Delirium Awareness

Delirium is a common, serious but often treatable condition that starts suddenly in someone who is unwell. It’s much more common in older people, especially those who are living with dementia.

It is a worsening or change in a person’s mental state that can happen suddenly, over one to two days. The person may become confused, or be more confused than usual. Or they may become sleepy and drowsy.

It can be distressing to the person and those around them, especially when they don’t know what might be causing the changes.

Spotting the signs of delirium

Delirium may be the first sign that someone is becoming unwell. It is one of the most common early symptoms of coronavirus infection in people with dementia. If someone suddenly develops any of the symptoms below or is ‘not themselves’, speak to a nurse or doctor immediately. Family, friends and carers – including professional carers – are often best placed to recognise and describe changes because they know the person best. The person with delirium may be unaware of the changes and will often find it difficult to describe them.

A person with delirium may:

• be easily distracted
• be less aware of where they are or what time it is (disorientation)
• suddenly not be able to do something as well as normal (for example, walking or eating)
• be unable to speak clearly or follow a conversation
• have sudden swings in mood
• have hallucinations – seeing or hearing things, often frightening, that aren’t really there
• have delusions or become paranoid – strongly believing things that are not true, for example, that others are trying to physically harm them or have poisoned their food or drinks

Symptoms of delirium

Symptoms of delirium often fluctuate over the day. Healthcare professionals divide delirium into three types based on the other symptoms that someone has. These three types are hyperactive, hypoactive and mixed delirium. Among older people, including those with dementia, hypoactive and mixed delirium are most common.

Delirium is different from dementia

But they have similar symptoms, such as confusion, agitation and delusions. If a person has these symptoms, it can be hard for healthcare professionals who don’t know them to tell whether delirium or dementia is the cause.

When a person with dementia also gets delirium they will have symptoms from both conditions at once.

There are important differences between delirium and dementia. Delirium starts suddenly (over one to two days) and symptoms often also vary a lot over the day. In contrast, the symptoms of dementia come on slowly, over months or even years. So if changes or symptoms start suddenly, this suggests that the person has delirium.

Staff from Northumbria Healthcare have created a video to explain the dangers of a common, but often misunderstood medical condition which has been even more prevalent during the pandemic.

For advice and information regarding dementia contact Age UK North Tyneside’s Dementia Connections Team on 0191 287 7014.

For professional care and support for someone living with dementia or to access our wellbeing respite services call 0191 287 7028.

Additional Resources

March 16th 2022 marks the fifth World Delirium Awareness Day. #WDAD2022

Dementia Meeting Centres

Life-changing groups where people living with Dementia and their families can receive vital support have opened in the North East for the first time.

This week Age UK North Tyneside opened two Dementia Meeting Centres, offering individually-tailored, expert-led support to people affected by the condition and their families.

Focus

Most existing groups focus solely on the person with Dementia, however the new centres – at West Moor Community Centre and Howdon Hub – also help family members cope with the effects of the devastating condition.

Research has shown Meeting Centres have a hugely positive impact: statistics show that after attending people living with the condition were happier, and families felt more able to look after their loved ones.

Activities

With activities to help stimulate their minds, and experts on hand for help and advice, attendees have already said what a difference the new groups are making to their lives.

Sam Chiedozie, whose wife Tessie, 63, lives with Dementia and who attended the West Moor group, said: “It is great to have a place we can go like this where we can get advice and talk to other people who are going through the same things.

“The activities are great – they help stimulate her mind and help her with her memory. This is so much better than us just being at home. This is exactly the kind of place we need.”

Tessie, from Wideopen, added: “We have been doing something similar with Age UK North Tyneside virtually but I have been really looking forward to meeting people for the first time!

“I have had such a great time here and will definitely come back!”

Dennis Brown, 82, from Forest Hall, also lives with the condition. He said: “When I heard about the Meeting Centres I thought it would do me good to come along.

“It has been very nice, with a great group of people who I wouldn’t have otherwise met. I have had a lot of fun.”

North Tyneside & dementia

There are around 3000 people over 65 living with Dementia across North Tyneside, and the condition is listed as the biggest cause of death in the UK.

Age UK North Tyneside’s Dementia Connections team currently supports almost 400 people a month who are living with Dementia, and their families.

During the pandemic it has kept in touch with customers via telephone, Zoom and Facetime, while also providing essential home visits.

The idea for Meeting Centres originated in the Netherlands, where there are now hundreds dotted across the country.

