18th November 2014

CareMax: It was a great pleasure to meet Norm, Elaine and Jane form The purple Angel on Friday
As well as discussing quality of care and training for staff, we also discussed how we will work together in partnership to create the very first ever ” Purple Angel Care Team” who will be specially trained predominantly in supporting people and their families with dementia.
CareMax looks forward to working very closely with The Purple Angel and form a long lasting relationship.

Norman Mcnamara: Its with so much pleasure I can now announce that plans are now in place to train up and employ the World`s “”””
FIRST EVER PURPLE ANGEL CARE TEAM !! COMING EARLY 2015

After a very successful meeting last week with CareMax of Essex (https://www.facebook.com/CareMaxHomecareServicesLimited…)

It was agreed by Elaine, Jane Moore and I would give the go ahead for this to happen early next year 2015. As we sat and thrashed out the details I knew we were onto something quite huge, because this would be a care team different to many others. There is no such thing as “JUST A CARER” each and every one of them are worth their weight in Gold, of that there is no doubt, but at CareMax Ltd what we asked was that not only their carers were trained up to Skills For care level Three In dementia, but also ALL their domestics, cleaners, and domiciliary /home care operatives do the same. We asked advice on this from Hilda Hayo of Dementia UK (Home of Admiral Nurses)

What will be provided will not be specialist dementia carers, but will specialize in dementia, there is a difference. We all agreed that the teams of Purple Angel carers will have more knowledge that ever about the subject of dementia and that, in turn, will begin to help so many more people.
we also agreed that there is nothing like hands on experience so asked if all new staff would be taken on a three month trial, working, hands on, with a mentor, to make sure they are comfortable with the environment they will be working in and also that CareMax would be happy in giving them full time employment after the trial.

We also discussed the times of visits and agreed that these would be on a need for care basis and would be set around the “person being cared for” and not the usual 15/20 mins only.

There are so many people who need this kind of compassionate care and understanding as well as empathy and motivation. Sometimes, some people with dementia dont need to be pampered and have everything done for them, they just need to be engaged and included in daily activities which in turn gives them back a purpose in life!!

These are such exciting times my friends, and the most exciting thing about this new venture is not only do we have a Purple Angel Ambassador doing the training “Beverley Hickey” but the management of this company actually “GET IT!!” They understand whats needed and are more than happy to take this forward. I often sit and wonder if the person behind the counter six years ago who first laughed at me when i said “I have dementia! has any IDEA of how it motivated myself and many others !! No wonder my wife and very own Angel Elaine always says “Out of something Bad comes something Good”

There are just over a 100 Admiral nurses around the UK, no where near enough as there should be but as you know, the main aim of the PA next year will be to hopeful change this for the better. We cannot provide Admiral nurses here at the Purple Angel, but what we hope to provide eventually, is 100` and 100s of Purple Angel care teams up and down the country who have a superior knowledge of this awful disease dementia, a well know saying goes like this

“Every long journey must start with the first step”

Lets hope this is the first of many steps

Please share, much love and tons of respect, Norrms and family xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx