Helpful Tools for Ageing Well | Provider Hub

This section is where you will find lots of helpful ‘tools’ that you can use to support people who are showing signs of ageing. You can download and print off any of the documents and use/reproduce/amend as you require.

The Tools are divided into four categories:

Health
Observations
Towards end of life
Capturing the essence of the person

In addition, there is an Ageing well checklist for Service Providers, which in effect is a prompt sheet which they have been encouraged to use, in advance of any reviews, so that they can evidence that each relevant tool referred to on the checklist is in place where required and is up to date.

Here is a version of the checklist for Practitioners that you can use to remind yourself of what to look for and ask at the reviews of people with disabilities who are showing signs of ageing.

Look at the checklist and use this as your guide to make sure that everything is in place that is required to support the person to age well. Consider each item on the list, one by one, to see what’s relevant for the individual person. Ask probing questions and ask to see documents and evidence of what is being provided.

Check that documents are relevant, up to date and are being reviewed annually for relevance of information captured. Some people will age quicker than others so ensuring that information is accurate will help to promote the right support at the right time.

Make sure that you understand the purpose and function of each of the tools, print off any that you feel are relevant so that you can show them and promote them at reviews, if you feel that they can help make the ageing well journey better.

The Tools

Have a look at each one of these tools to familiarise yourself with what they are and how they can help.

Click on the links in the drop down boxes below to see the document and any supporting information.

A Healthier Me Mencap – This easy read pack has lots of information about different foods, how much it’s advisable to eat and how to make healthy choices.

Healthy eating for people with learning disabilities – ELDP produced document outlining Provider responsibilities and useful things to do to help people make healthier choices.

NHS Health Check - NHS – A health check-up for adults in England aged 40 to 74. It's designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. As we get older, we have a higher risk of developing one of these conditions. An NHS Health Check helps find ways to lower this risk.

Dental treatment for people with special needs - NHS - access to specialist community dental services including the criteria.

Easy Read - Community Dental Services – easy read information about going to the dentist

Changing Places Toilets - these toilets are larger facilities that have the right equipment, including a changing bench and a hoist, designed to support disabled people who need assistance. The link includes a search option to identify where these toilets are across the country which can be viewed as a useful map.

Autism and diet - British Dietetic Association (BDA) – This Fact Sheet looks at the most common dietary problems affecting autistic people and how dietitians can help.

My health passport (autism.org.uk) - ‘My Health Passport’ is a resource for autistic people who might need hospital treatment.

The passport is designed to help autistic people to communicate their needs to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. It was developed by Baroness Angela Browning – an National Autistic Society Vice President – in collaboration with The National Autistic Society.

What do dietitians need to know when seeing a patient with a Learning Disability? - British Dietetic Association (BDA) – contains useful information about what dieticians need to look out for when working assessing the needs of someone with a learning disability.

Helping older people maintain a healthy diet: A review of what works - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) illustrates the impact of malnourishment and what can be done to rectify this

Pre-health check questionnaire – to help you to plan your chat with your Doctor.

Annual Health Checks – so that you know and can prepare for everything that should be discussed during your health check up

Health Action Plan – to help you know what you need to do to stay healthy. This follows the annual health check and notes the agreed actions for the year.

Diabetes toolkit overview – information on diabetes and what you can do to manage it

Hospital Passports – for health staff to know who you are and what makes you, you.

STOMP - is a NHS project in England that aims to stop the number of incidences of people with learning disabilities being prescribed psychotropic medication to manage behaviour.

ReSPECT | Resuscitation Council UK - The ReSPECT process creates personalised recommendations for a person’s clinical care and treatment in a future emergency in which they are unable to make or express choices.

Guidance: DNACPR and CPR decisions | Resuscitation Council UK – information from the Resuscitation Council UK which will help with discussions about DNACPR

DNACPR – a copy of the form used for DO NOT ATTEMPT CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION

Essex Frontline - Frontline is a community project. It helps frontline workers and the public to find details on local health and wellbeing services and to contact services through call back and referral options.

Accessible information - and how it can help – states the legal requirements of organisations consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.

