31st October 2018

Margaret’s act of kindness set to improve care at Broomgrove

Four of Margaret Fitzpatrick’s family present the equipment to nurses from Broomgrove Nursing Home: (from left to right) Andy Fitzpatrick, Mags Fitzpatrick, Andrea Farrell (Nurse), Judy Warburton (Clinical Nurse Manager), Jay Rees (Nurse) Kate Fitzpatrick, Michael Fitzpatrick. Pic by Glenn Ashley.

A former Sheffield teacher that devoted her life to helping others is set to be remembered – in the same selfless style she lived.

Margaret Fitzpatrick taught hundreds of pupils at the city’s Notre Dame High School and High Storrs in her working life.

She continued teaching way past retirement age and had strong sense of family having brought up seven children.

But for Margaret Fitzpatrick, life had only just begun. She ended up doing 25 years voluntary work for Sheffield’s St Luke’s Hospice.

It was only after a fall at the age of 97 she was admitted to Broomgrove Nursing Home where she lived for the final two years of her life.

Margaret Fitzpatrick’s name is now set to live on thanks to a donation to the home. The money is funding a hi-tech bladder scanner which is set to reduce hospital admissions and provide far less invasive treatment of urinary conditions.

Four of Margaret Fitzpatrick’s family presented the equipment at a special ceremony.

Donna Pierpoint, manager at Broomgrove Nursing Home, said: “It was a honour to care for such an amazing person in the last two years of her life. Margaret was a very practical person and it seems fitting that her memory lives on in such a practical and helpful way.”

Broomgrove Nursing Homes is situated at 30 Broomgrove Road, Sheffield S10 2LR. Tel: 0114 266 1311.

Pic caption:

Four of Margaret Fitzpatrick’s family present the equipment to nurses from Broomgrove Nursing Home: (from left to right) Andy Fitzpatrick, Mags Fitzpatrick, Andrea Farrell (Nurse), Judy Warburton (Clinical Nurse Manager), Jay Rees (Nurse) Kate Fitzpatrick, Michael Fitzpatrick.

6th December 2017

Government needs to properly address elderly care provision

The Christmas period is awash with well meaning ads encouraging people to invite an elderly person around for a meal in the fight against loneliness.

Few of us are immune from the anxiety that can set in when we think about our own aging.

Who will care for us in later life? Who will ensure we’re safe and still feeling loved?

The questions take on a particular significance for someone like me – someone that doesn’t have any children.

The norms of society once dictated that – for those with children – generations go full circle in later life and the youngsters that once depended on parents for everything will one day return the favour.

But there has been a profound social shift in recent decades.

In the fifties and sixties it was given that the women would be the stay at home parent.

In more recent years women have moved en masse into the workplace following a very positive shift in attitudes.

A whole new industry has developed around childcare, childminders and after school clubs to accommodate the changing roles as caring capacity within individual families has changed.

State provision for older people has grown, but remains limited. The system still relies heavily on the informal care being done by family members, an estimated 7.6 billion hours per year.

Yet numbers of elderly people without relatives is set to grow as the proportion of women not having children has increased from one in nine to one in five.

It has been estimated that by 2030 there will be more than a million adults aged 65-74 without children.

The transient nature of modern life means many children are just not living close enough to parents to help.

Age UK estimates that there are now more than a million older people who struggle obtaining help with even the most basic tasks like getting out of bed, preparing and eating meals and going to the toilet.

Many elderly people are left isolated – spending the last days of their lives in hospital as funding can’t be found for a care home.

The Government needs to address where the responsibilities of the state and families start and stop in the 21^st century.

The state can’t provide love and friendship, but it can and should provide and fund a basic standard of personal care for an elderly generation that has paid into the NHS all their lives.

An old person is for the remainder of their life, not just for Christmas.

21st June 2017

Lord Mayor unveils Broomgrove’s UK safety first

Resident care has undergone a hi-tech revolution at Broomgrove as it becomes the first in the country to install a pioneering new generation of nurse call system designed to prioritise care for the most vulnerable.

The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Anne Murphy, officially unveiled Courtney Thorne’s Altra system just a few days ago.

Donna Pierpoint, the manager at Broomgrove said: “We’re constantly on the look out for ways we can improve resident care and provide them with an extra level if safety and reassurance. This new system is absolutely fantastic.

“It’s an honour to be the first care home in the country to install it and have the Lord Mayor come to unveil it!”

The legacies of two former residents funded the wireless Courtney Thorne Altra system that automatically monitors response times and ranks their priority.

17th October 2016

Duke of Gloucester goes one better than Queen’s telegram for Betty!

Duke of Gloucester meets Betty Richardson

Our 100-year-old resident has ensured her centenary year will go down in history!

Not only did Betty Richardson receive a telegram from the Queen – she also entertained a personal visit from her cousin, His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester!

The royal dropped in at Broomgrove Care Home where he met staff and residents and enjoyed a performance by the Lost Chord – the South Yorkshire-based charity that specialise in providing interactive music sessions for dementia sufferers.

The Duke took special interest in resident Betty Richardson as his own mother lived to the ripe old age of 102 years-old.

He asked Betty if her position as elder of the home carried any sway.

“I get my own way quite a lot”, admitted the sprightly 100 year old.

Donna Pierpoint, the manager at Broomgrove Care Home, said: “It’s not every day you get a member of the royal family visiting a care home!

“Everyone thoroughly enjoyed meeting him and I hope the Duke of Gloucester now has more of an appreciation about the work we do and the quality of life we provide for our residents.”

The Duke of Gloucester also chatted to 95-year-old Broomgrove resident Jean Callin, the former leader of Sheffield Chamber Orchestra, and 67-year-old Rod Knowles – one of the home’s youngest residents.

Broomgrove, which is sited just off Ecclesall Road in Sheffield, is the only home of its kind with charitable status in the city and surrounding region.

15th September 2016

Who cares for the carers?

Did you know that this county has an invisible army of older carers that are saving the Government billions every year?

New figures released by Age UK in May 2016, show that older relatives who care for their loved ones, save a massive £5.9 billion a year with their provision of unpaid care.

Over the last 7 years the number of carers over 80 years old has rocketed from 301,000 to 417,000, that’s a rise of 39%.

The majority of them provide care in their own home for more than 35hrs a week.

Help with care is available, but this is to a maximum of 4 calls per day, generally between 30-60mins each time.

This still leaves 20hours a day that the elderly carer has to look after their loved one.

They are also left on their own to manage through the most vulnerable time of the day – overnight.

It begs the question – who is caring for the carer? Who is supporting them? Who is giving them a rest? Who is there to provide and fund respite care?

Older couples try to manage living at home for as long as possible and lean on each other for support. It’s a natural thing to do.

But more needs to be spent on supporting them to do this – especially when one half of the couple if caring for a partner that is less able than themselves.

They care for a loved one because they are wholly committed to that person. There is often little alternative- but they can’t do it all on their own.

By not providing support we are taking advantage of their determination to do right by those they love.

I believe more daycare centres need to be available and affordable to allow the carer to have time off themselves. They need to be able to do the shopping or household chores. They need to have a rest!

At Broomgrove we offer respite care, to allow the carer to have a well deserved break and recharge their batteries but we are now in a minority.

We are now one of the only homes that offer this as most can’t afford to keep short term bed space available following the financial impact of the living wage.

Broomgrove Nursing Home offers respite care

Action is urgently needed to ensure older carers have the support they need and are not left caring alone by a shrinking support service.