Despite their success in Europe, they are still uncommon in the UK.

Admiral Nurse Expertise

Kirsty De Bono-Hume, one of the charity’s seven Dementia-specialist Admiral Nurses and the Centres’ ‘lead’ hopes the Centres will be the first of many.

She said: “The idea is to bring together the people affected by Dementia and support them through what can be a very difficult process.

“The Meeting Centres provide an inclusive, warm and enjoyable environment to support both people with Dementia alongside their family carers.

“There is nothing else like this in the North East and we think it is going to have a massive impact on people in the community.

“We are starting with two Centres initially, but ideally would have more spread across North Tyneside in future.”

The Admiral Nurse team which supports the Meeting Centres has been funded by North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Dr Alexandra Kent, CCG Medical Director, said: “Having community-based support for people and families affected by dementia is vital especially after a very difficult 18 months.

“These local Meeting Centres really focus on helping people cope with the adjustments needed to live with the symptoms and changes that dementia brings and provides a welcoming, friendly and fun environment for everyone who visits.”

YouTube Link to Meeting Centres

To find out more about the Centres, call 0191 2808484 option 0. You can also email enquiries@ageuknorthtyneside.org.uk or head to https://www.ageuk.org.uk/northtyneside/our-services/dementia-services/dementia-coordinators/

Respite Care & Wellbeing Services  – North Tyneside

We recently conducted our annual customer satisfaction survey and our three Wellbeing Centre’s scored some fantastic results and feedback from our customers.

11 Questions out of 25 Questions scored 100% across the board

• Do you find our staff respectful, polite and helpful? 100% answered ALWAYS
• Were you involved / consulted in writing your Wellbeing Support Plan used at the Centres? 100% answered YES
• When our driver picks you up does the driver knock on your door and escort you if necessary to the vehicle?  100% answered YES
• Is your transport clean and tidy? 100% answered YES
• Is your driver helpful? 100% answered YES
• Do our staff support and encourage you to retain your independence? 100% answered YES
• Do staff address you by your preferred name at all times? 100% answered YES
• Do staff respect your dignity when carrying out personal care tasks?  100% answered YES
• Do you trust our staff to support and care for you? 100% answered YES
• Do you think our staff have the right skills and expertise to provide a high quality service for you?  100% answered YES
• Are you confident that our staff could deal with any accident or emergency at the centre? 100% answered YES

A sample of feedback received:

∗I’m over the moon with your service, from the first phone call to the first visit was brilliant, the advice given and help also was excellent, can’t thank all the staff enough.

∗Customer Satisfaction Survey Anonymous Feedback Rowan Croft

∗Nothing is ever a bother, nothing is impossible

∗If I just want to sit quietly and not take part in an activity I’m not pushed to do it, encouraged to take part but not made to.

∗The driver is a nice lad.

∗I really enjoy the drive in and home.  Jason points out things & places that I haven’t seen since I was younger, we have a good chat.  Tries his best to get closest to the door as possible as the back lane can be very busy & reminds me about my keys and walking stick.

∗Everybody is so friendly.  All the staff have been more than helpful and accommodating.  The girls, Geoff & Jason are lovely.  It was a nice activity filling out the Life Book with the girls.

∗Husband has settled well I feel which is giving me a well-earned break.

∗Mum’s mobility has slowed down, she is no longer getting out on her own anymore to the shops or anything.  It gets her out for the day, she is well fed and always coming home with prizes she has won on the bingo or baked goods and is full of chat about her day.  We have noticed Mum’s sleeping is better during the nights she has been at the day centre as she is so knackered.  The blankets they have been making has given Mum some focus on her days at home.  We’ve had nothing to fault with the centre.

∗Some lovely staff.  Wendy and Clare called just to see how myself and P were doing, they heard I was struggling.  Brilliant, caring centre.

∗Very creative staff.  Patient, wise and understanding.  Activities are carried out and P has thrived and is more content since coming here.  I know he is safe and happy.  Took a little while for him to settle but now he goes to get his back pack on in time, just before nine.  This has shown me how contented and trusting he is in staff and his time here.

∗Looks forward to coming.  A rest for me from caring.

∗My wife thinks this place is magic, she is happy that I get out and enjoy myself too.

∗Pleased Mum gets out of her flat at least once a week.  Gives the family peace of mind knowing that she’s at Rowan Croft and staff are very approachable.

∗My Mum enjoys her days at the Wellbeing Centre as there are no activities at her sheltered living.  She enjoys being with the elderly as she used to work in care.

