News and Events

July 19, 2024 By Lavena

Best Dressed Pineapple

Best Dressed Pineapple Competition, Just for fun this week, the office staff at pineapple care took home a Pineapple to dress. Who would you choose as your winner?

If you are looking for a role in care, give Pineapple Care a call on 01375 808303 we have opportunities for care staff and a Recruitment Administrator role to join the office team.

May 2, 2024 By Lavena

Pineapple Care Newsletter – May

Pineapple Care Newsletter May

Seed to Eat.

In line with seed to eat program over the next few months we will be looking at growing our own vegetables at Pineapple Care. This will give all of our LD Service Users the opportunity to learn about the lifecycle of plants and the patterns of nature. Our Service Users will be learning where food comes from and will have the opportunity to watch the

different stages of the growth of seeds, at the end of our project our Service Users will be able to choose between the vegetables we have grown to use in preparing their own meals. Our seed to eat program is designed to offer opportunities for different areas of learning and development while also benefiting well-being from spending time outside in the fresh air and interacting with others around us. Our Service Users have begun to grow their own potatoes this week. Any vegetables grown will also be distributed to the elderly in our local community.

Apple Tree Donation

Pineapple Care are proud to donate four apple trees to Treetops school. Students are from 5 to 19 with moderate learning difficulties and many are on the autistic spectrum, with speech and language problems.

These apple trees will provide nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects.

The flowers are pure white, and the large fruits are sweet, juicy, firm and lightly aromatic. The trees produce their fruit from September to December when the students will be back from the summer holidays.

Pineapple Care were very excited to attend the school to start the planting. Our Managing Director Lavena Babbs, Operations Director Nicola Lloyd and LD Manager Lucy Champion were all in attendance to assist the teachers and students at Treetops school. We are looking forward to seeing some lovely results in the future.

Deaf Awareness Week 6th – 12th of May.

Each year, the deaf awareness week brings awareness to the isolation that deaf people can experience, whilst promoting social inclusion of those with hearing loss. The week also generates awareness of British Sign Language, spreading the form of communication to make society a more accessible place for people with hearing loss. Pineapple Care will be spending the week, learning sign language. On Friday the 10th of May our LD team have arranged a country park visual treasure hunt for our LD service users who must only communicate only using flash cards or sign language.

Meanwhile in the office we will be having a sign only morning. All internal staff will only be able to communicate with sign language or flash cards, we will of course be able to answer any phone calls but if there are any slip up, the member of staff will need to pay a forfeit.

I am sure there will be lots of lovely photos to come.

Dental/Oral Health

Pineapple Care will be promoting good dental/oral health this month. Good oral hygiene is an important part of personal care. It can help prevent tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath and tooth loss. Poor oral health can affect your ability to eat, drink and communicate. It can also affect your self-esteem, leading you to feel unhappy. spending time outside in the fresh air and interacting with others around us.

Poor oral health has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory infections, and even pregnancy complications. Maintaining good oral hygiene through regular brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups can significantly reduce the risk of such health complications.

Our in-house trainer Lisa Clemson training care staff how to clean the teeth and dentures.

Pineapple Networking Group

Pineapple Care are looking for people from our local community to attend our Networking group on a monthly basis to discuss how we can all work collaboratively to achieve a better Thurrock.

Do you feel that you would be able to provide an insight into your area/ what’s missing?

We would like to connect with both professionals, ex professionals, group leaders, councillors, shop owners, school workers, colleagues, ex nurses, NHS workers, Support Workers or anyone who feels that they would be able to contribute to the group.

If you would like to express your interest, please contact the office by either email on mail@pineapple.care or phone on 01375 808303.

On the 17th of May Pineapple Care will be taking part in the hats for Headway Day to raise money and show support to increase awareness and understanding of brain injury and its consequences.

Headway the brain injury association provide information and support for people with brain injuries, their relatives, carers and concerned professional people, they promote improved approaches to brain injury screening, acute care, assessment, rehabilitation and community reintegration. Headway assists people with brain injuries to return to community living, including access to appropriate accommodation, social outlets and productive activity.

we’d love you to take part in our 3 Hat Challenge!

1. Share a selfie in your favourite hat using the hashtags #HatsForHeadway and #3HatChallenge

2. Text HATS to 70580 to donate £3

3. Nominate 3 friends!

Every hat equals more funding towards our vital support for those affected by brain injury.

Make a larger donation!

To make a quick, easy text donation of £5, £10 or £20:

Text HFHW5 to 70085

Text HFHW10 to 70085

Text HFHW20 to 70085

Texts cost the donation amount plus one standard rate message, and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone. If you’d like to give £3 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text HFHWNOINFO to 70580.

Join the Team – Current Vacancies

Pineapple Care have the following vacancies available: –

Full time in Corringham /Stanford single handed driving essential.

Full time in south Ockendon & Aveley

Part time Ockendon & Aveley 7am -2pm

Weekends full availability

Driving is essential.

