Advances in assistive technology are improving the quality of life for people with complex brain injury. Young people, children and babies in particular are benefiting from this technological evolution…
The evolution of technology continues exponentially. A few years ago, none of us would have imagined that we would be able to talk to a smart speaker in our home, get it to order shopping, find recipes, play games and so on. Or that a doorbell would enable us to talk to (and see!) visitors to our home when we are miles away. These developments are making everyday life easier for us all.
But it is in the area of assistive technology where advancements are making a huge difference to the quality of life of people with complex brain injury – especially for children and young people.
Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology is fundamentally any kind of technology or equipment that has been either adapted or specially designed to improve how a disabled person functions in their daily lives. In fact, those smart speakers we mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg – the latest Amazon Echo has recently been advertised featuring people with disabilities, because the voice control can be of great benefit to those who have limited/no use of their limbs.
And why is this technology particularly beneficial to babies, children and young people with complex brain injury? They will get the best start in life if they can develop and engage with their education and with the people around them – and assistive technology can help with that. The sooner they start, the less their disadvantage will be. Assistive technology can help them communicate with others, it can offer them independence, a different way to learn – and of course can also be used for entertainment, helping them to enjoy the things that other children expect to do as a matter of course.
Aids for Communication
Aids for communication can include things as simple as charts and picture books – but technology offers the use of electronic communication equipment that can be operated using a switch or joystick, or even by moving the eyes. The ability to use voice output technology can enable people to take part in conversations with those around them and stop them feeling isolated.
Special software and other adaptations can allow children with complex brain injury to use PCs, games consoles, tablets and mobile phones – encouraging independence as they can use these devices themselves.
For those who struggle with reading, e-books can come as audio files, and PCs, smartphones and tablets can be equipped with text-to-speech software that can read aloud anything on the screen. Audio recorders are useful for children who find it hard to take notes in a class.
For anyone with attention issues, hearing issues, or language processing problems, frequency modulation (FM) systems help to cut back background noise in the classroom and amplify the teacher’s words, to aid concentration.
It can be beneficial for the carers of these children and young people, to be trained in using the technology, and how to update it, so that access to the technology is not interrupted.
Assistive Tech in Action
Embrace HR MD, Cecily Lalloo, saw assistive technology in action when she attended a BABICM webinar by Mike Thrussell of Access Technology. Access Technology use assistive technology to help people with disabilities do what they want to do. Here’s what she had to say after the webinar:
“Mike first introduced us to Al, a 17-year old who is non-verbal and has physical disabilities. Al took over the presentation and showed us how he is studying maths and the sciences using off-the-shelf software with his iPad and computers but with access to his devices in a way that is easier for him to use.
“He is also a gamer and he is so adept and innovative, that he has been contacting Mike, with suggestions and ideas to further make use of technology to help him, and possibly others. He has an adapted joystick to play his games on his Xbox.
“Mike has been working with Al for many years and says that his parents are very supportive so that Al can live a fulfilling life and do things that any 17-year-old would like to do. Al is now an Ambassador for Mike’s company and asked Mike if he could do his work placement with him.
“It was lovely watching him, an intelligent and proud young man, achieve what he set his mind to do. I smiled as he corrected his Mum … ‘it’s an Xbox, Mum,’ he said when she mentioned his Playstation.
“Next up was Kit, who is 7 years old. His parents have been working with Mike since their son was 4 years old. Mike explained that he had to find a way to make Kit aware of ’cause and effect’. Through much research, he discovered that Kit loved the feeling of being ‘jiggled’. So they sited pads on either side of his head on his wheelchair, showed him that when his head hit the pads, it activated his computer. He took a long and hard look at what was on the screen and this activated his wheelchair to jiggle. This made Kit laugh as he enjoyed the sensation.
“But the head movements weren’t easy for him and through further research Mike set up a pad close to his knee. This enabled him to move his knee to hit the pad, and the same action would present the screen for him to look at to activate the jiggling movement of his chair. Once Kit learnt about cause and effect, Mike went on to set up cartoons that would jiggle and Kit learnt to activate them, which gave him enormous pleasure.