∗Dad is very independent in a lot of things, reluctant to take help but manages really well.  Peace of mind that he is within company, socialising and getting fed well.  The staff keep him right with his iPhone which he uses a lot and we aren’t always on hand to help him with, so that is comforting.  We know Dad isn’t always keen for activities or to join in with a lot of things going on but we know he is happy to go and enjoys his time spent.

∗Everyone is lovely to me.  Very impressed actually.

Take a look at some of our recent reviews on Homecare.co.uk

Michelle Clement our Health & Wellbeing Manager

Michelle worked in social care for 13 years before deciding to take on an exciting new role within the wellbeing setting with EveryDay Care & Support. Michelle manages our three wellbeing centres in North Tyneside, one of which is a specialist dementia centre.

She said “the annual customer satisfaction survey results don’t come as any surprise to us. We are regularly thanked and praised for the care we provide to our customers, their families and carers. It sounds like a cliché but we really are one big, happy family”.

Additional Support as and when you require it.

We can provide additional services whilst enjoying time at our wellbeing centres these could include assisted bathing, showering, hairdressing and chiropody.

Individual & Bespoke Service

Our aim is to provide a care and respite service as individual as your loved one. A blend of personal care and/or activities can be created. We regularly provide health and wellbeing checks to ensure the continued good health of our customers. For those who are living with dementia or a cognitive impairment we can provide specialist support and advice from our Admiral Nurse team.

You can even rest assured that your loved one will reach us and return home in a relaxed and safe way thanks to our personal driver service- direct to your own door.

Free Wellbeing Taster Day

To ensure that our service exceeds your own expectations we provide a free wellbeing taster session at any of our three centres in North Tyneside . Our Manager Michelle will be delighted to chat with you about options which match your individual requirements. These can range from a single hour to full days.

Tel: 0191 2877028  to enquire about our unique wellbeing centre offer. 

Existing customers should feel free to leave us a review :

Care Quality Commission

Homecare.co.uk

Yell.com

Buy Local

Now more than ever, it’s important that we stay safe, stay local and stay connected while buying local. That’s the vision of Buy Local, a website created by the three local business chambers in North Tyneside; Whitley Bay, North Shields and Wallsend, with the help of Newcastle Building Society.

Buy Local provides a directory of businesses operating in North Tyneside. This lets residents, business owners, and visitors have a simple method of knowing what services are available to them.

Buy Local is not just a facility for businesses to raise their profile and for others to find them. It also provides information dedicated to the broader aspects and attractions of town centres and high streets. This includes details of events, heritage sites, parks, walks and other items of interest to the community.

Nominate a local business

Buy Local are celebrating businesses that have made a commitment to serve their local community over lockdown. You can get involved by nominating a North Tyneside business that you feel is a Local Lockdown Hero. If you know a local business that is stepping up during this difficult time, email talk@buylocalnorthtyneside.co.uk.

Your local care provider

EveryDay Care & Support, are now listed on the Buy Local as a local care provider. We are continuing to operate throughout the local and national lockdowns. To ensure all staff and customers are safe, we have introduced new measures and procedures.

Thanks to our new measures, EveryDay Care & Support have capacity to take on new customers in our Living and Homecare services. To find out more, call us on 0191 287 7028.

One of our customers recently gave our Living service a 10/10 rating and said “The service is smashing. Michele is fabulous. I would recommend it all day long. It’s really nice to see someone, I look forward to her visits. They give me social interaction and human connection which is awesome and priceless right now. Michele does what I can’t do. In my opinion, you’re all faultless, you’re all the forgotten, unsung heroes but I very much appreciate what you do. Thank you.”

Another customer said this of our Homecare service; “The service has been responsive & valuable especially during lockdown & restrictions to support my grandma both practically & emotionally. This, in turn, support our family as a whole.”

Support local businesses

To find out more about which local business are still open, visit buylocalnorthtyneside.co.uk. If you need extra help and support during these trying times, call Age UK North Tyneside on 0191 280 8484 Option 1. Their Information and Advice team are there to help you with everything from pensions and financial support, to leisure and social activities. Or, if you just want someone to talk to, ask about their befriending service.

Covid 19 & Vaccine Roll Out Update

What a way to start this new  year with a number of our frontline, key workers lining up today for their C19 vaccines. This has been a happy and emotional day for us all at EveryDay Care & Support.

Our daily statistics are incredible, staff absence is at 4%, and we have no staff absent from work with Covid 19. We have 7 staff in isolation which includes 6 staff who are medically shielding.

