Aster Healthcare is a family-run care business that owns four nursing homes in the UK catering to the elderly and specialises in dementia care, our correspondent reports Based in the UK, Aster Healthcare supports and cares for older people as well as provides an alternative life to home care. The organisation cares for the future of older people with dignity, providing effective healthcare for older people. Aster Healthcare provides compassionate home care services and evidence-based treatment in a safe environment. It owns and operates four care homes for people who require accommodation, personal support, and nursing care. It also provides care for people with dementia, as well as people who may require treatment for disease, disorder and injury. “We offer short term respite and long-term residency based on a need’s assessment. Full 24-hour nursing care is provided so that people can have a home for life. Our care homes are located in London, Surrey, Worcestershire and East Sussex. Our homes are fully furnished and decorated to a high standard. You can expect comfortable, self-contained bedrooms and a variety of sociable spaces. These includes large bright lounges, cosy quiet areas and pleasant accessible gardens for your enjoyment. You and your family are encouraged to personalise your room to make it feel as homely as possible,” says a statement issued by Aster Healthcare. History Under the helm of registered nurses with over 30 years of experience working with the elderly, Aster Healthcare is a family-run care business that owns four nursing homes catering to the elderly and specialises in dementia care. Founded in 2006, Aster Healthcare puts our clients’ wellbeing at the centre of our ethos. “We understand it is no easy decision to place the lives of those you care for most under the wings of others, which is precisely why we ensure that we are passionate in delivering the highest quality care,” their statement says. Moving forward – Scope “At Aster Healthcare, there has been a large shift in our service delivery. A change in management, a change of policy, a change of safety systems and most importantly a change of culture throughout the organisation. With our new Aster family, continued improvements have been made, evident by the increased good rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at The Willows, Birdscroft and additional improvements at our other homes, noted in the latest inspections. Vision We want you to become an extended member of our Aster Family. We want family members to feel part of our home, to be actively engaged and always welcomed. We take the time to get to know each individual through the use of life history assessments and other techniques to understand everyone’s personality. This helps us create care plans to improve quality of life, build relationships and inspire an environment so we can all feel ‘at home’. Our homes include large bright lounges, quiet areas and accessible gardens for your enjoyment. You and your family are encouraged to personalise your room to make it feel as homely as possible. We believe that people living in care can have inspirational lives. It’s important to us that our residents are provided with meaningful and purposeful activities, which reflect their individuality and embrace the past, present and future. We provide care for people with dementia as well as people who may require nursing support. Full 24-hour nursing care is available so that people can have a home for life experience whilst supporting additional health needs. We offer short term respite and long-term residency based on our need’s assessment. Our care homes are located in London, Surrey, Worcestershire and East Sussex. People Quality care is at the heart of everything we do. At Aster Healthcare our compassionate care teams celebrate individualisation, uniqueness, and cultural diversity so that our residents and employees feel cared for, respected and safe. Our staff are recruited in line with best practice guidance and have the knowledge, skills and competence to fulfil their individual roles and responsibilities. Our employees have regular supervisions, appraisals and training to identify personal development needs and ongoing support. Our Care Home Managers are registered with the CQC to ensure competence and fitness and have immense managerial experiences. IT – Working towards paperless We want to make sure our technology is up to date, with free Wi-Fi for all residents and visitors, and smart systems for the residents to use to keep in contact with friends and family throughout the country and worldwide via social media, WhatsApp and Skype. We also have telephone points in all rooms and Sky channels and Netflix in all the lounges Digital care planning can support staff to make their processes more efficient. This means that their time isn’t taken up by administrative work. Digital care plans and records can make information easier to access, quicker to share and safer in regards tog data protection. Reports, rotas and KPIs are all live and updated daily using digital systems to improve communication, planning and reduce waste. Sustainability – Eco-friendly As Aster Healthcare moves forward with technology to support our homes, we hope to support the home we all live on, planet earth Our care homes are a 24/365 business and Aster Healthcare hopes to implement more green technologies to be more sustainable. We have replaced all boilers to be more energy efficient, use smart heating systems to control heating and digital care plans to reduce paper waste. We now look towards digital quality and compliance systems. Charity work Since its inception, Aster Healthcare has prided itself on giving back to the community. For over 25 years, the directors of Aster Healthcare have sponsored various charitable organisations, such as Care International, Dignity in Care, Plan International, Action Aid, British Red Cross, and more recently Guildford Philanthropy, Caring for others is at the heart and soul of Aster Healthcare. We pride ourselves in supporting organisations which embody the same values and principles which run throughout our organisation. Over the years our staff teams and residents are always looking to help raise funds for local and national charities including Children in Need, Macmillan Support and the Alzheimer’s Society.”