“Over the years they have progressed, and Kit uses his knee pad to switch lights on and off in the home. The lights are controlled by remote, so Kit uses the switches that the rest of the family use. This means he is included despite his disabilities. Using Bluetooth, he also helps his Mum with the cleaning as he instructs ‘Alexa’ to vacuum.”
Mike’s ethos is to enable people with disabilities such as Al and Kit to live the best life they can, making use of technology and what is around us to help them do what they want to do. In a few years Mike says things will have changed dramatically. And we need to keep up.
If you would like to discuss this subject further, please contact Cecily Lalloo at Embrace HR Limited.
T: 01296 761288 or contact us here.
If you would like to receive our newsletter, please sign up here.
Based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Embrace HR Limited provide a specialised HR service to the care sector, from recruitment through to exit.
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CLOSED: Rehabilitation Support Worker, Whyteleafe, Croydon
Are you a trainee occupational therapist or physiotherapist, or a personal trainer? This role may suit you – get in touch.
Job role: Support Worker – Permanent (between 20-30 hours per week)
Location: Whyteleafe, Croydon
Pay: £15 – £16 per hour – Weekdays
£18 – £19 per hour – Weekends and Nights
Shifts :
Various shifts available after school, school holidays, occasional nights. Tell us what suits you.
Desired shifts:
Term time
Monday-Friday 4pm – 8pm (10pm)
Weekends 8am – 8pm
Overnight – as and when required
Nice to have – shift cover for two hours each morning to help get ready for school
School holidays
Monday-Sunday 8am – 8pm
Overnight – as and when required
You are a Support Worker who is:
We actively encourage male* applicants for this role
Experience:
Do you have experience with children or young people with disabilities who need complex care? Do you work with people with cerebral palsy and administered medication, follow through on therapy plans, keep accurate records, work alone on occasions? If so, contact us.
Job Overview:
To work flexibly to support our young client and his family to manage aspects of his daily life, both at home and in the community to enhance his quality of life. Working in accordance with his OT/PT and care support plan, the role is focussed on maximising his independence and wellbeing by meeting his care, support and rehabilitation needs; creating a stimulating environment whilst ensuring his safety and minimising risks; providing companionship and encouragement to help him and his family achieve his goals.
Our client:
We need a number of Support Workers who enjoy rehabilitation work and who can be flexible in the availability of shifts worked. If you can work nights too, we’ll be happy to talk to you. Our client is a 16-year-old boy who has Bilateral Cerebral Palsy and lives at home with his mother, twin brother and younger sister and requires 2:1 support with his personal care needs, food preparation and feeding, social integration with his peers, community care and rehabilitation, and participating in tasks of daily living as much as he possibly can.
Full support is needed to undertake all activities of daily living. He requires a high level of care both during the day and night. If you are available for any of the shifts mentioned above, we’d love to talk with you.
Our client enjoys the company of happy, lively people with outgoing personalities. He enjoys spending time with his siblings, has a fantastic sense of humour and loves joining in all activities integral to family life. Ongoing training and support will be given.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY NOW – if you are a support worker or working towards Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist we would love to hear from you. Male* support workers are also encouraged to apply.
* The employer claims exemption under the Equality Act 2010
For this support worker / rehabilitation assistant role, satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK must be evidenced.
A DBS check is a requirement and a conviction will not necessarily prevent you from being employed.
Closing date for applications: 23 February 2023
Click here to find out more and to apply for this position
Job Ref: Feb01AMC
Closing date: 23/02/2023
CLOSED: Female* Day and Night Support Worker
Female* Day and Night Support Worker
Job role: Female* Support Worker – Permanent, part-time (20-30 hours per week)
Location: Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16
Pay: £13-£15 per hour – Day Shifts / £14-16 per hour – Waking Night Shifts
Shifts available: Flexibility to work shifts with a mix of afternoons, nights and seasonal cover is required. There are a variety of shifts available, any shift pattern will be considered.
Are you a Female* Support Worker?
Experience
Experience in caring for children/young people with cerebral palsy is an advantage; administration of medication, follow through on therapy, keep accurate records. Enthusiasm, patience, common sense and a willingness to learn are key aspects of the role. The ability to work alone is essential.
