We may be heading rapidly into September; however, that doesn’t mean that the summer fun needs to stop. In fact, late summer and early autumn can be an excellent time of year for day trips and outings for care residents. The weather is often slightly cooler and the huge crowds associated with summer holiday day trippers have usually dissipated by the time schools go back to work. The countryside can look beautiful now too, with autumn leaves starting to come in the trees and plenty of summer flowering borders still giving a colourful display.
Day trips and outings can be a larger, more complex activity that involves the whole care home, or a simple excursion for one or two people supported by a single carer. Whatever they look like, all trips and outings must be carefully planned to ensure people can enjoy their time away to the full and return home safe and sound.
Care planning software
Using care planning software to arrange a late summer day trip can make the logistics far easier to manage. Thanks to Care Vision’s user-friendly interface and multiple tools and features, care managers and event planners can keep everything in one place and make sure every box is ticked and arrangement made. From seaside outings to countryside jaunts; city trips to tea and cake at a stately home, care home residents can remain stimulated and entertained right the way through to the end of the year.
As any care home manager will know, planning a day trip involves a great deal of planning, booking, risk assessing and scheduling. Much of this can be done with the help of Care Vision’s care planning software. The useful tool offers planning features, as well as functions to help with meal planning and allergy checking, mobility and health requirements for residents, staff shift management and rota planning and more. Here are some important ways in which Care Vision can help staff plan and oversee day trips and outings this year.
Planning, staffing and risk assessment
Care Vision’s planning tools enable managers to work out several key aspects of a day trip or outing away from the care home. Shift planning and rota management tools help managers to work out who will be available and when, thus helping to fix the date and ensure there are enough staff available to cover all eventualities. This can include bus drivers, first-aiders and one-to-one support staff as required. Admin associated with risk assessments and medical needs can also be completed using the care planning software. Should one or more planning meetings be needed ahead of the trip, minutes and notes can be recorded on the app and accessed later as a reminder of what was decided – and who agreed to take on the various preparatory tasks.
Residents’ safety and accessibility
Care Vision’s care planning software keeps a detailed record of each resident that can be updated as required. This helps event planners understand the needs and medical support requirements for each resident going on the trip. From nursing, handling and medication support to translators and companions, managers can use personal records and medical notes to ensure each resident is provided with safe, dignified care and support. Disabilities are a key aspect here, as people with mobility limitations or cognitive issues, for example, may need additional support when out of the care home and away from familiar surroundings. While independence is of paramount importance, health and safety must come first at all times.
Staff training and support
Care home staff are trained in a myriad of care techniques, medical services and social wellbeing support for their residents. This requirement is not limited to their work inside the care setting. Staff who are chosen or who volunteer to go on outings and day trips with residents must be fully trained in helping and protecting those in their care. Duties range from helping with mobility issues and ensuring safety while eating and drinking to helping people feel safe and supporting them in engaging with the activities on offer. Care Vision can track staff training needs and alert managers of any gaps ahead of the day trip. Likewise, staff can access the system to ask for training, change shifts and ensure that annual leave requests do not clash with duties already accepted for trips and outings.
