Keeping family connected during these difficult times
We know the importance of family contact for our residents and we’ve seen great support from relatives to the measures we took to keep their loved ones and our people safe. For some of our residents who are used to seeing family members on a regular, often daily basis, the lack of personal contact has been tough but with the introduction of technology to stay in touch, it’s been eye-opening for some of our residents, who have never joined a Skype call before.
We purchased more IPad’s and communicated how to access our account with relatives, pushing out the message across our social media channels. Our reception team were trained to help schedule calls in with the family to arrange as many meetings as quickly as possible.
Our residents have loved using the technology, we even had one resident tell her teenage grandchild ‘now I’m cool like you’.
We continue to run in-home activities, and in line with the most recent guidance, are doing these in smaller group sizes, keeping our residents a safe two metres apart. We’ve had deliveries of exciting goodies which includes craft activities, puzzles, jigsaws and colouring books, which we’ve started to enjoy. We’ve also had some lovely weather and been encouraging as many residents as possible to enjoy some fresh air and the gardens.
Ben, home manager at Hill House has said in an appreciation post to staff shared across our internal channels “It’s an honour for Hill House Care Home to have staff that work so hard in these challenging times. The hard work has brought a lot of comfort to the whole team and residents alike. I’d like to thank all the staff, they are key to our lovely home“.
One family member took the time to send an email to the home this week. In the email they wrote “I know that thank you is not nearly enough of a reward for the lengths you and your dedicated staff go to in order to protect and care for all our loved ones, but still, I want to remind you of how incredibly grateful we are for what you’re all doing.”
Bupa’s Hill House Care Home in Elstree, Hertfordshire provides nursing, residential care to elderly residents along with two dedicated units for residents living with a physical disability or neurological condition, such as multiple sclerosis, in need of residential care.