Our client
We are currently looking for a number of day and night Female* Support Workers who can be flexible in the availability of shifts worked. Our client is a young girl in her teens who has complex physical and learning disabilities. She lives with her mother, father and two younger siblings. She is non-verbal with sensory impairments, hearing impairment and uses cochlear implants. She has complex physical needs and is a wheelchair user.
Full support is needed to undertake all activities of daily living. She is fed via a gastrostomy and uses a combination of facial expressions, symbols and some eye pointing to communicate. She requires a high level of care both during the day and especially at night as our client frequently wakes and has an unpredictable sleep pattern. She uses CPAP to support her respiration at night and needs attention with regards to her gastrostomy and fluid intake.
Our client enjoys the company of happy, lively people with outgoing personalities. She enjoys playing with her siblings, has a fantastic sense of humour and loves joining in all activities integral to family life. Ongoing training and support will be given.
* The employer claims exemption under the Equality Act 2010
Satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK will also be required. This position requires a disclosure request from the DBS. A conviction will not necessarily prevent you from being employed.
To find out more and to apply for this position visit: https://www.recruitmentgenius.com/jobseekers/job-details/female-day-and-night-support-worker-ref-00120305
Closing date for applications: 30 April 2022
CLOSED: Support Worker Complex Care
Support Worker Complex Care – Northwood HA6
To care for a 13-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, she is dependent for all her care needs, and therefore the requirement is to provide assistance with personal hygiene. educational, social and leisure activities.
HOURS:
Working days: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
Term time – approx. 39 weeks per year
Working hours: 16.00 – 20.00 (12 hours per week)
Potential for other shifts also during school holidays
Potential for Saturday and Sunday by arrangement
PAY: £14 per hour afternoons/evenings
PAY: £16 per hour Saturday and Sunday shifts
Main duties and responsibilities
General
Person Specification
Essential requirements:
Desirable:
School holidays and half terms: Shifts by agreement
Support Worker hours and rates of pay
Salary: £14.00-£16.00 per hour
Part-time hours: 12 per week
Reference ID: MAR022AP
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
To find out more and to apply for this position visit: https://uk.indeed.com/job/support-worker-b5dfe4a18b55ac0c
Closing date for applications: 30 April 2022
Get up to date with latest staff payment changes
As 1 April gets closer, make sure you are up to date with the changes in minimum wage rates and other statutory payments for the tax year 2022/2023…
It is not long until April, and of course for anyone involved in HR or employing people, knowing the annual change in rates for the National Living Wage and other statutory payments is vital. Below we outline what you need to know:
National Living Wage
From 1 April 2022, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase from £8.91 per hour to £9.50. This is more than twice the 3.1% cost of living and means that anyone aged 23 or over should receive a pay rise of 6.6%.
For younger workers the rates are different but they will still see a pay rise. The National Minimum Wage (NMW) is set to increase from £8.36 an hour to £9.18 an hour for workers aged 21 and 22.
The rate rises from £6.56 to £6.83 for anyone aged 18 to 20, while under 18s will see their Minimum Wage increase from £4.62 to £4.81.
The apprentice rate rises from £4.30 to £4.81.
The above is demonstrated here in a tabular format from Gov.uk:
National Insurance Contributions
From 6 April 2022, there will be a 1.25% increase in National Insurance Contributions. This applies to all working adults in the UK and is a rate that will also be matched by employers.
This increase will be used to help fund the NHS, health and social care.
Be aware that from April 2023, this 1.25% will need to be itemised separately on payslips under ‘Health and Social Care Levy’.
Statutory Pay for Parents
From 3 April 2022, Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) after the standard six weeks of 90% of pay is £156.66 or 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Note the same rate also applies to Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay.
If you would like to discuss this subject further, please contact Cecily Lalloo at Embrace HR Limited.
T: 01296 761288 or contact us here.
If you would like to receive our newsletter, please sign up here.
Based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Embrace HR Limited provide a specialised HR service to the care sector, from recruitment through to exit.
CLOSED: Support Worker
Support Worker – West Chiltington, West Sussex
Part-time available: a) On-call night shifts (including weekend)
and b) shifts during school holidays
(Exemption is claimed under the Equality Act 2010 Part 1 Schedule 9)
We have an exciting opportunity to recruit a permanent support worker to join our small established team. The ideal candidates will have a good sense of humour, an excellent work ethic, and the ability to maximise someone’s potential and enhance their quality of life within their home environment.
