Right at Home Client Newsletter
November Edition
Published: 11/11/2022
Welcome! Every month, we’ll be keeping you up to date with all the latest news. As the weather turns and winter seems to have arrived with a gust, we share with you some suggestions for staying safe, warm and happy this month.
We hope you enjoy reading your newsletter and remember, we’d love to hear from you, so please do keep an eye out for the feedback section at the very end.
Your Right at Home Team
This month, we bring you a variety of news and tips including:
- A BEHIND THE SCENES PEEK into who's who at the Right at Home Office
- TOP TIPS on staying safe and warm this winter and how to reduce your energy bills
- WHAT'S HAPPENING and where in your community
- NEW! MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT - A Right at Home Client agrees to share their story
- BLASTS FROM THE PAST - Do you remember what was popular this month 50 years ago?
Behind the Scenes - Meet the Team
This month, we invite you to meet Duncan Cameron - Owner and Managing Director of Right at Home, Havant & Petersfield and Nickki Haggar-Registered Manager, Right at Home, Havant & Petersfield.
Duncan and Nickki have worked together since Duncan started Right at Home in 2016, and they have been working alongside one another ever since.
Interviewer: What led you down a path in care?
Duncan:My father is a GP and my mum is a nurse. My dad ran a practice and as a young boy, I helped out opening the door to patients and sometimes answering the phone too.
Later on, I had the opportunity to meet the UK franchisor for Right at Home - Ken Deary and was so inspired by his passion and the work he was doing in the community, that I knew immediately that this was what I wanted to do.
Nickki: I started working in care just before the age of 18 as a Home Help for a short period of time. I loved it so much that it has become my vocation and I have stayed in the profession ever since.
From being a Home Help, I progressed to Senior Caregiver and then became a Registered Care Manager with West Sussex County Council. Whilst there, I also worked in training before I eventually transferred to work in the private sector and at Right at Home.
Interviewer: What does a typical day look like at Right at Home?
Nickki: The phone can start ringing at 7.30am which can be anything from a safeguarding query to juggling schedules due to staff sickness. I can be liaising with the Care Quality Commission or Local Authorities. I may also be attending clients waiting for paramedics if they have had an accident, or doing care assessments, answering lots of questions.
In addition to helping run the business, I also ensure that all of our care training is up to date and oversee a team of direct reports.
Duncan: My role has evolved over the years and from doing invoicing, scheduling and meeting clients, I now work closely with my direct reports covering care, accounts, marketing and recruitment. I also spend a lot of time working with the UK franchisor and we are continuously looking at ways to improve the service we offer to our clients. I am still very involved with Dementia Community Events too in both Petersfield and Havant.
Duncan Cameron and Nickki Haggar
(Photo taken Spring 2017)
Interviewer: What do you find most rewarding about your job?
Nickki: The whole thing! I like the clients, the staff and quite simply just doing a good job and making sure that everyone is looked after.
Duncan: People. When I go out and visit clients and hear feedback on how good they feel and the difference we can make, it makes you feel as though you are walking on air. I also love seeing the team develop. Most of the people in the office have come up from grass roots and it is really rewarding to see them develop and their passion and enthusiasm for their roles too. It is something that I am very proud of.
Interviewer: What is your favourite book?
Nickki: I don’t have any one particular favourite, but I read every day and enjoy all sorts of books. I do like thrillers and. I also like Dan Brown as an author (Da Vinci Code)
Duncan: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay - I’ve read this book three times now and highly recommend it! I also loved The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
Interviewer: What is your favourite film?
Duncan: The Shawshank Redemption
Nickki: I don’t watch television that much. I like Elf at Christmas - it always makes me smile and any good thriller where there is a good twist in the tale.
Interviewer: What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy doing when you are not at work?
Duncan: I like to play sports and when I am not organising Dementia Community Walking Football and Cricket events, I like to play football, tennis and golf. I also enjoy gardening and originally trained as a gardener! I enjoy the outdoors and especially taking my dog Jack for walks.
Nickki: I have a horse who I love. I get up at 5.30 every morning to muck out before work and do it again in the evening after work.
Interviewer: Who would you like to have dinner with and why?
Nickki: Steve Jobs the American entrepreneur or Emily Pankhurst a leader of the suffrage movement. I think either of them would be very inspirational.