Our customers, thankfully, remain safe and well, and we have no customers reported with C19, no one showing symptoms and no recorded deaths from C19.

Those staff who support customers face to face now complete a home test weekly. They will report immediately if they are positive to their Line Manager . We can make then make arrangements for the service they provide to continue seamlessly. This is a key control to keep our staff and customers safe, a significant responsibility for us all.

The designated testing days are “Happy Wednesday” and “Happy Thursday”. So far we have had 1 staff member receive a positive test whilst showing no symptoms, this demonstrates the value of carrying out these tests every week. If we had not, then this staff member could have been spreading the virus without knowing whilst at work caring for our customers.

Our customers in Extra Care Housing will start this month to have their monthly C19 test, and to lighten the mood we will be encouraging customers to do their test with the staff on the “Happy Wednesday” and “Happy Thursday” of that month.

Health Needs Assessment

All staff are being encouraged by our Better Health At Work team to complete their Health Needs Assessment Survey. Through our work with the Better Health at Work initiative, we are committed to promoting positive health and wellbeing for all.  To do this we consult with staff regularly to find out what issues are important to them regarding their health and wellbeing.

Community Matters Team

Silver Sunday

We are now in Phase 4 and working to implement our new world, aligning it with our new 2025 strategy. This has been the focus of our Chief Executive, Dawn McNally’s Special Briefing this week. This carries on from the customer consultation and engagement exercise we carried out during Phase 2 and 3.

Staff Update

Our statistics this week and largely unchanged:

• Staff absence started the week at 5%, increased to 6% and then 7% and today reduced down to 6%.
• We have 2 staff with C19, both are isolating and recuperating at home, we send our best wishes for a speedy recovery
• 3 staff are self-isolating due to contact with people with C19.
• 37 staff have had a C19 test and 41 have had an antibody test, 3 tested positive for the antibody test.
• 49 customers have had a C19 test and as of today no one has C19.

Positive Aging

October is historically Age Takes Centre Stage month which would normally mean a month-long festival of events celebrating aging. As we are limited in what we can do out in our communities the focus this year will be on promoting positive aging.

Get Involved

Sunday October 6^th is Silver Sunday and we would love to be able to share your imagery of positive aging on our various social media platforms.

Our New World

Having reviewed the latest Government Guidance we are not making any immediate changes to services. We will introduce some additional controls. As we are entering Phase 4, which does mean we will be opening up more services in a safe,  planned and phased way.

Staff Absence

Staff absence rate remain between 5-7%. However, we have seen the number of staff reporting the need to self- isolate increasing this week. This has not been related to the work environment. Staff have been reminded that if they feel unwell that they must contact their Line Manager before even thinking about coming into work (even if it’s a cold).

Service Update

Wellbeing Centres

All care services continue to operate face to face essential services, including the Wellbeing Centres with increased controls in place.

These services are constantly monitored by North Tyneside Council who regularly review our Risk Assessments. Furthermore, North Tyneside Council this week inspected Linskill Park Wellbeing Centre and we are pleased to report out of 40 categories tested we had one recommendation, which was that all staff watch the NTC Video for “donning and doffing PPE”, which we addressed immediately.

Newcastle Care Provision

Allerdale House, Newcastle  is planned to open on 5 October 2020, with 14 customers ready to move in in the first week.

The Bradbury Centre

Our HQ building remains open to the public Monday to Friday 10 am to 2 pm with a ‘one in one out’ system for customers, we must remember that most contact with customers is via telephone and therefore numbers are very low, even then we will offer a telephone appointment to follow up.

The Customer Service and Information and Advice Teams will have staff available in the Bradbury Centre Monday to Friday at the times noted above

Track & Trace

All business premises must, from 24.09.2020 display a poster with a QR Code to track and trace visitors to their premises. We have this signage in place. We are encouraging all staff members to download the new NHS Covid-19 App and add themselves for ease.

Phase 4

Our 2020 strategy ended on 31 March 2020 and we were about the launch of our new 2025 strategy when C19 hit. As a result we had to put this on hold. We immediately implemented our C19 Plan which included Four Phases:

• Phase 1- Prepare for paperless and move to digital working
• Phase 2- Consult and engage with customers on their needs and aspirations post lockdown
• Phase 3- Prepare and re-design services for the new world
• Phase 4- Implement changes to commence our new world

As reported last week we are about to move into Phase 4, our new world, where we will align what our customers and staff have told us during the consultation and engagement phases with the new 2025 strategy. We would like to focus on the most immediate changes next week our CE will communicate with staff what we are striving to achieve with our new strategy.

