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Issue 87 15.12.21

The weekly online newsletter for the care sector

Care leader in call for tighter visiting rules A SOCIAL care leader is calling for a tightening of the rules for visiting care homes to save lives in the run-up to Christmas. Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, is urging the Welsh Government to step up the programme of booster jabs for care workers. It was clear, said Mr Kreft, that Omicron was far more transmissible than previous variants and would soon overtake Delta to become the dominant strain. The cautious approach taken so far by the Welsh Government had been “eminently sensible” and he welcomed a comment from First Minister Mark Drakeford that new guidance for visiting in care homes and hospitals would be issued. Mario said: “Our first and overwhelming priority is to ensure the vulnerable people for whom we provide care and our wonderful workforce are kept safe. We are calling on the Welsh Government to look at the rules. We want to keep homes open safely but we need to do that in a very measured and responsible way. “We have a new enemy in the Omicron variant which is spreading at a scarily rapid rate with the number of infections doubling every two days. “It is possible we may need to close down for a week or a

fortnight so I think the advice would be to get to see your loved ones as early as possible because we just don’t know where this virus is going. “It would be absurd for me to pretend that everything is going to be fine. Over the next few weeks we could be overwhelmed by this virus. “The people working at the front line have been heroic. They’re worn out, they’re jaded but they are doing the best they can to keep people safe. “We want to see that everything that can possibly be done to make sure that the booster is rolled out right across the country, especially to those who are caring for the vulnerable. “What we now have to do is work with our partners in government and local health boards to ensure that people working on the front line get those jabs as soon as possible. “We are encouraging our colleagues in the health service to ensure we can get our staff jabbed “A very high percentage of residents are fully vaccinated and some care homes are reporting that 100 per cent of their residents have had all three jabs. “It is now imperative that we ensure any remaining residents and staff who have not been triple jabbed are vaccinated very soon.”

Home brings museum to its residents

Residents of Rogers House in Wigmore received a batch of letters from their friends at Fairview Community Primary School. The residents of the care home have been busy making their responses after they received an exciting delivery from their neighbours. Whilst the pandemic continues to prevent them from meeting face to face, the intergenerational friends are keeping in touch with some good old-fashioned letters, with the children writing to tell the residents about themselves, their families and what they like to do. The residents were thrilled with the letters landing on their doormat and immediately set to writing back to their pen pals. Resident Joan Hayden is pictured writing her letter.

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STAFF organised for a unique mobile museum to visit their care home to help residents take a trip down memory lane. Oak Springs Care Home in Liverpool treated residents to the House of Memories On The Road tour bus experience. The bus, the first of its kind in the UK, is National Museums Liverpool’s new touring mobile museum that opens up into an immersive cinema and activity space. It has been specially designed to create memorable experiences for socially isolated people and those living with dementia. Registered manager Andrea Lyon said: “The specially constructed bus is a brilliant idea of National Museums Liverpool and makes it so easy for people in a care setting to experience. “Our residents thoroughly enjoyed the experience with many of them remembering Liverpool’s Overhead Railway which operated along the Liverpool Docks. It was a great opportunity for them to discuss their own stories about it as many used the railway to commute to work. “Another resident enjoyed looking at the memories from the old corner shops as she used to run a shop. She talked to us about how she remembered carefully weighing out butter, meat and sweets for customers.” House of Memories On The Road uses digital technology to recreate the past through a virtual front door. Experiences include a trip on Liverpool’s Overhead Railway, a day out at the seaside and a visit to a 1950s’ grocery store.

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CARINGWEEKLY Church View care home in Caerphilly resident Evelyn “Ella” Wilder celebrated her 101st birthday recently. Ella grew up in Aberbargoed, South Wales and met and married her husband William George Wilder when she was 18. Ella always enjoyed knitting, but now music is her biggest joy, and she is often found whistling around the home. She also loves chatting to her friends and family and has a lot of phone calls. On her big day she enjoyed visits from loved ones, phone calls, balloons and a birthday cake. Ella said: “The key to a happy life...music, laughter and Baileys.” A resident at HC-One’s Clarendon Hall residential and nursing care home in Humberston recently turned 100 and everyone wanted to celebrate in the ‘Clarendon way’. Ruby Wilkinson was born in Grimsby and worked at the fish docks doing typing, shorthand and bookkeeping. Ruby married her husband Royce in 1947 and they had two daughters, Lynda and Diane, as well as many grandchildren and extended family. For her birthday the lounge at the home when she first came downstairs, and the visiting room was also decorated ready for her family visiting. Ruby was shocked by all the decorations but enjoyed her day. The home’s chef made Ruby a special cake which she shared with other residents.

A resident at RMBI Care Co. Home James Terry Court in South Croydon has celebrated her 102nd birthday. To mark the special milestone, Gladys Wilson enjoyed a celebration with her family, her fellow residents and the staff at the care home. Gladys married her husband John in July 1939, and the following year they had a daughter, Margaret. Gladys’ first job was at Epsom Hospital, where she worked as a care assistant for a couple of years. She had various jobs throughout her life, but the one she enjoyed the most was working on an assembly line in a factory. Her husband passed away in 1982, and Gladys lived on her own until she moved to James Terry Court in September 2017. Gladys has a granddaughter and two great-grandchildren. Donald Swann OBE celebrated his 100th birthday at The Lawn, the Alton-based residential care home run by charity Friends of the Elderly. Donald, who has been a resident for nearly two years, marked his big day in style with a birthday lunch with his son Ian. Following lunch, Donald continued the celebrations, enjoying a birthday cake and a fun afternoon chatting and reminiscing with the care team and friends about his extraordinary life. Donald received his OBE in the 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours List in recognition for his work with the youth and community services in Huddersfield and Bradford. Her Majesty the Queen presented him with his award.

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