Emergency Preparedness with Mevin Sohorye

Melanie:

Welcome to the Family Carer podcast, where we help mums, dads, aunts, uncles, daughters, sons, friends, anyone who's caring for a family member or loved one to feel supported in their role and connected to their community. This week I'm joined by Mevin Sahourai. Mevin's the General Manager and Dementia Champion at Barchester Upton Grey, and he's also a trustee for the Leonardo Trust, which helps support carers and their families. In this episode, we will demystify residential and nursing care, learn about various types and what they can offer, We'll also learn about what the Leonardo Trust can offer to help support your role as a family carer. I'm Melanie Cohen. Stay with us to find out more.

Hi, Mevin. How are you today?

Mevin:

Hi Melanie, how are you? Not too bad, thank you.

Melanie:

Good. Thank you very much for joining us.

Mevin:

You're very welcome.

Melanie:

So before we start, for anybody that doesn't know you, do you want to give us a little bit of an introduction about you?

Mevin:

Yes, so I'm the care home manager at Upton Bay Care Home, which is based in Hamworthy. And I've been there since before my home was open. I commissioned that care home and it was open in March 2021. And my passion about the care home is like I love to make sure that there isn't a happy. It's all about them and what they want and what people want. And outside work, I love to walk my dog and I love food. I love all different kind of foods. I love food. So that's one of my biggest passion and a lot of cooking as well. So.

Melanie:

Amazing. And I know from when we've talked before that your dog plays a special part in the care home as well. He's a member of the team, I believe.

Mevin:

He does indeed. So he's the opt-in companion. So how we started with him was basically six months after the home was open. So one of the residents, who's an ambassador of a care home, asked for a Labradoodle. And I went and got one and now he's my dog. But he goes to the care home once a week. He walks with a resident and he's been there since he was born. He's got a book about him in the reception and they all talk about him. It's more about the resident. They love him. They love to walk with, you know, they love dogs and they love that interaction, which is really, really good. So, yeah.

Melanie:

Amazing, a valued member of the team, clearly.

Mevin: 

Yes, clearly.

Melanie:

OK, so residential care can be quite an overwhelming topic for people. And I think there's a lot of terminology out there that's sometimes difficult to navigate. So maybe we can start by just if you can give us an overview of the different types of residential and nursing care and maybe what they offer people that could be helpful.

Mevin: 

Yeah, definitely. So you hope you have assisted leaving, you have nursing care, you have residential and then you also have daycare as well. And then you have community care, which is a bit similar to daycare as well. So you have these kind of things, but you also have hospice care. So where people go to the hospice and have different kind of care there. Assisted living is more about like somebody goes to a care, goes to like somewhere where they live together and they do all everything by themselves and they only need that little tiny of help when needed. So more sort of independent living within a community. Yes, but then they have people they can talk to and they can do different things and they can go out and do their own thing. So they're not really monitored by such like that. Nursing care is more about when people need the high level of care where you need to have like basically they have peg feed and all different things when you need everything to be done for you. So it's the clinical side of things with the nursing care. Yes. And residential, which is a bit different because you have residential and you have residential dementia. So it's a bit different. You have people who's got diagnosis of dementia, but it's quite mild, so they can still do stuff by themselves. So we try to promote that to make sure that people feel like they're still on a residential floor so they can do different things. So these kind of things would be like they're going to the shop, they're going on trips, they're doing different things, they're doing different activities, they're even cooking. Again, it doesn't mean when somebody's on the dementia floor, they can't do certain things. No, you embrace that and they can do different things as well. The CCG care, which we were just talking about, Continental Health Care Fund, that's a funding which is done by the government. So anybody can apply for that pending that you have a high level of care needs, and then that will pay for anywhere you want to go, whether it's a hospice or nursing care or home care or residential.

Melanie:

So when we're looking at the funding element, which you've touched on there, that's appropriate for people who've got a higher level of need, is it? So when you're talking about, I think you mentioned that in relation to the residential care versus the dementia specialist care that you do. So is it when people require that high level of need of the dementia specialist care, that that funding may become available to them?