Duncan: Sir David Attenborough - his work and coverage of animal and plant life on Earth is extraordinary
Jack - Duncan's Dog and Office Biscuit Crumb Manager
- Edward Heath was Prime minister
- Jesus Christ Superstar by Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber and Sir Tim Rice opened at the Palace Theatre in London
- Are You Being Served and Colditz first aired on TV
- In November 1972, 'My Ding a Ling' by Chuck Berry was Number 1 in the charts
Only 42% of UK households had a telephone in 1972
In 1972 the biggest selling car in the UK was the Ford Cortina Mark 3
TOP TIPS
on staying warm this winter
The Priority Services Register
If you haven’t already, consider registering for the Priority Services Register by contacting your energy services provider who will do this for you. The Priority Services Register offers a range of benefits, not least priority in case of a power cut. This could include faster reconnection, or delivering heating and cooking apparatus to you if your electricity supply is interrupted.
Green Home Grants
The Government has launched an initiative called Green Home Grants whereby you can apply for a voucher of up to £5,000, of which you will pay a third or less of the total amount. The vouchers can be used to install home insulation or low carbon heating, like heat pumps and solar thermal panels. They can also be used to pay for double glazing and simpler efficiency measures like draught proofing.
Click here for more information
More Top Tips on energy efficiency and keeping warm:
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Draw your curtains in the evenings to minimise heat loss through windows.
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Tuck long curtains behind radiators so that heat isn't trapped.
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Keep radiators and heaters clear so heat can circulate - don't put furniture in front of them or dry washing on them.
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If there are rooms you don't use, turn off the radiators in them and close the doors. Keep your home at a stable, comfortable temperature.
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Use your heating controls, such as thermostats and timers, to heat your home without wasting energy.
GEM AWARDS
Has someone gone the extra mile, or simply just brightened up your day?
We have an incredible team of CareGivers and every month, we like to recognise those that have Gone the Extra Mile, above and beyond in their duties to support others.
If you’d like to nominate your CareGIver for a GEM award for something they have done or quite simply for just putting a smile on your face, please do nominate them.
We’ll let you know the results in our December newsletter.
MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT
Meet George - A Right at Home Client
George worked for IBM as a Computer Hardware Engineer for 23 years and thoroughly enjoyed his job. Throughout his career, George worked in North America including New York, California and South Carolina.Both of his parents worked in factories and they were very strict! When George was growing up he lived near the factories that made furniture.
However, as part of the war effort the factories were turned into arms factories that made the Lee-Enfield Rifle. They were an easy target for bombers and George remembers a doodlebug landing at the bottom of his garden and blowing out a neighbouring house
Claim to Fame! George made the England Team for fly fishing in the 1980s
Favourite Book: Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian
Favourite Music: Pink Floyd
Favourite Meal: Steak and Chips
Favourite Films: Rio Bravo and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (and any John Wayne Film)
Hobbies: Whilst George has reduced mobility now, he still enjoys his garden, going into the village where he lives to shop and watching television.
Things George likes about Right at Home: "I can ask them to do anything and they do it. They are trustworthy and that’s important to me. They break up my day."
RAH Won An Award!
As part of the Dementia Friendly Petersfield group via our fortnightly Dementia Walking Football activity, we are delighted to be recognised by winning the Contribution to the Community 2022 award at the recent Petersfield Awards ceremony.
Well done everybody involved!
Community Clubs & Events
Here’s a snapshot of just some of the things going on in the area this month and details of how to join and find out more:
Dementia Friendly Walking Football
Mondays at the Taro Centre, Penns Place in Petersfield, from 11am - 12noon. Find out more here.
Petersfield Lunch Club
The club meets twice a week at 12 noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Petersfield Community Centre. Find out more here.
Dementia Art and Social Groups
Fareham - Last Monday on the month
Waterlooville - First Thursday of the month
Emsworth - Third Wednesday of the month
Dementia Cricket
Every Thursday at 2pm at Havant Leisure Centre Find out more here.
University of the Third Age (U3A)
The U3A is uniquely for older people, giving you the opportunity to meet and make new friends who share the same interests or lifestyle. If you’ve always wanted to learn a particular skill, or enjoy sharing your knowledge with others, U3A could be a good option for you.
Forget-me-nots Poetry and Reminiscence Group
Fourth Friday every month at Waterlooville Library. Find out more here.
