Invereck House

Invereck House is situated 4 miles from Dunoon in Argyll. 

Accommodation

We offer residential care to 28 individuals in an environment designed to reduce the effects of disability, and enhance the quality of everyday life. The Home has 28 en-suite rooms,T.V lounge,large lounge and a quiet room.  The house has extensive gardens and mature trees, which offer daily opportunities to observe the antics of red squirrels, deer and a variety of bird-life .There is also an enclosed sensory garden which is in the process of being created. In better weather, the gardens are used for a number of activities, which can include  barbecues or an old fashioned leisurely afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches.
Although we have two communal dining areas, residents can eat in their own rooms, or have the use of the main dining room when family are visiting or for a family celebration or get-together .

Services

Aims & Objectives
The aims of Invereck House are:

• To involve everyone in deciding their own needs – and to follow each person’s usual routine and habits in daily living.
• To provide a homely atmosphere where people can live in comfort and dignity without intrusion.
• To involve the people living here in decisions affecting their daily life and experience at Invereck.
• To support continuing involvement in community life and activity in ways which are significant for each person.

Individual Care Plan

Individual care plans are compiled following your advice and the information you give us.  This ensures that the support staff offer, suits you as an individual, and enables you to continue to do everything, which is important to you. 
It ensures that you stay in control of your life and environment; to say when and how you would like assistance in the cleaning of your room and in maintaining personal standards.  It ensures that you will have the kind of diet that you are used to, and that staff will not intrude when you don’t want them to do so.  As such, it is an important confidential document, which you (or your family with your permission) have access to whenever you wish.

Involvement

Here at Invereck we firmly believe in involving, engaging and consulting our residents, their families and friends. To facilitate this we have regular Residents Meetings, Focus Group (Resident) , Relative/Carer Committee, Focus Group (Staff), Residents Committee and Newsletter (created and published by residents). 

Family Involvement

We want to support family members and friends who assisted you at home, to continue to do so when you are living at Invereck.   We do not want to interfere with any arrangements you may already have for going shopping, keeping appointments, or dealing with personal finances etc.  This help is available from us if you need it, but we recognise that continuing support from the people closest to you will contribute most to your sense of well-being. 
The advice of your family and friends is invaluable to us in caring for you, and we truly welcome them on your behalf, whenever they wish to visit.

Community Involvement

Sometimes it can be difficult to visit old friends who no longer get out, or to use public transport to get to community interests.   It isn’t that you have lost interest, but the effort involved may sometimes seem too much.  We can usually help, with prior arrangement,  by providing an escort and transport in a modern minibus modified for access and ease of use, which makes most things possible again.

Facilities

Other Services include:

• Single en-suite accommodation
• Call system with Alarm buttons, pull cords to alert staff
• Choice of bathing facilities
• Chiropody
• Hairdressing
• Private telephones
• TV socket in every room
• Morning worship with residents and staff
• Weekly church service
• Family & friends welcome  at any time
• Menu choice, special diets catered and flexible mealtimes
• The house has for some time now operated a no-smoking environment for the benefit of both service users and staff.

Management & Staffing

Management

A Manager and Deputy with considerable professional experience in the management of care for older people, lead staff at Invereck  They have had many opportunities for further professional development in their work and are qualified Work Place Assessors in Level 3 SVQ Social Care. The majority of our staff hold this nationally recognised professional qualification with the remainder working towards this. 

Staff

You can trust that the Staff at Invereck are highly trained and committed to looking   after you. You are very important to us and every effort will be made to ensure that your stay at Invereck is happy and that you have sensitive support in your personal care to retain your independence.
Many of our staff have worked at Invereck for a number of years. The quality of the service we offer is wholly dependent on their skills, and the warmth and sensitivity with which they approach others. Residents and their families often comment on the friendliness, consideration and approachability of staff as Invereck’s biggest asset and the warm welcome they receive when visiting. We also have in place an Activities Co-ordinator who will work with individuals and groups of  residents to enhance their social well being.
As someone living here, you will be involved in staff selection with managers, helping to appoint people whose abilities and personal qualities harmonise with the existing team, and the needs of the house.  All Care Staff are Christians and work from those values to ensure loving acceptance and appreciation of each person in our care.

