Reflections on winter

Yet again too many older people found themselves in hospital during the cold dark winter months. 

Working in homecare we all know the familiar stories. People coping alone or grieving for a loved one, doing little, seeing few people, struggling for a reason to go on. Their mental well being declines, they stop eating, drinking, forget their medication, don’t exercise, leave the house or speak to anyone. They become rundown, catch a cold which develops into a chest infection. They become confused and develop a urinary tract infection. Inactivity results in muscle loss and they fall getting out of bed or rising from a chair. Anxiety raises blood pressure and they have a stroke.
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We also know in our hearts that all of these scenarios are preventable. 

One of our core values at VCP is to take action.
​We know there is inadequate funding and that no political party has a ‘preventative’ social care commitment.
However we also believe we can train our carers in the skills of basic health monitoring.
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• Supported by basic technologies next winter we can help prevent hospital admissions.​

• By targeting our developing ‘befriending’ service we can help prevent social isolation.

• We are also exploring a movement and nutrition program that is proven to reduce falls.

By next winter let’s be in a position where we can make a real difference, because we want people to not only live longer, but also live better!