Mevin:

Yes, it does, yeah. It depends on all their needs, if their needs go up. And then it depends as well, because they need to have a certain amount of money. It needs to be under 25k to get that kind of funding. But again, if your level of care is quite high, so you would definitely be, because you have to complete a form, which is called a DST. So once this form is complete, it's like an assessment. If you're successful in that assessment, then you will definitely get the funding.

Melanie:

OK, so thank you for giving us that overview, Mevan. So as far as I can kind of ascertain and just to recap, we've got for very low levels of need, we've got the assisted living. So that's where people live independently within a community and there are others around And there may be somebody who works as a manager, either part-time or full-time, but there are fewer kind of, there's not such a structured team in place. It's more about the community that's there. And then we've got, at the other end of the scale, we've got the clinical side of things. So the nursing care, and like you rightly said, with some of those requirements like the peg feeding and those, the clinical elements. And then you've got where your where your setting sits is is kind of in between those. So you've got the residential care for people who may require more assistance and support, but still want to remain independent. And then moving through to the dementia specialist, which is clearly an area that you're really passionate about. So I think that demonstrates that there's a real range there of residential settings that cover a variety of different needs. So that's really helpful, thank you for clarifying that. So I think maybe it would be helpful for the listeners for you to give us an insight as to what family members might like to consider when they're looking at different residential settings, if they feel like that's an option for their loved one.

Mevin:

So, the first thing is the first impression, because you have to be able to trust the home you're looking after the loved one, and you have to have everything that you really want for your loved one to have in the home. So basically, the main thing will be part of the activities, what kind of food, what kind of person is working, what kind of staff, did you get a warm welcome when you walked in, and these are very, very important. So, if this is not happening when you first visit that place, that means, is it happening when you're not there? That's some of the questions that everybody needs to ask themselves. A gut feeling, really, when you visit somewhere. Yeah, exactly. And it's like, you need to be told about everything that's happening with your loved one. Let's say somebody's mum or dad is in a care home, any incident, any change of medication, whatever's happened, they need to be told. and you work with a family, it's always like an open door policy. Involve them in different things that you need to do and make sure, like, when you look at the care home, you look at what, like we just mentioned about the activities, what are the activities? Is the person centered to your loved one? Are they able to do certain things? Are there any trips? Do we have any community engagement? Because community engagement is very key because it's not just in the care home that happens, it's like, are the people going out? Is other people from outside coming to the home? doing different communities, engagement, entertainment, like these kind of things like we need to look at. So these are the main thing.

Melanie:

OK, perfect. So if I can just rewind a little bit. So initially you talked there, I think, about communication and communication being key. And the second element of that was the partnership working with family members. And that's something to really look out for. I think if you're going to be trusting your loved one into the care of somebody else, you or an organisation, you want to make sure that there's that transparency there and that you feel like there's that open communication. And then you start to touch there on community engagement, which is something I'd really love to talk about, because I know from other care home managers and other community members that I'm connected to, that there are a lot of events now that residential homes are providing because you've got great facilities to be able to welcome people in for these events. And I believe that you host a regular community event that people can access. Do you want to tell us about that?

Mevin:

Yes, we do. So every Thursday at 11 o'clock, we have something which is called Knitting and Natta. So basically, we have people coming from the community and then you're doing different games, you're knitting, you're having a coffee, you're having a cake. It's all free, there's no charge for it. And it's just about meeting the communities and to talk to them and see what we can do about it. And then you have residents from the actual care home who are joining as well. And then you can talk to them. You have the resident ambassador who's there as well. You've got, like I mentioned, the family. You have family ambassadors who are present and you can talk to them. And you can have that kind of like feeling to know how is it to live in a care home. And ask the different family members, how do you feel about the low one in a care home before you want to put somebody in there.

Melanie:

And is that only open for people that are considering coming to a care home or can anybody come along?

Mevin: 

Anybody can come along.

Melanie: 

And does the carer need to come along with their loved one if they'd like to come and take part in that?

Mevin:

They don't have to, no.

Melanie: 

And you said it's free, is there anything they should be aware of with regards to what they need to bring with them or how they get in touch with you to arrange to come along?

Mevin: 

They can just give us a phone call or email or they can just sign up, which is fine. Just say we came for Vindicton Natal today on a Thursday and we'll just join them in.

