Celebrating life at Barchester

To combat loneliness and isolation colleagues at Lochduhar reached out to the community as part of their extended social network to seek pen-pals of all ages reaching out to nurseries, schools and members of the community to remain connected during the current coronavirus crisis.

Residents were delighted to receive colourful pictures delivered to the home from members of  local primary school  who have visited the home regularly until the current restrictions were put in place.

Thank you for adding a little colour and sunshine to our residents day and for your heartfelt message.  One resident said “It was very touching to receive such nice letters from the children”, whilst another said “The pictures are lovely, bless them all”.

It is amazing how a simple letter, short story, poem or even a photo or drawing can brighten someone’s day. The residents of Lochduhar will then reply as part of our busy social activity sessions.

We are happy to receive things via post which can be sent to directly to the home or you can email us directly to lochduhar.activities@barchester.com.                                                                                                                                                                                  

Residents received some cards, pictures and postcards from kind members of our local community to help keep everyone's spirits up during this current crisis. 

A big thank you to our staff doing a quick whip around for our local food bank at times like these it is essential communities come together and we help one another where we can. Wansbeck Valley Food Bank were very grateful and are delivering to those in need.

It was also pointed out that Ashington donate the most food to the service for surrounding areas, isn’t that wonderful!

Today we celebrated Mother’s Day at Ashlar house. Due to Government advice regarding COVID-19 we are limiting our residents exposure to the virus which has unfortunately meant no loved ones visiting their mothers today. We have ensured that all loved ones were at least able to see their mothers today via FaceTime or other video conference service.

It was so heart-warming being able to share these moments between mother and son, daughter and grandchild. We also shared Mother’s Day Cards and pictures among our residents. Today could have been memorable for all the wrong reasons however even in the face of such a global crisis connecting our Mums with their families was spent focusing on love as it should be!

To combat loneliness and isolation, residents of Lindum House joined the initiative, 'Postcards of Kindness', and are delighted when the postman delivers their mail. During the current coronavirus crisis, residents extended their social network to seek pen-pals of all ages reaching out to the nurseries, schools and members of the local community to remain connected.

Thank you Amie, aged 9, Eva, aged 4, brothers Blake and Rowan, aged 6 and 2, for adding a little colour and sunshine to our residents' day!

It is amazing how a simple letter, short story, poem or even a photo or drawing can brighten someone’s day. The residents of Lindum House will then reply as part of our busy social activity sessions.

We are happy to receive things via post, which can be sent to directly to the home, or you can email us directly to lindumhouse.activities@barchester.com.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Many thanks to the great team at Caldy Manor for keeping my Mum Rose safe & well along with all the other residents. Hope all the staff stay safe.

As we celebrated Mother’s Day at The Cedars, daffodils were seen everywhere and residents enjoyed FaceTime, Skype and telephone calls from their children. We had a good ol' singalong to lift everyone’s spirits during the day, and there as plenty of chatting about the old times when the children were young. The team and residents shared stories and made it a day to remember!

Wilma received lovely messages and pictures today from her Grandchildren sending love and saying thank you for all she is doing in her caring role.

Bedewell grange is getting lots of love and support from the local community in our pen pal scheme. Children and their families in the Hebburn area have been popping in with letters and little gifts for our residents for mother’s day.

Jill Wright, Activities coordinator said “We are overwhelmed by the response of the local community. This is so important for our residents especially now as our residents cant receive visitors from their families due to us being on lock down. Thank you all so much and keep them coming!”

Epsom Beaumont Care home recognises that people have basic needs: to feel safe, accepted, loved, and a sense of belonging. They also see that the use of technology in care can help support these needs—as well as improve health and wellbeing. With a vision to enhance care with technology, the organisation has been using Skype in their care home at present time when families aren’t able to see their loved ones on a daily basis due to restrictions and keeping residents safe to tackle corona virus.

Epsom Beaumont continues to use technology in care. They use devices like Amazon Alexa to have story telling sessions which helps them to bolster social inclusion and wellbeing in residents. Make activities fun such as using VR glasses with residents to bring things from outside – inside. Like taking residents on European trips like Rome and Paris. Reminiscing times they spend during their youth. Currently our residents are able to use Skype and Facetime to connect to each other. We are also using social media platforms—including Skype, email, and Facebook—with residents who had never before used social media or a computer. “Skype was the most used and enjoyed platform, as per Nikki Harris our activities coordinator.

“Each of our care homes has tablets for the residents to use. Our residents use these in a variety of ways, including Skype, playing games, and emailing relatives,” says Nikki. “

Residents especially enjoy the ability to contact their friends and family members. “It’s particularly useful when a resident has first moved into a care home,” says Nikki, “as this can be unsettling for the resident and their family.” Many of the success stories speak for themselves.

“We encourage our residents to experiment with technology to find out what works best for them,” Nikki continues. “One of our residents wanted to use Skype to connect with her daughter on a more regular basis. During Skype video calls, our activities team and carers assist residents to ensure they have a relaxed experience stress free.

Since our home is closed to visitors and loved ones, we have decided to send personalised and to  include a photo of some of our residents holding their messages. The residents really enjoyed doing this as they hope it puts their loved ones' minds at ease.

Rothsay Grange received this very kind donation from our local TK Maxx branch here in Andover. The bags were filled with delicious treats for our hard working, dedicated team here at Rothsay Grange. We would like to pass on our gratitude for being considered at this time of uncertainty, and hope everyone stays safe and well.

Juniper House is clearly the hub of its community. We have excellent relationship with a private school nearby, and yesterday they arrived here with flowers, cards and pictures for all the residents. The school has launched a campaign to support us through this difficult time, and they have called it 'Flowers for Friends'.

Residents at Newlands Care Centre, Workington have joined the worldwide ‘Postcards of Kindness’ scheme last week. They have already received their first postcard from Stirlingshire with a lovely letter from the writer. Residents are excited to respond to the sender and start connecting with many others around the world.