Admission Procedure

Criteria

We offer a supportive environment and an enhanced lifestyle to individuals who mostly although not exclusively,  come from the Cowal area of Argyll, or who have close personal or family connections with the area. The age criteria is from 60yrs onwards, although our average age is 80yrs.

Costs

Help is available with charges if you have less than £ 22,500 in capital assets. Argyll and Bute Social Work department will conduct  a community care and financial assessment to determine what help is available  They will take into account savings, and any sums paid in retirement & occupational pensions in assessing your contribution.  In general this means that your pension(s) , with the exception of £22.50p  paid to you weekly for day-to-day living expenses, will go towards the cost of your care.

Where your personal assets exceed £22,500 you will need to meet the majority of the costs of care personally, until your capital falls to this level.  At this point, if the Local Authority agrees that living at Invereck meets your needs, they will contribute to the cost of care.  For this reason, it is a good idea to ask your local Social Work office for a Community Care Assessment to protect you when personal resources become depleted. 
 Where you are meeting your own costs,  however ,  you should qualify for the Scottish Executive Free Health Scheme. Currently , this contributes £163.00 per week towards your costs.

Charges

Single room with en-suite  & shower

£704 per week These costs are reviewed annually each April.

All rooms are fitted with private telephones and television aerial points.  The cost includes all services provided by Invereck, but you are required to meet costs personally incurred for private hairdressing, chiropody, newspapers, Your telephone calls. using our digital Panasonic  telephone system are free at present, representing  a significant saving on a private BT line. Costs for Dry Cleaning, 1-1 escort and travel arrangements would be required to be met by the resident.

Referrals Procedure

If you consider that you might benefit from the security and companionship at Invereck, it is a good idea to involve Social Work in undertaking a Community Care Assessment of your needs as soon as possible.  You may already have a social worker who has obtained Home Helps or an Alert system for you, and this person will help you.  Equally you can discuss this with your GP, District Nurse, Minister or Church Elder who will help and advise you.  Many referrals also come directly to us from older people and their families.  Staff from Invereck will gladly visit you at home or hospital to discuss it and ensure that you have the information you need.  Whenever possible, it is a good idea to have a short holiday or a weekend at Invereck,depending upon room availability,  as a means of helping you to decide whether life at Invereck would suit you.  This can often be arranged through Social Work who will contribute to the cost.
Referrals Procedure
If you are interested in what Invereck has to offer you can apply directly to the Service or talk with the local Social Work Department.   Both will be happy to give you advice.

Cottages

The home has 6 adjacent self contained cottages for rental by couples or single people who are still active and alert , but would benefit from a caring  kindly presence  to call upon if needed.

Additional Information

Activities

These vary with the interests and activities requested by people living at Invereck with the emphasis on Meaningful Activities. Current examples include , films,lunch clubs,baking classes, in-house shopping (Red Cross Trolley), quizzes, reminiscence group, TV , Choir group, In recent consultation with residents they are considering re forming several social groups, i.e. Bell Plates, Art Class and Whist drive. We have also introduced to our residents the pleasures of modern technology i.e. there own computer with skype facility to keep in touch with family and friends, nintendo D.S. Lites, I-Pods with docking stations, Nintendo WII for activities and keep fit , personal D.V.D. Player for those who prefer watching films wherever they wish.
An active and caring Friends Group are linked with each service user to provide an additional bit of company and friendship for those who may not have relatives close at hand.  Additionally they organise along with the home a series of entertainment afternoons, sometimes with professional entertainers.
  We have audio equipment, a piano, an organ, and an in-house library with books regularly changed by the library service.  More personal services include hairdressing, manicures, chiropody.   Perhaps one of the best advantages is that company and conversation is always there when needed.
 
Our minibus is available for trips to Dunoon on accompanied shopping trips arranged with keyworkers for those able to take advantage of this service,  and as needed for those wishing assistance, to visit friends, attend clubs or keep appointments.  We also use it for recreational outings in small groups, to visit places of interest and local events, and for picnics in better weather.

Catering is excellent , with professionally –trained cooks who offer a regularly changed menu with choice of main meals, not forgetting home baking for afternoon tea ! The Chef is invited to attend residents meetings to listen to new ideas for the menus. Our Chef is also available for consultation on a 1-1 basis to discuss any diietary requirements/preferences/weight issues/wellbeing concerns.

People living and working at Invereck have compiled this information for you.
Please contact the Service Manager if you would like help in reading and understanding this information.