that our carers are getting the right support to help them.

"But we are having lots of laughs and an enormous amount of kindness is being shown on a daily basis.”

Agata Stepien, Care Manager added: “There have been so many brilliant ideas from the team and it’s been so great to see them shared on Facebook.

"We still have capacity to care for more elderly and vulnerable people so I would urge anyone who is worried about a loved family member to simply give us a ring for an informal chat.”

Visit www.ashridgehomecare.co.uk or Tel: 01494 917344 for an informal chat or email info@ashridgehomecare.co.uk