Dorset Fire and Rescue Service and Home Instead Senior Care in Bournemouth and East Dorset are collaborating to reach out to the most vulnerable members of society to encourage fire safety in and around the home.
Christchurch Fire Station manager Dave Arundel was thrilled to attend the Home Instead quarterly caregiver meeting in October in order to train the at-home care providers what to look out for in terms of fire safety when visiting a client.
Dave comments: “As Home Instead caregivers regularly visit older members of the community in order support them to live independently, they are ideally placed to help to encourage fire safety. It is great that we now have an army of caring people who can help us with our mission to ensure local homes are as safe as they can be!”
Home Instead owner Amanda Baker comments: “Some of our older clients have lived in their homes for many years and may not have smoke detectors fitted or have very old smoke alarms. For others checking their alarms can be difficult because of poor mobility or reduced capacity. Our caregivers have received in-house training from Dave so that on every client visit they know what to ask and what to look out for regarding fire safety. We can also request a free home safety check from the local Fire Service to check that everything is on order, this includes free fitting of smoke detectors.”
Amanda concludes: “For our clients suffering with dementia, we like to arrange the home safety check at a time when the caregiver is present so that there is minimum disruption and to ensure our clients do not feel confused or overwhelmed by the Fire Service appearing at the door! By working together we are confident we will be able to help more vulnerable people living in the area.”
Home Instead Senior Care is an award winning national company which is changing the way care is delivered in theUKand is rapidly building a reputation as one of theUK’s leading care companies. Their service is tailored to the needs of individual clients and ranges from companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, post-discharge care, personal care, medication reminders, shopping and errands. The service is totally flexible to meet client needs and is available from as little as 1 hour to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For a free home safety check contact: Dorset Fire and Rescue Service on 01305 252600. For more information about Home Instead services in East Dorset, please call: 01202 853197 or visit www.homeinstead.co.uk/bournemouth
