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CARINGNEWS
Group turns to internet to pass on project news A CARE group has come up with a novel way of keeping people up to date on its new home project. Cornwall Care wants to build a new facility in St Ives and, following a series of consultation events, has created the a dedicated page on its website to provide people with information about the plans. The company wants to build a small retirement community which will include a care home and independent assisted living accommodation. Chief executive Douglas Webb said the website has sections for frequently asked questions, location maps, images of the current sites, enewsletter registration and a home page that gives a full overview of the planned development. He added: “We wanted to provide people with as much information as possible regarding our plans. The new section of the website enables us to regularly update information and seek feedback and comments from people. “Our consultation events provided us with a great insight into views and concerns expressed by those who attended, and we hope to have have addressed these in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the site.” The proposals are based on the development of an 80 bedroom care
Technology boost for residents By Dominic Musgrave
home which would include 60 residential bedrooms and a further 20 nursing care rooms. The addition of the nursing care would be a new service for the area. The home will be divided up into six separate self contained suites and 25 to 30 self contained extra care units. The planning application will be put forward to Cornwall council by this month.
RESIDENTS at a Leicestershire care home are learning how to use the internet and send emails thanks to a grant awarded to a charitable organisation. Learning for the Fourth Age has received almost £60,000 from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS) for its Care Homes And New Technologies project (CHANT). And one of the first care homes to get involved in the scheme is Aigburth in Oadby, which is registered for 32 residents. Manager Angie Boyes told Caring UK the home has had a computer, laptop and a Nintendo Wii installed. She added: “The Nintendo Wii has gone down a storm with the residents, and they play it all the time. “A lot of them here have also learned to email, and we recently were talking to another care home in the county using Skype. “We now plan to start using it for the residents to keep in touch with
any families and friends they may have abroad.” Three of the home’s residents, 90year-old Irene Branston, 93-year-old Hilda Spencer and 86-year-old Jean Malen also visited the Houses of Commons recently to see a film that Learning for the Fourth Age had put together about the scheme. Angie added: “Melissa March, cofounder and director of the company, asked if they could come in and film the residents using the equipment, which they said they could. “We were then invited along to see the documentary they had put together so we took the residents down to see what they had put together. “I never thought in all my time here that I would see the residents on the London Underground or using computers, but they have really embraced it with both hands and have really got involved.” The home has also been asked to feature in a documentary for The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education.
Aussie Rules at home IT was ‘Aussie Rules’ at a Devon care home as staff and residents got together to celebrate Australia Day. Residents at the 64-bed Heanton Nursing Home in Braunton celebrated with a lunch including Anzac biscuits, a selection of Australian wines and a cake baked by the home’s chefs. There was a digeridoo playing session led by activities coordinator Jo Lailey and a quiz on all things antipodean from the home’s own ‘Edna Everage’ played by care assistant David Allen. Manager Jo Rutherford said the event was one of the home’s best ever. She added: “We normally celebrate Burn’s Night at this time of year but our staff and residents wanted to bring a bit of sunshine to the proceedings.
‘Dame Edna’ David Allen celebrates Australia Day with resident Betty Davis