Introduction to Abbeywood

By  Carol Smith  (Senior manager and head of the team)

 

“Hello” and a very warm welcome to Abbeywood Residential Care Home.

I am sure that your stay with us will be a very pleasant and enjoyable experience.

Let me introduce you to our team of highly trained and experienced staff.

Valerie Thompson is the registered manage, she is assisted in the day to day running of the home by Carol Monks our deputy manager. The rest of the team consists of 6 senior carer‟s, 18 carers, 2 cooks, 2 kitchen assistants, 2 laundry assistants, 3 domestic’s and 1 handyman.

I am the senior manager and head of the team. I have worked for the directors of Abbeywood since 1988, and during this time I have gained lots of experience working with the elderly and vulnerable adults. We are all here to attend to your practical and social needs, delivering a high standard of care 24hours a day, so as to make life as enjoyable as possible for every individual.

You will find in this booklet information on the different professionals and the services they offer when visiting the home, also some of the homes system/routines and how they work. If you require any more information on how the home operates, please do not hesitate to come along to the office and have a chat with either Valerie or myself any day or time.

 

 

SAFE FOR RESIDENT’S SPENDING MONEY

Most families/next of kin do like to leave their relative some spending money In the home for safe keeping. We have a safe which is located in the office. Each resident has their own pencil case with their name and room number on the front. Each resident has an account record sheet in their own files. All spending or any funds left for the resident are recorded on this sheet and can be viewed anytime. We do not like you to leave great amounts of money in the safe, we suggest enough money just to cover the cost of hairdressing for the month or for any little items that the resident may run out of. Abbeywood is not insured for a lot of cash kept on the premises.

 

 

HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS

For resident’s hospital appointments, we can book the ambulance and escort your relative to outpatients if you require, or if you prefer to escort them yourself arrangement can still be made for the transport.

Resident’s can be taken to the hospital in your own car if you prefer instead of going by ambulance. Please let us know by giving us plenty notice how you would like you relative to attend appointments

Please ensure we have appointment at least 2 weeks before the date to enable us to book transport.

 

HAIRDRESSER

We have two hairdressers that visit the home every week, Tuesday and Friday.

Any resident wishing to have their hair set or just a cut, can visit the hairdresser in our salon every week or once a month, it’s up to the resident and their families to decide how often they would like to visit the hairdresser.

Usually any funds kept in the resident’s own accounts will pay for these visits.

We will inform you when your relative’s money is running low and you can top it up if you would like to, this will ensure that they do not miss seeing the hairdresser. Resident’s can become very upset and confused if not able to visit the hairdresser, especially if this is their normal routine. Seeing other resident’s visiting the hairdresser can be quite upsetting for some resident’s especially if they suffer from any form of dementia not being able to understand why they cannot have their hair set.

 

CHIROPODIST

We have a private chiropodist that visits Abbeywood every eight weeks.

If you would like your relative to see the chiropodist please inform the manager and ensure that they have enough funds in their account to cover the cost.

The chiropodist charges £12-00 each visit.

Diabetic resident’s can visit the chiropodist at Tottington Health Centre,

This is N.H.S. And therefore no charge is made for this service.

 

OPTICIAN

We have an optician that visits the home regularly. If your relative would like to see the optician this can be easily arranged.

Once your relative has seen the optician they will automatically receive an appointment twelve months later for an annual check.

If your relative has to pay for any new glasses we will inform you of the cost so you can give your permission or refuse the glasses if you wish.

Some resident’s prefer to carry on seeing their own optician, please inform the manager of your choice of optician.

 

KEYHOLDERS

All resident’s bedrooms are kept locked throughout the day. This prevents any other resident wondering into other resident’s rooms, which can cause problems.

If you would like to go into your relatives bedroom please come to the office for the key or ask a member of staff and they will open the door for you.

Resident’s can have a key to their room if they wish, but in the past a lot of keys have been lost due to residents putting them down around the home.

We have quite a lot of families that are key holders for their relative’s rooms, this is a much safer system and ensures the keys will be returned.

If you would like a key for your relative’s room please ask Carol or Valerie and we will ensure that a key will be cut as soon as possible.

TELEPHONE

If you would like your relative to have a telephone in their room, please see the manager.

If you would just like a telephone for incoming calls only the cost is £50-00. The proprietor can arrange this service for you.

If you require a telephone for both outgoing as well as incoming calls you will need to contact B.T. with all your details. Your relative will then have their own telephone number.

Telephone bills will come to the home addressed to your relative, and will be placed in the mail box in the office.

Do have a good think about this before you decide to have a telephone installed, some families have problems with their relative ringing them at all times day and night. Telephones have then been asked to be disconnected.

We have a telephone situated in the hall which we can transfer any calls to and your relative can be shown to the telephone and receive incoming calls in a quiet area.

 

Abbeywood (Tottington) L.t.d

104 Market Street,

Tottington,

Bury,

Lancs,

BL8 3LS