On-call Night Shifts (permanent contract)
Shifts: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday from 9:30 pm to 8:30 am.
Staff are required to get our client ready for bed, soothe him to sleep and to check on him during the night as required and get him ready for school in the morning.
School Holiday shifts (permanent contracts)
We are seeking a support worker to cover school holidays. The shifts available are from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm two or three days a week during school holidays. Also, to accompany our client and his family on holiday.
The Client
Our client is a male child aged 10 years who has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. He is tube fed and is a wheelchair user. He is a loving, sweet and cheeky chap and a pleasure to work with. His care depends on others to support him in a holistic approach ranging from personal care, feeding and toileting to promoting his quality of life within the house and in the community. He lives as full, active and high quality a life as possible, so social and recreational activities are important in his care, together with learning his communication strategies due to him being non-verbal.
Client’s Hobbies & Interests
Our client loves active engagement and interaction; he enjoys being outside on his swing, slide and trike and going for walks in his all-terrain buggy. He loves his hydrotherapy sessions and has his own hydrotherapy pool. He enjoys stories, music, board games, arts and crafts, relaxing massages and watching his favourite TV programmes.
The Roles
You will have experience of working with someone with a learning and a physical disability, and you will commit to provide a high standard of therapeutic support in a calm, caring and professional manner.
Night shifts:
You will get our client ready for bed and settle him to sleep. You can go to bed but need to be alert to him waking during the night via a CCTV monitor. He can have settled nights but is often disturbed a couple of times and can take time to settle back down. He will need repositioning to help him get back to sleep. In the morning you’ll get him ready for school.
You will need to have the flexibility to accompany the client and his family on holiday.
School holidays: Tasks include undertaking a range of activities in the home and supporting our client to to maximise his independence in line with his therapy programme. You will work with other health care professionals that include a Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist to participate in all of these activities actively. You will also participate in hydrotherapy with our client to promote his physical health and enhance his quality of life as much as possible.
There is the expectation that you will work towards a client-centred approach to improve and promote our client’s quality of life by following the agreed care plans.
You will possess good communication skills, empathy, flexibility and enthusiasm, with the ability to use your initiative and creativity. You will be confident, reliable and caring. Undertaking domestic tasks, such as cleaning and tidying at the end of the shift, is vital.
You will need to have the flexibility to accompany our client and his family on holiday.
Essential
Location: The roles are based at the family’s home in West Chiltington, West Sussex.
Support Worker hours and rates of pay
Night rate – Sunday – Tuesday – £120 in total
Day rate – £14.00ph in week and £16.00ph at weekends
Reference ID: ThoH
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Salary: £14.00-£16.00 per hour
To find out more and to apply for this position visit: https://uk.indeed.com/job/support-worker-e28f0a929682bb22
Closing date for applications: 19 March 2022
CLOSED: Team Leader – Support Workers
Team Leader – Support Workers – West Chiltington, West Sussex
Part-time available: a) On-call night shifts (including weekend)
and b) shifts during school holidays
(Exemption is claimed under the Equality Act 2010 Part 1 Schedule 9) We have an exciting opportunity to recruit a permanent Team Leader to join our small established team. The ideal candidates will have a good sense of humour, an excellent work ethic, and the ability to maximise someone’s potential and enhance their quality of life within their home environment.
On-call Night Shifts (permanent contract)
Shifts: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday from 9:30 pm to 8:30 am.
Staff are required to get our client ready for bed, soothe him to sleep and to check on him during the night as required and get him ready for school in the morning.
School Holiday shifts (permanent contracts)
We are seeking a support worker to cover school holidays. The shifts available are from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm two or three days a week during school holidays. Also, to accompany our client and his family on holiday.
The Client
To work with a ten-year-old boy with quadraplegic Cerebral Palsy. He is a wheelchair user and is non-verbal with severe developmental delay. The care will involve manual handling, providing assistance with all levels of personal care, feeding via a gastrostomy and basic physiotherapy led exercises and positioning. He enjoys watching programmes on his iPad, music, arts and crafts and spending time in his therapy/sensory room. He loves hydrotherapy and has his own pool at home. He also likes walks in the countryside.
