How Do Staff Support Residents' Wellbeing in Care Homes?

Moving into a care home can be a great opportunity to enjoy a new phase of life in a safe, supportive environment. For many older adults, the transition to residential care is accompanied by an increase in happiness, social activity and overall quality of life. At KYN, our carers and nurses are dedicated to maintaining the physical and mental wellbeing of all residents. We support each individual to maintain their independence and preferred lifestyle wherever possible. We personalise our approach to care according to residents’ unique needs and preferences, ensuring that every individual feels valued and respected. In this guide, we'll discuss how care homes should meet residents' care and wellbeing needs, whilst encouraging independence and ensuring dignity and self-worth.  

Physical Wellbeing in Care Homes

One of the main priorities for care home staff is promoting and maintaining each resident’s physical wellbeing. This includes supporting independence, encouraging physical activity, providing nutritious meals and meeting each resident's individual health and care needs.

Meeting Care Needs

Carers are required to undergo training to support individuals with a wide range of physical needs. This includes general mobility issues within residential care homes to more chronic health conditions that would need to be met within a nursing care environment. They will work with each resident to create a personalised care plan. This will detail how they will meet each person’s assessed care needs and support them in maintaining their health and wellbeing. This would include:

·         Medical history and wellbeing

·         Personality, likes and dislikes

·         Physical abilities

·         Ongoing support needs, and any equipment or adaptations required

·         Health goals and aspirations

This ensures that each resident's physical health is managed as effectively as possible – for example, through medications, therapies and assistance with personal care tasks.

Nutrition

A balanced diet is essential for maintaining physical wellbeing, especially as we get older. Proper nutrition is important for many reasons: it helps to improve energy levels, maintain proper brain function and promote overall health. Therefore, all care homes should provide high-quality, nutritious meals tailored to each individual's dietary requirements and preferences. At KYN, our talented chefs work with fresh, seasonal ingredients, carefully balancing nutritional needs with satisfying flavours and textures. A variety of options are available per course, with each residents' personal tastes catered for.

Movement and Exercise

An important part of maintaining physical health and wellbeing is staying physically active. This applies to all stages of life, but it's especially important for older adults in care homes. Regular exercise can help to improve mobility and stamina, reduce the risk of falls and even extend the lifespan. According to BioMed Research International, physical activity is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer. Care home staff encourage residents to stay physically active in a way that is appropriate for their individual abilities and interests. This may include exercise classes (such as yoga and Pilates), nature walks and gentle sports such as tabletop skittles. 

Mental and Emotional Wellbeing in Care Homes

Maintaining people’s mental health in care homes is just as important as meeting their physical health needs. Care home staff must support residents’ emotional wellbeing by ensuring their rights and choices are respected and met. This should include providing enriching activities and promoting an active and meaningful social life. They also help residents to maintain their dignity and independence however possible.

Life Enrichment

Life enrichment is extremely important for the mental wellbeing of older adults in care homes. Meaningful activities can help create a sense of purpose, leading to reduced anxiety and depression and an improved quality of life. Care homes should aim to provide a range of mental, social, cultural and leisure pursuits. At KYN, our life enriching activity and wellbeing programme changes weekly, and may include opportunities such as:

·         Art and craft workshops

·         Intellectual pursuits e.g. chess club, sudoku, word games

·         Cultural experiences e.g. live music, current affairs club, theatre trips, wine tasting classes

·         Spiritual and healing activities e.g. religious worship, tai chi, crystal healing therapy, massage

·         Nature bathing, gardening and flower arranging

Residents are free to choose which activities to take part in, according to their interests, preferences and abilities.

Social Connections

Meaningful social connections are essential for care home residents' mental wellbeing. Having an active social life can increase happiness and self-worth, while also creating a sense of community. Good care homes actively encourage residents' friends and family to visit, join in with activities and dine together. Residents should also have plenty of opportunities to socialise with other residents and the wider community. This might include organised outings and events, social clubs and intergenerational visits with children from local nurseries. At KYN, our unique household system helps to foster meaningful relationships between small groups of like-minded individuals. Each resident is free to socialise in their household's lounge as well as communal areas of the home.

Dignity and Independence

All care home residents have rights to dignity and independence: feeling respected, valued and in control of their lives. This is crucial for maintaining mental wellbeing, including self-confidence and self-esteem. As part of their training, all carers learn how to promote independence in a care home. Residents are encouraged to do as much as they can for themselves and make their own choices whenever possible. This may include choosing their own daily routine and being involved in medical decisions. Care home staff should always treat residents with compassion, respect their privacy and seek consent before providing personal care.

Experience Personalised Holistic Care with KYN

At KYN, we believe that a fulfilling, meaningful, engaged and contented life can be enjoyed at every stage of existence. We designed KYN to be somewhere our friends, family and we ourselves would wish to live. We take a 360-degree approach to care, treating each individual’s physical and mental wellbeing as a whole. We do this by focusing on the cornerstones of good health: preventative intervention, nutrition, appropriate physical activity, mental stimulation and an active social life. Contact KYN today to request a call, visit or brochure. Fill in our enquiry form, call us on +44 (0) 20 3535 1923 or email enquiries@kyn.co.uk.