Staying well, staying connected
Part of Richmond Villages’ portfolio of nine premium retirement villages across the UK, Richmond Aston-on-Trent is set within the beautiful South Derbyshire countryside. The village offers a range of retirement options: independent living apartments, assisted living suites, and a care home providing nursing and dementia care.
During these difficult times when residents can’t see their loved ones in person, Head of Activities, Tracey, and Restaurant Manager, Ben, have gone above and beyond their roles to keep spirits high, by using technology to keep residents and families connected.
Commenting on how her role has changed due to Coronavirus, Tracey shares,
“Being Head of Activities, my role is all about bringing residents together, building new friendships in a happy, vibrant community. It was devastating to have to cancel all of our scheduled entertainers, events and group activities. It was completely against the grain. Once family visits were suspended, I knew it was essential for the families to have some contact with their loved ones. I found the technology a real challenge, but I’ve had to throw myself into Zoom, FaceTime and Skype! This is where Ben has been such a help. Now we have scheduled calls in the diary with families from all around the world!”
Restaurant Manager, Ben, is busy adapting how the village is delivering the best food service to ensure the residents have the nutrition they need but jumped at the chance to help Tracey. Ben comments,
“When I heard of how some of our residents couldn’t get in contact with their families I jumped because I know how not being able to see a loved one would make me feel. We work as a team to ensure the residents don’t feel vulnerable or isolated so anything that can be done to help, we do. The smile on their face when we can get them in contact with their families lifts everyone’s spirits.”
After facilitating lots of video calls over the Easter weekend, Tracey and Ben have received floods of positive messages from the relatives, expressing their appreciation for keeping their loved ones safe and well.
“We have just had a wonderful half hour video call with Mum, aided ably by Ben. Huge thanks to him. It was really wonderful for her to have a window into our worlds even though we are in the North East and South and she is in the Midlands. I am sure this will sustain Mum for days and we can look forward to doing it again with your help. It was also very comforting to see Mum looking so well.
“Much appreciated Tracey, it brought a tear to my eye. Many thanks for your kindness.”
The work of Tracey and Ben is a brilliant example of how all the teams across Richmond Villages are coming together, taking on new responsibilities and roles to ensure the wellbeing and happiness of the residents during these tough times.
