My Home Life Cymru conference

ENDS

CONTACT

For all media enquiries, please contact Iwan Rhys Roberts, Communications Officer – Age Cymru, on 029 2043 1562, 07739 894 923, iwan.roberts@agecymru.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

The ‘Taking the journey of development in care homes’ conference is taking place at 9.15 am on 16 June at the Village Hotel in Swansea.

• My Home Life Cymru was the winner of the ‘Innovation in Care Award’ at the Wales Care Awards 2010.

• My Home Life Cymru aims to celebrate existing best practice in care homes and promote care homes as a positive option for older people. The programme aims to do this through the development of a range of resources, events, practice development initiatives and other activities throughout Wales.

My Home Life Cymru

My Home Life Cymru is led by Age Cymru and funded by the Welsh Government.

Since early 2009, My Home Life Cymru has worked with a small number of pilot homes, identifying areas of good practice and promoting quality of life for older people in residential care through relationship centered, evidence based practice.

People are entering care homes much later in life, often with complex care needs, and residential care has to be responsive to this.

Care homes are often seen by the media and others as a negative option for older people, but, there are many examples of excellent practice within many care homes, where residents, relatives and staff are at the centre of residential home life.

My Home Life Cymru prompts care homes to consider the following questions, and offers support in making positive answers a workable reality:

• How can residents, staff, managers and visitors be supported to share the best of what they do so they are seen as positive choices and good places to live, love, dream, laugh, learn and connect with others is a normal part of everyday life?

• How can residents be invited to direct their own lives and use their experiences to help others?

• How can care staff be inspired and motivated through better leadership and training?

• How can friends and family become more involved in care home life? As we get older, our needs and circumstances may change and for many this could mean that a care home is the best place for our needs to be met. For many, this can be a daunting prospect. However, living, visiting and working in a care home can be a positive experience that can lead to the forming and developing of close relationships that can enhance the quality of life of those involved.

My Home Life Cymru helps residents, relatives, visitors and members of staff focus on the issues that are important in maintaining a good quality of life.

In the development of My Home Life, over 60 academic researchers worked in partnership with care home practitioners, independent advisors and voluntary groups to examine evidence on the quality of life of older people in care homes.

This research helped identify eight best practice themes which together form a vision for care homes in the 21st century.

As a manager of a care home, member of staff, resident, visitor or professional who commissions care home services, quality of life issues are important to you.

My Home Life Cymru is working with care homes across Wales to help develop and share ideas and initiatives to encourage everyone involved in the care home sector to improve the quality of life of those living, visiting and working in care homes for older people.