Winter is coming

We would encourage customers who feel they would like a FREE benefit check to contact our qualified team of advisors ensuring they have access

to the benefits they may well be entitled to.

Tel: 0191 2808484  

Change Is On The Horizon

We appreciate that it can feel overwhelming with so many changes and constant messages but let’s not forget how well we, as an organisation have done in keeping customers, staff, and volunteers safe. We feel that it’s only right that we ensure that all of our stakeholders remained informed at all times.

Ahead Of The Curve

We were ahead of the curve last week with the changes we announced which stood us in good stead for the changes the Government announced yesterday.

Public Health Monitoring

On a daily basis our Leadership Team is monitoring the number of C-19 cases across the North East. This means we can implement changes quickly and then cross-check our changes with those our local Director of Public Health or Government may announce at any one time.

We Remain Optimistic

We continue to be optimistic and responsive in these tough times. Winter is approaching which will be a challenging time for us all . We remain confident and proud that we will continue to support our older people no matter what.

Further Clarification

We wanted to therefore start by clarifying some of the messages from last week, and to encourage our stakeholders to seek further clarification if necessary. Tel: 0191 2877028 for our Customer Service Team.

Customer Service

To allow us to reach older people and their families who prefer to speak to us face to face, we continue to operate a “one in one out” system for customers at the Bradbury Centre. This does not include those customers where we directly provide their care .

Around 99% of our contact with customers is now being done over the telephone, by video and other digital means and therefore numbers will be low for those needing us face to face.

We have implemented, and continue to monitor, all of the controls we feel are necessary to keep all of us safe.

Consultation

We are committed to consulting with all of our stakeholders regularly to understand what additional steps we need to take on this journey but we must continue to be available for those in greatest need.

The Customer Service Team are doing a fantastic job at managing access to our services and their triaging statistics are outstanding. They deal with over 70% of calls/walk-ins themselves without having to refer to other services.

Some team members are working from home currently. This does not apply to essential workers like our care teams, where we will continue to manage the risk differently. In reality, our care staff predominantly work in their local area and are not using public transport to a great extent.

Wellbeing Centres

We can continue to keep our Wellbeing Centres open. Public Health in North Tyneside is confident that the controls we have in place will continue to keep our customers and staff members safe.

Our team members in the Wellbeing Centres will be reminding customers about the new rules around socialising at home and in particular the potential risk if children are visiting now that they have returned to school.

Extra Care Housing Customers

Visiting in our Extra Care Housing Schemes is limited to “essential adult visitors” only. We have encouraged our Digital Champions in our Schemes to support customers to access technology more where they can. We are conscious as winter approaches that we need to try to offer different ways for families to remain connected.

Phase 3 and preparing for Phase 4 after Lockdown

We are preparing for Phase 4 which will commence on 1 October 2020. We have engaged and consulted with all of our customers during Phase 2 and 3. We are now reviewing services and preparing to implement changes from 1 October 2020 as we plan to continue to provide services in the new world.

Neighbourhood Network

We are keen to start implementing our Locality Plans and most importantly our plans for a Neighbourhood Network.

The Neighbourhood Network will involve the recruitment of Volunteer Ambassadors who will keep an eye on their older neighbours. These Ambassadors will develop a working relationship with our own key staff in localities and can support them to support their older neighbours. This network should allow us to reach more older people and help them make more of life.

Unpaid Carers

Caring for someone can be especially challenging during these difficult times. We are supporting Carers UK who are repeating their survey aimed at evidence gathering from carers .They are building on the one first in April. This had a really good impact in terms of awareness, but getting to hear about change that carers see in their every-day life is becoming even more challenging.

The opportunity to share your thoughts and feelings is a short one. The survey closes on Sunday 27 September, the link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CNTJ8GM .

Please complete the survey if you can, especially if you took part the first time. This information is invaluable to providing unpaid carers with the support they need.

Useful information

For anyone who wants to review the changes for North Tyneside and Newcastle announced this week around C19 or just a good refresh of the rules here are the links to the respective websites.

https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/page/26134/coronavirus-covid-19

https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/public-health-wellbeing-and-leisure/public-health-services/coronavirus-covid-19

Our Customer Service Team is able to take your call, give us a ring Telephone 0191 2877028 for advice, information or further clarification .

Stay safe.