Client’s Hobbies & Interests
Our client loves active engagement and interaction; he enjoys being outside on his swing, slide and trike and going for walks in his all-terrain buggy. He loves his hydrotherapy sessions and has his own hydrotherapy pool. He enjoys stories, music, board games, arts and crafts, relaxing massages and watching his favourite TV programmes.
The Roles
The Team Leader’s duties will include co-ordinating the team by organising the rota, supervising staff monitoring the quality of care provided and liaising with the multidisciplinary team. The Team Leader will provide some care for our client within the family home and during trips out into the community. Our client attends a special school during term time and support is at night, after school in term time when he is at home, during school holidays and at weekends. He is expected to have two support workers or the support of a parent with one support worker when in the community.
There is the expectation that you will work towards a client-centred approach to improve and promote our client’s quality of life by following the agreed care plans.
You will possess good communication skills, empathy, flexibility and enthusiasm, with the ability to use your initiative and creativity. You will be confident, reliable and caring. Undertaking domestic tasks, such as cleaning and tidying at the end of the shift, is vital.
You will need to have the flexibility to accompany our client and his family on holiday.
Job Purpose
Essential
Location: The roles are based at the family’s home in West Chiltington, West Sussex.
Support Worker hours and rates of pay
Night rate – £120.50 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday
Day rate – £15.00ph in week and £17.00ph at weekends
Reference ID: ThoH TL
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Salary: £15.00-£17.00 per hour
To find out more and to apply for this position visit: https://uk.indeed.com/job/team-leader-support-worker-707302af90557761
Closing date for applications: 19 March 2022
Improve your time to hire
Tracking how long it takes to hire new employees in the care sector can help you focus on where you can improve efficiency in your business processes…
Focusing on your recruitment metrics can really help you to streamline your processes and, in the long run to save time and money. We explain why, and how you can improve your ‘time to hire’.
According to a white paper by The Access Group [The Access Group: The evolving world of candidate screening and compliance] around 11% of workers change jobs in the UK – to put that figure into perspective this equates to around 3.5 million people. Furthermore, employers and recruitment services undertook a massive 6 million DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks in 2019/2020. That is a lot of processing!
The time to hire equation
There are three parts to the ‘time to hire’ equation. The first is the length of time it takes to actually identify the right person for your vacancy. The second is how long it takes for the new person to be hired – which includes how long it takes to move them from application to phone interview, from phone interview to in-person interview and so on.
Finally, you must look at anything that is delaying the recruitment process – such as the ratio of good and poor applications you receive. To improve this ratio you may wish to look at where you are advertising, as a more targeted approach may reap dividends, and consider introducing an incentive scheme for existing staff to propose possible candidates.
You may ask why it matters so much:
Days until hiring
According to Glassdoor [Glassdoor: How Long It Takes to Go Through the Interview Process & Find a Job 04/05/2020], it can take an average of 27.3 days to take a candidate through the hiring process. It varies by sector as the report highlights – we estimate the care sector is somewhere between the 16 days in retail and the 10 days for hospitality candidates.
Now that so much of the hiring process can be done online and through virtual interviews, it is possible that your candidate has interviewed at a number of other rival organisations.
To avoid losing your ideal candidate to another organisation, it is vital to keep your process as short as possible. So how can you do that?
First, ensure that any screening for eligibility to work can be done speedily and simply. If your candidates have multiple offers, they are likely to abandon any that are complicated and take up a lot of time. You should be able to conduct much of the screening process online and do remember it should be mobile friendly – as we have said, many of your candidates may only have access online via a smartphone or tablet.
Identifying delays
When you collect together all of the data, you will be able to identify if there are any hold-ups or delays that can be fixed easily. For example, if there is a gap between getting candidates’ details and your reply, you will need to address why that hold-up is occurring. If screening takes a long time, then you need to think about whether that process could be automated.
If your hiring process appears to be long and drawn out, take the time to sketch it out – even if it is only on a piece of paper. See who does what and when, and make sure everyone is clear about their place in the timeline.
Another very obvious thing to do is to keep a list of prospective candidates – if they have previously been screened and interviewed but were not chosen for the position. There is no reason why you cannot approach them if a similar vacancy arises – by doing that you can skip out several parts of the hiring process. Of course, consideration should be given to the data protection laws in this country – how long you can retain data, and what it should be used for. Ask for the applicants’ permission to retain their details on file for future positions and to introduce them to other prospective service users.