If you know anyone who is looking for a change in career, a fresh start or has always wanted to work in the care industry and just doesn’t know where to start, refer them to Pineapple Care and receive a payment of £75 once probation has been passed. Please contact the office and ask for the recruitment department for more information on 01375 808303. Or email recruitment@pineapple.care

Look out for our next Newsletter in June. Until next time………..

April 24, 2024 By Lavena

PINEAPPLE CARE NETWORKING GROUP

April 16, 2024 By Lavena

Club Pineapple’s Alzheimer’s Society Visit.

On the 5^th of April Club Pineapple had a lovely visit from Laura Cleverley a Dementia Friendly Communities Coordinator on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society.

Laura contacted our Club Pineapple coordinators Lisa Clemson and Debbie Hobby as one of our Service Users had informed them of ‘this wonderful new group in Orsett’. Laura was keen to see if Club Pineapple is a group they can recommend for people living with dementia and their carers/companions, and to see if any support was required to make it as inclusive as possible for those affected by dementia.

We are really proud to have received the following feedback from Laura:-

“Thank you so much for inviting me to your group today, it was an absolute pleasure!

Well done for creating such a meaningful, entertaining, warm, friendly, sociable and inclusive environment for Thurrock residents.

I will certainly be recommending the group when I am out and about and will share details with our Thurrock Dementia Advisors.

I love the idea that the group can act as a form of respite for carers/loved ones, the fact it is free and how wonderfully stimulating you make it.

We will ask those we inform about the group to call your office in advance to confirm their place and check that you have capacity”.

Anyone interested in attending Club Pineapple, please contact the office on 01375 808303 for more information.

April 5, 2024 By Lavena

April Newsletter

PINEAPPLE CARE Issue 3

Latest news and bulletin updates

SERVICE USERS EVENING OUT.

On the 19th of March Some of our lovely service users were taken to the Thameside Theatre to watch the annual Gang Show performance by members of our local Scout and Guide groups. The shows are produced with the dual aims of providing a learning opportunity for young people in the performing arts, as well as contributing to the artistic and cultural growth of their local community.

Each service user had the support of our care staff who took time out of their evening to ensure that everyone was safe and able to attend the show. One of the service users said it was the best night of his life, another said it had been ages since she had left her complex, and she had such a lovely evening.

A big Thank you to all the staff involved.

Apple Tree Donation

These apple trees will provide nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects.

Once the little orchid is planted, we will update you with some lovely pictures.

Easter Eggs for all care staff.

Lavena Babbs and Nicola Lloyd gifted all our lovely care staff with Easter eggs for their children and Grandchildren, wishing everyone a happy Easter. The LD team also held an Easter egg hunt for all the LD students, finding and collecting chocolate eggs hid in the Pineapple Care Garden. The LD Manager Lucy Champion even dressed up as the Easter bunny.

Reducing our carbon footprint.

Pineapple Care have been working hard to look to reduce our company carbon footprint.

We have now introduced a compost bin, reducing our food waste and using this on our office garden. We have been using recyclable paper in the office with an aim to become paper free when we go Digital in the near future.

Seed to Eat

In line with seed to eat program over the next through month’s we will be looking at growing our own vegetables at Pineapple. This will give all of our LD students the opportunity to learn about the lifecycle of plants and the patterns of nature. Our students will be learning where food comes from and will have the opportunity to watch the different stages of the growth of seeds, at the end of our project our students will be able to choose between the vegetables we have grown to use in preparing their own meals. Our seed to eat program is designed to offer opportunities for different areas of learning and development while also benefiting well-being from spending time outside in the fresh air and interacting with others around us.

On Friday 12th April we will be starting off with growing potatoes where our seed to eat experience will begin.

Thurrock Moving with Dignity Project Lisa Evans – Pineapple Care’s Branch Manager has been working with an Occupational Therapist for Inclusion and on behalf of the Thurrock OT service team for all residents in the borough who receive a double handed package of care. Lisa organised and attended joint assessments for these residents, in an aim to keep residents independent for longer, risk assessing the individual and providing equipment to assist with their mobility.

Pineapple care has received a wonderful email from the director of Inclusion complimenting how well Lisa knows her service users and how helpful Lisa has been. They have also complimented our care staff who have demonstrated a good knowledge of manual handling, equipment and the needs of their service users, handling each client in a personal centred way.

Earth Day

Taking place on 22nd April every year. Raising awareness of the challenges to the well-being of our planet and the life it supports.

International Mother Earth Day (also known simply as Earth Day) recognises that the Earth and its ecosystems provide its inhabitants with life and sustenance. It also aims to raise awareness that humans have a collective responsibility to promote harmony with nature and to balance the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations. Did you know that practically everything you touch, everything you eat and everything you use is made up of things that came from the Earth? From the metals in your phone to the wool in your blankets. Everything we have, everything that we are, we owe to the natural world around us. That’s why it’s so important to protect it.

NATIONAL PET DAY

National Pet Day is an unofficial holiday that takes place every year on the 11th of April and encourages people to appreciate the role that pets play in our lives. Pineapple Care has its very own office dog, Bazil. Bazil comes to the office everyday along with his human. Bazil is always busy in the office having fusses and getting treats. Bazil attends all meetings and sings along to his favourite tunes.