Melanie: 

OK, amazing. We'll put a link in the show notes so people can contact you if they'd like to find out more about that. I think that's a brilliant opportunity. And I think a lot of our listeners are often looking for things to do with their loved ones around the local area. And knowing about these events that take part is really great.

Mevin: 

The other thing is, when this event is happening, next to it, like it happened in the cafe, in the reception cafe, and next to the cafe there's a hair salon. So you have people who's coming to do that and then they go to the hair salon. So they can do different things and then talk to the hairdresser, see how things are. There's always different things that we do, so it's all joining together. So if they're willing to do that, they're happy to do that as well.

Melanie: 

So they can make use of the hairdressers whilst they're there.

Mevin: 

Yes.

Melanie:

That's fantastic. Okay, Mevin, that's brilliant. I will definitely link that up in the show notes so people can find out more about that. Let's talk about the Leonardo Trust because a lot of our listeners are family carers themselves and the Leonardo Trust provides a wonderful support service. It's a fantastic and incredible charity. It does a lot of great work in our local area specifically for family carers. So can you tell us more about that?

Mevin: 

So, Leonardo Trust is a company which was a charity, basically, which was based in 2001 and is run by somebody called Donna Blanc. She's the manager there. And at the same time, I'm one of the trustee who is part of the Leonardo Trust. And what we do, so basically we look after carers at home, and young carers, and anybody who needs a grant that they can't afford something, and they can put in an application form, we can help them. And we do deliver training for people who care at home, like carers at home. Let's say they want like a first aid kind of training, they want to have, it's free of charge, so we do that for them, they just need to get in touch with us, and then we pay for them to have the training, and they can have it at home. and we do different grants. So the grants being like, let's say somebody didn't have a wheelchair and really need a wheelchair, doesn't have the funds to do it, so we would recommend that. Or somebody hasn't had a trip for like 15 years or 10 years or maybe five years, and they want to go to a trip and they can't afford it, so we can do that as well. And we look at different breaks that they can have, and where something is harm-worthy park, when they can have, we've got like somewhere they can go like a park, If they want to go there as well, that's free of charge, so we do that as well. So we do a lot of things for the carers, more about the community and what we can do for them. They just need to get in touch with us, and then we can do different things for them. So yeah, but there's four people who run the office, so it's always really busy. So it doesn't mean when you send an email, we haven't been in touch with you. We will get in touch, but just, yeah.

Melanie: 

Okay, amazing. So let's just rewind a little there. So the Leonardo Trust provides the grants and some funding around, did you say things like wheelchairs and equipment? So things that you might need in your role as a carer to provide the care to your loved one?

Mevin:

Yes.

Melanie:

Okay, wonderful. So they can find out more about that by getting in touch with you. Also, though, and the bit that I think is really incredibly important is the support that you provide for carers themselves, particularly around looking after themselves, making sure that they can get appropriate rest. And we know that there's often real financial barriers around that. And you're saying that there may, for some people, be grants available to help them take those breaks.

Mevin:

Yes, if they can go on holiday, if they haven't been on holiday, sometimes they need that break. And this is why in the care sector, we all need to work together. So you've got the assisted living, the residential, and then you've got the carers. We need to make sure we're not forgetting about the carers. Because the thing is, let's say somebody, a carer goes on a holiday. So then you need that person to go to a residential care home. So then everybody has a break. So we all need to work together to make that join in.

Melanie:

Yeah, absolutely. So that holistic piece around everything. Is there anything else that we need? It would be useful for our listeners to understand about the Leonardo Trust and as well, how do people support the Leonardo Trust? Because presumably, as a charity, you're looking to fundraise in order to provide this service. So any information about events that happen or how people can support you as a trust?

Mevin:

So we do have a lot of events. It's all on our website. And we do have a LinkedIn post as well. But the other thing is, I think maybe next by next year, we're going to be one of the highest financially highest. Financially.

Melanie:

OK, just cut for a moment because we can read it.

Mevin:

Just check something. Yeah. Yeah. There was something I think we're going to be the highest people. We can have more money basically. What's the word I'm looking for? Oh God, what's the word? Financially, we're going to be more stable than any other dose. We're going to be there more. Oh, my God. Basically, not just the founder passed away. And now we've got we got over 10 million. It's coming to our way. So we're going to be the highest. What's the word?