Finally, consider bringing in an independent HR consultant to streamline your sourcing and hiring process for you. It will have a cost attached, but by speeding up your process, and freeing up your time, it could save you both time and money.
Further reading
BABICM (the British Association of Brain Injury and Complex Case Management) recently carried out its own survey regarding recruitment and retention of support work staff. View the initial summary [BABICM:Perfect Storm Survey results 03/02/2022].
If you would like to discuss this subject further, please contact Cecily Lalloo at Embrace HR Limited.
T: 01296 761288 or contact us here.
If you would like to receive our newsletter, please sign up here.
Based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Embrace HR Limited provide a specialised HR service to the care sector, from recruitment through to exit.
Technology – helping people with brain injury to live a good life
Advances in assistive technology are improving the quality of life for people with complex brain injury. Young people, children and babies in particular are benefiting from this technological evolution…
The evolution of technology continues exponentially. A few years ago, none of us would have imagined that we would be able to talk to a smart speaker in our home, get it to order shopping, find recipes, play games and so on. Or that a doorbell would enable us to talk to (and see!) visitors to our home when we are miles away. These developments are making everyday life easier for us all.
But it is in the area of assistive technology where advancements are making a huge difference to the quality of life of people with complex brain injury – especially for children and young people.
Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology is fundamentally any kind of technology or equipment that has been either adapted or specially designed to improve how a disabled person functions in their daily lives. In fact, those smart speakers we mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg – the latest Amazon Echo has recently been advertised featuring people with disabilities, because the voice control can be of great benefit to those who have limited/no use of their limbs.
And why is this technology particularly beneficial to babies, children and young people with complex brain injury? They will get the best start in life if they can develop and engage with their education and with the people around them – and assistive technology can help with that. The sooner they start, the less their disadvantage will be. Assistive technology can help them communicate with others, it can offer them independence, a different way to learn – and of course can also be used for entertainment, helping them to enjoy the things that other children expect to do as a matter of course.
Aids for Communication
Aids for communication can include things as simple as charts and picture books – but technology offers the use of electronic communication equipment that can be operated using a switch or joystick, or even by moving the eyes. The ability to use voice output technology can enable people to take part in conversations with those around them and stop them feeling isolated.
Special software and other adaptations can allow children with complex brain injury to use PCs, games consoles, tablets and mobile phones – encouraging independence as they can use these devices themselves.
For those who struggle with reading, e-books can come as audio files, and PCs, smartphones and tablets can be equipped with text-to-speech software that can read aloud anything on the screen. Audio recorders are useful for children who find it hard to take notes in a class.
For anyone with attention issues, hearing issues, or language processing problems, frequency modulation (FM) systems help to cut back background noise in the classroom and amplify the teacher’s words, to aid concentration.
It can be beneficial for the carers of these children and young people, to be trained in using the technology, and how to update it, so that access to the technology is not interrupted.
Assistive Tech in Action
Embrace HR MD, Cecily Lalloo, saw assistive technology in action when she attended a BABICM webinar by Mike Thrussell of Access Technology. Access Technology use assistive technology to help people with disabilities do what they want to do. Here’s what she had to say after the webinar:
“Mike first introduced us to Al, a 17-year old who is non-verbal and has physical disabilities. Al took over the presentation and showed us how he is studying maths and the sciences using off-the-shelf software with his iPad and computers but with access to his devices in a way that is easier for him to use.
“He is also a gamer and he is so adept and innovative, that he has been contacting Mike, with suggestions and ideas to further make use of technology to help him, and possibly others. He has an adapted joystick to play his games on his Xbox.
“Mike has been working with Al for many years and says that his parents are very supportive so that Al can live a fulfilling life and do things that any 17-year-old would like to do. Al is now an Ambassador for Mike’s company and asked Mike if he could do his work placement with him.
“It was lovely watching him, an intelligent and proud young man, achieve what he set his mind to do. I smiled as he corrected his Mum … ‘it’s an Xbox, Mum,’ he said when she mentioned his Playstation.