Whzan Digital Health Blue Box Overview - Blue Box contains a Whzan tablet PC and wireless instruments. It is a piece of kit that connects with the GP surgery and includes basic observation equipment like thermometers, blood pressure cuffs and pulse oximeters. If the GP spots any worrying data coming in, they can contact the service and get to see the individual quickly.

NHS - Screening for a learning disability – information about what health screenings someone should have at what age.

Easy read LeDeR Letter to GP – this gives permission by the person with a learning disability, for LeDeR to access to their health records if required after they have died.

Constipation - toolkit overview and Constipation Care Guide – explains why paying attention to someone having constipation and helping them resolve it, can save their life

Dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia toolkit – to help manage problems with swallowing

Easy read document - Prostate – this has information produced with pictures and symbols about looking after your prostate

Essex Wellbeing Service - Provide Essex residents (excluding Southend-On-Sea and Thurrock) access to health checks, stop-smoking services, weight management courses and emotional health and wellbeing support.

Obesity and weight management for people with learning disabilities: guidance - GOV.UK - advises about specific aspects of weight management for people with learning disabilities. It includes useful things to consider when supporting a person with a learning disability to lose weight.

Improving healthcare access for people with learning disabilities - GOV.UK - useful resources for service providers to use when supporting someone with learning disabilities to manage their health

A Healthier Me Mencap – This easy read pack has lots of information about different foods, how much it’s advisable to eat and how to make healthy choices.

Healthy eating for people with learning disabilities – ELDP produced document outlining Provider responsibilities and useful things to do to help people make healthier choices.

Dental treatment for people with special needs - NHS - access to specialist community dental services including the criteria.

Easy Read - Community Dental Services – easy read information about going to the dentist

Autism and diet - British Dietetic Association (BDA) – This Fact Sheet looks at the most common dietary problems affecting autistic people and how dietitians can help.

My health passport (autism.org.uk) - ‘My Health Passport’ is a resource for autistic people who might need hospital treatment.

Helping older people maintain a healthy diet: A review of what works - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) illustrates the impact of malnourishment and what can be done to rectify this

Pre-health check questionnaire – to help you to plan your chat with your Doctor.

Annual Health Checks – so that you know and can prepare for everything that should be discussed during your health check up

Health Action Plan – to help you know what you need to do to stay healthy. This follows the annual health check and notes the agreed actions for the year.

Diabetes toolkit overview – information on diabetes and what you can do to manage it

Hospital Passports – for health staff to know who you are and what makes you, you.

STOMP - is a NHS project in England that aims to stop the number of incidences of people with learning disabilities being prescribed psychotropic medication to manage behaviour.

Guidance: DNACPR and CPR decisions | Resuscitation Council UK – information from the Resuscitation Council UK which will help with discussions about DNACPR

DNACPR – a copy of the form used for DO NOT ATTEMPT CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION

NHS - Screening for a learning disability – information about what health screenings someone should have at what age.

Easy read LeDeR Letter to GP – this gives permission by the person with a learning disability, for LeDeR to access to their health records if required after they have died.

Constipation - toolkit overview and Constipation Care Guide – explains why paying attention to someone having constipation and helping them resolve it, can save their life

Dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia toolkit – to help manage problems with swallowing

Easy read document - Prostate – this has information produced with pictures and symbols about looking after your prostate

Individual baseline – helps people know how you are when everything is good in your life so they can tell when something changes.

RESTORE 2 – another observational tool to notice subtle changes in how someone presents.

Significant 7 – an observation tool aimed at helping staff recognise early signs of deterioration.

Wellbeing and Illbeing - This tool encourages the user to observe behaviours, posture, engagement, emotions etc which will form a picture of the person in terms of their state of wellbeing or indeed their state of illbeing.

When I Die - Easy read and symbols - a document in easy read that can be used to record people’s wishes for what happens after they die.

Advance Care Planning - Advance care planning offers people the opportunity to plan their future care and support, including medical treatment, while they have the capacity to do so

End of life - Advance Care Plan – this version is an easy read end if life plan

NHS continuing healthcare - Social care and support guide - NHS information on eligibility and assessment of CHC neds

Make a statutory will on behalf of someone else: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) - Where someone does not have capacity, a special type of Will can be put in place on their behalf. It's called a Statutory Will and is formally authorised and approved by the Court of Protection.