Melanie:

Yeah. I don't know what what the phrase is that you're looking for, but let's just rewind a second and we'll take a break because then we can Josh can edit it. OK. So Mevin, perhaps you can help our listeners to understand as well how they can support the Leonardo Trust with any fundraising that you might be doing?

Mevin:

Yes, so basically every, especially when we have the carers event in June, so we do a lot of things for different carers, we have goodie bags for them and we join into a lot of different places and then they can come to these events and they can see what else they can do. So basically some fundraising we've been doing would be about the money we're doing for the charity. I'll give you an example. So, for example, we raised some money and we did for the young carers, so the young carers to be able to do a performance at the theatre. So we did that as well. So it's not about the money we're raising, it's about them. It's not so much about us.

Melanie:

The experience they're having.

Mevin:

Yeah, because the charity itself is stable. So we're not so much worried about financially, but we're just worried about how we can help all the people around us. And especially about the grants and what kind of bespoke training or bespoke holiday we can give to the carers, what we can do for them, that will be one of the main things we do. But Leonardo Trust is one of the, I think we're trying to work with Age UK as well to join hands together and BCV. and try to see where else they're not providing the grants where we can help, where we can step in.

Melanie:

And I know you're in quite a unique position because when your founder sadly passed away but has left money to the trust, which means that you've now got, I mean, what an amazing legacy to leave to be able to then provide this support in a huge financial, way for our local area. Because does the Leonardo Trust cover Dorset?

Mevin:

No, cover the whole of Dorset. So I think by next year we're going to be one of the wealthiest charity in Dorset, the whole of Dorset.

Melanie:

Thanks to the founder and the legacy that they've left. Definitely. Amazing. That's a unique position that you're in and what a wonderful support facility for our family carers that live locally. And I'm really I'm thrilled that we can share that information with everybody and make sure that they understand how they can access that support.

Mevin:

We also have a caravan in the Hammurabi Park where there's loads of caravan. So if people want to go on holiday, you can let us know. We can do that for you as well. So like any carers who's struggling to go on holiday, they can join. There's loads of different attractions there in the park and they can do different things.

Melanie:

And presumably they can even just go there for the weekend. It doesn't need to be a week or a fortnight.

Mevin:

Yes.

Melanie:

Just a break to get away. Perfect. Brilliant. I mean, it sounds incredible, Mevin. Thank you so much for sharing all of that information about the work that you do, helping to demystify the jargon around residential care for our listeners and especially for all the information around the Leonardo Trust, which I think our listeners are going to really benefit from. So thank you.

Mevin:

Thank you very much.

Melanie:

OK, Mevin, so we're almost out of time. I'd like to just take this opportunity to really thank you for sharing such a lot of helpful information with our listeners today and with me. There were things that I didn't know about and it's really great. I'm definitely going to be sharing that with lots of people that I chat to over the coming weeks. I'm sure that your knowledge around residential care and all the different settings that are available to people in the local area will really have helped our listeners, so thank you. I also really hope that our listeners will get in touch with the Leonardo Trust, even if at this stage it's just to understand more about what you're doing and to keep that in the background. to use when they need it, because I think quite often when carers desperately need a break, it's not the right time to start looking into what's available. You just need to know how to access those services quickly. So I would really urge people to to connect with you, find out more about what you're doing and and to have that available for when they really need it.

Mevin:

Yeah. Thank you very much. That would be great.

Melanie:

Thanks, Mevin, for joining us on the Family Carer podcast. I really appreciate you being here today.

Mevin:

No, thank you very much and thank you for having me as well. Thank you.

Melanie:

You're welcome. OK, folks, thanks for listening to the Family Carer podcast and a huge thanks to Mevin again for joining us. You can sign up to our newsletter so that you can learn more about what's going on locally. We'll pop a link in the show notes so that you don't miss out. So remember to subscribe and share this episode with anyone you think needs to hear it. And finally, did you know that 12% of the population in Dorset provide unpaid care. It's quite an incredible amount, isn't it really? So 87% of carers actually live with the person they provide care to, and more are women over the age of 50 than any other demographic. So if that's you, please reach out to the Leonardo Trust today. Thank you again.

Mevin:

Thank you.