“Next up was Kit, who is 7 years old. His parents have been working with Mike since their son was 4 years old. Mike explained that he had to find a way to make Kit aware of ’cause and effect’. Through much research, he discovered that Kit loved the feeling of being ‘jiggled’. So they sited pads on either side of his head on his wheelchair, showed him that when his head hit the pads, it activated his computer. He took a long and hard look at what was on the screen and this activated his wheelchair to jiggle. This made Kit laugh as he enjoyed the sensation.
“But the head movements weren’t easy for him and through further research Mike set up a pad close to his knee. This enabled him to move his knee to hit the pad, and the same action would present the screen for him to look at to activate the jiggling movement of his chair. Once Kit learnt about cause and effect, Mike went on to set up cartoons that would jiggle and Kit learnt to activate them, which gave him enormous pleasure.
“Over the years they have progressed, and Kit uses his knee pad to switch lights on and off in the home. The lights are controlled by remote, so Kit uses the switches that the rest of the family use. This means he is included despite his disabilities. Using Bluetooth, he also helps his Mum with the cleaning as he instructs ‘Alexa’ to vacuum.”
Mike’s ethos is to enable people with disabilities such as Al and Kit to live the best life they can, making use of technology and what is around us to help them do what they want to do. In a few years Mike says things will have changed dramatically. And we need to keep up.
If you would like to discuss this subject further, please contact Cecily Lalloo at Embrace HR Limited.
T: 01296 761288 or contact us here.
If you would like to receive our newsletter, please sign up here.
Based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Embrace HR Limited provide a specialised HR service to the care sector, from recruitment through to exit.
CLOSED: Waking Night Support Worker
Waking Night Support Worker, London NW4
Location: Hendon, North London NW4, working within the family environment.
Reporting To: Parents on behalf of their son’s Deputy.
Background Information
The family are looking for a caring, professional and reliable live out Carer / Support Worker to solidify and enhance our night care team. They are a young professional couple who provide a loving and stable environment for their son. He is 15-years-old with special needs and severe disabilities. He is dependent on all daily living activities and requires a high level of assistance.
A Waking Night Carer is required for two weekday nights. You will be required to settle their son to sleep.
The family have a history of supporting a reliable and stable workforce who have been with them for many years. They are seeking someone who is committed and would like to join this team.
Job Purpose
The purpose of the job is to provide assistance to our client’s parents with the care of their son and to take sole charge at pre-arranged times.
Our client will require help with all activities of daily living and in particular to provide overnight care and settle our client to sleep. He is a poor sleeper and has restless nights with an average of 4-5 hours’ sleep a night.
No equipment or feeding is required during the night.
Main Duties
The family are supportive in training for this special role.
About you
You are a patient and caring individual and have experience of looking after individuals with complex needs. You will need to be physically fit and active as you will be employing moving and handling methods using appropriate techniques. Training will be provided.
You will be tidy, organised and efficient; attention to detail for record keeping is key.
We are looking for someone who is kind, caring, flexible and adaptable. You will be working closely with dedicated and committed parents.
It is desirable (but not essential) that you understand and speak English to a fair level and have a driver’s licence.
Experience in using disability equipment would be a bonus.
Working hours
This position is for overnight care for 2 weeknights per week and the hours are from 21:30 to 07:00.
Schedules are set out as far as possible in advance.
Pay
From £13 per hour for weekday nights
From £14 per hour weekend nights – should you be required to cover for colleagues.
Desirable:
Health and Social Care First Aid Certificate
Flexibility to work occasional additional hours
Other
Satisfactory references, an enhanced DBS certificate and proof of eligibility to work in the UK are essential.
Reference ID: JAN22KP/MMC
Part-time hours: 19 per week
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Salary: £13.00-£14.00 per hour
Schedule: 10-hour shift
COVID-19 considerations:
Initial interviews are by phone or video conference
Vaccinations are preferable
Government guidelines relating to COVID apply
Education:
GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Experience:
Complex Care: 3 years (preferred)
working Waking Nights: 3 years (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
DBS certificate for Child Workforce (preferred)
To find out more and to apply for this position visit: https://uk.indeed.com/job/waking-night-support-worker-992b14a3e3299d9a
Closing date for applications: 28 February 2022