Isis House care home, Isis
Court and Shotover View visited by ‘UK-South Korea Ageing in Place Research Network’ in research and knowledge exchange on housing for older people
Dan Hayes, CEO of The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), led a delegation of senior academics and researchers from Oxford Brookes University and South Korea’s Land and Housing Research Institute (LHRI) on a special tour of the not-for-profit social care provider’s services in Oxfordshire.
Dan briefed the delegation on the opportunities, challenges and complexities of social care for older people in England. The delegation learned about provision, funding, responsibilities of national and local government agencies, integration with the National Health Service (NHS), and differences between charitable and commercial providers. Innovation in the sector was also on the agenda, such as OSJCT’s transition to electronic care records.
The delegation visited two extra care housing schemes – Shotover View and Isis Court in Oxford – which OSJCT manages in partnership with the housing association bpha. They also visited residential care home Isis House, which adjoins Isis Court. During the visit, Carer Beve O’Mahoney, demonstrated OSJCT’s new electronic care records system, eCare, which enables carers to spend more quality time with residents and less time on paperwork.
Joining Dan for the tour were members of OSJCT’s senior management team as well as:
- Dr Young-ha Cho, Reader in Housing and Ageing, School of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University;
- Kyung Ho Jung, Director of Research Planning Division, LHRI;
- Dr Young Eun Lee, Director, Housing Welfare Lab, LHRI;
- Dr Hyung-Sub Shin, Research Fellow, Housing Welfare Lab, LHRI;
- Julia Pirrie, Senior Partnerships Manager, bpha;
- Dr Karla Zimpel-Leal, Senior Lecturer Innovation and Enterprise, Oxford Brookes Business School, Oxford Brookes University.
Dan said: “We were delighted to host the delegation from Oxford Brookes University and the South Korean LHRI and showcase our care services. Nearly every country in the world is experiencing growth in the number of older people in their populations and therefore nearly every country is facing major challenges in ensuring their health and social care systems can respond to an ageing population. So it’s important to make the most of every opportunity for collaboration and sharing knowledge about how to improve the lives of older people and their loved ones.”
Aware of OSJCT’s reputation as a leading not-for-profit social care provider, Dr Cho invited the charity to participate in the week-long UK visit by the delegation. Earlier this year, Oxford Brookes University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for mutual research collaboration with LHRI, South Korea’s foremost research institute on issues relating to land and housing. The UK visit, financed by Dr Cho’s ESRC-funded Network Grant ‘UK-South Korea Ageing in Place Research Network’, was a further opportunity for the network to meet and discuss future research proposals and other knowledge exchange events on housing for older people.
Members of the delegation commented on their visit to OSJCT:
Kyung Ho Jung – “The most impressive part of the visit to me was the residents’ health management through an app. It seemed very systematic in that it was impossible to miss the details of care services for each resident and that these details could be shared with all involved. I hope that more such facilities will be initiated and developed further in preparation for the ageing era.”
Dr Lee – “Shotover’s spacious barrier-free lounges, hairdresser, library, and other various facilities stood out to me. It was also very impressive to see the residents at Isis House gather together in the communal lounge and sing along ‘My Way’ with pleasant rhythms. Such socially interactive time seems to be a good way to make older people feel happy in their daily lives.”
Dr Shin – “I was able to see how Isis House provides specialised residential, nursing, respite and emergency care to older people and it was impressive to see how the various services are being provided in such pleasant ways. The residents seemed very happy and the staff were also relaxed and very friendly. Thank you for giving us a good experience.”
Julia Pirrie – “It was a pleasure to join OSJCT to showcase our excellent extra care schemes in Oxford. It was a great opportunity to share how the schemes are delivered and the benefits for the residents who live in them.”
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