Mencap - making a Will. useful information to support someone with a learning disability to make a will.

Questions for Practitioners

Have you clicked on the links for each ‘tool’ to see what information and instruction there is?
If asked to, by a family member or member of staff at the review, could you confidently promote each of the tools?
How do you think promoting some of these will impact on the ageing well journey for the people you are undertaking reviews with?
How does the approach in the Families and Carers version of the Toolkit, differ from the Provider version?

Capturing the Essence of the Person

Life story books, Memory boxes and Communication Passports are important things for people to have in place before they show signs of ageing. They ensure that wherever someone is living or has to move to, staff supporting them will always have information that helps them to get to know the person well, in a short time frame. Click on the following banner to find out more about what you should be looking for when undertaking reviews.

What is a Life Story book?

A life story book is a collection of stories and memories that characterise the significant relationships and events over a person’s lifetime.

There is no one way to produce a Life Story book as they are unique to the person.

For some people, the reality is that as their needs change, a move to alternative accommodation becomes more likely. You may well have been supporting someone for many years, so long that you know their life history and who they are without even thinking about it. But what about if they had to move to somewhere new because of, for example now having nursing needs, how would the new staff get to know who the person is, their likes and dislikes, the quirks that make them who they are?

One of the greatest things that you could do, is support someone to capture their life story, to be shared with others as necessary. This could be in the form of an i-pad recording, photos, symbols, easy read, a collage, music, the list is endless, whatever best suits the individual and that they can understand. Imagine a new person arriving in one of your services with a Life Story book in hand, how helpful would you find that in your quest to get to know and understand who they are?

Many people with disabilities who are ageing, will have ageing or elderly relatives who are likely to have valuable memories and stories to contribute to the Life story book. If necessary, you can help the person you are supporting to engage with their families, to help capture some of this information to go into their Life Story.

There are many resources you will find from an internet search, which will help inform the content of a Life Story Book.

Memory boxes

A memory box holds special things belonging to you. It might include photos, some favourite music, letters or a recorded message.

They can be physical boxes which can be personalised as the person wishes, a Photo book containing images of items and people or even a virtual version, made up from uploaded photos, documents and music, whichever would best fit with the person who is capturing their memories.

Why is it important to help someone with disabilities create a memory box?

They are great conversation starters
They help new/agency staff get to know who the person is in a timely manner
They help with transitions to new accommodation where staff must ‘hit the ground running’
They are fun to create
They remind people of things they have done in their lives
They provoke good feelings

You can add anything that has a personal story attached to it to a memory box. This might include jewellery, cards, toys or tickets from places you visited together that hold special memories.

Focusing on the five senses; sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell is a really good way to approach considering what to put in a memory box.

Make sure that a small note or luggage label is attached to each item so that if someone loses the ability to talk about their memories or explain the significance of an item, others can start a conversation and for virtual versions, a strapline about why the item/clip/photo it is important to the person.

Think about what style of capturing memories, would best suit the person’s communication style and help them have fun creating their own ‘Memory box’.

Take a look at some examples of Life stories and memory boxes in the photos and links below.

Youtube example of a Life Story Template

Communication Passports

'A communication passport is a book that helps to convey important information about an individual. They can be used to bridge the gap in communication that people with communication difficulties often experience. Communication passports help to empower individuals and they help to inform the reader of a person's life and personality.'

- Source: Essexice.co.uk

A person’s Communication Passport will be a key tool to help staff who do not know them, to understand how to communicate with them and will help give them things to talk about as they get to know the person.

It does this by:

Describing the person’s most effective means of communication, so that others can be better communication partners
Drawing together information from past and present, from many people who know the person, and from different contexts
Presenting the person positively as an individual, not as a set of ‘problems’ or disabilities

The communication passport belongs to the person – not to staff or family, though they may help him or her to use it appropriately and update it. Passports are especially important at times of transition when new people come into the person’s life and information may not be passed on. They are also helpful when new or temporary staff or volunteers meet the person, helping them quickly to acquire key information.

Here are some helpful communication documents:

Communication Passport