THEREPORT Staff Stories: How We’re Working Together to Keep our Residents Safe and Beat Covid-19
Love in Lockdown: Lawson House Residents say ‘I Do’
Doll Therapy Brings ‘Joy Like Nothing Seen Before’
Autumn 2020 Registered Charity: 254140
To our Residents, a Letter from our Chief Executive
www.rapporthousingandcare.co.uk rapporthousingandcare Rapport Housing & Care, The Old Wharf, Station Road, Cuxton, Rochester Kent, ME2 1AB
rapporthandc Let us know your thoughts! media@rapporthc.co.uk
Telephone: 01634 723007 Registered in England under the Companies Act No. 908333. Registered under the Housing Act 1974 No. H2362. Registered Charity No. 254140
Inside this issue
THEREPORT
The last six months have been immensely difficult for all of you because of Covid-19 and we want to thank you for continuing to follow the restrictions, which are necessary to keep the environment safe. Since Rapport Housing & Care was founded over 50 years ago, one of our primary aims is to combat loneliness, disappointingly, Covid-19 has compelled us to introduce practices that are contrary to this aim, including reducing your contact with others, along with stopping family and friends from visiting our care homes. We are enormously grateful to all our staff who have worked extremely efficiently, ensuring the environment is constantly kept clean and many have willingly undertaken additional hours to ensure we can continue to support you. I have had the privilege of working for our organisation for over 20 years now and have seen it travel through some extremely challenging trials. Through the resolve of our residents, staff, volunteers and family members, we have always come through these times. This is currently the case with Covid-19, since it entered our lives earlier this year, we have had a small number of infections both amongst residents and staff because our combined determination has kept this low. As the number of Covid-19 cases begin to increase in the UK again, we must continue to be cautious. If you feel unwell or have any concerns, please do not hesitate to talk to our staff who will gladly assist you. Regardless of what the coming months bring, we will continue to ensure that government guidance is followed to help you to remain safe.
4 A charitable donation from a big business
Two of our residents, who married in lockdown, share their story
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Stay at home? No problem, Edward Moore House residents relish restaurant experience during evening at ‘The Edward Moore’
Our residents share the poems they wrote during lockdown
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Doll therapy has made an incredible impact on our Gravesend care home residents
We all look forward to the restrictions being lifted and for you to enjoy having the interaction with others that we have all missed, plus we can visit you again. Best wishes on behalf of all the trustees and the executive team.
Leon Chief Executive
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Rosewell House resident Vera turns 100 and shares her secret to a long life
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Rapport Housing & Care Welcomes Wish List Donation From Amazon Rapport Housing & Care has used a £1000 wish list donation from their local Amazon Sortation Centre, to thank staff for their hard work throughout the pandemic.
management, they have all really supported one another and worked as a family to come through the situation even stronger.
Love in Lockdown: Lawson House Residents who met at Extra Care Scheme say ‘I do’ For many, moving into an extra care housing scheme means finding new hobbies and friends, but for Dennis and Yvonne, they also unexpectedly found love.
With eleven locations across the county and over 400 members of staff, the local Amazon Sortation Centre in Maidstone has donated enough sweet treats for everyone who works for the charity, as a thank you for the invaluable work undertaken by all employees, particularly during the past few months, which have been incredibly difficult.
Katrina Levett, Director of Operations at Rapport Housing & Care said: “As a not for profit organisation, any surplus we make goes straight back into our services, thus we don’t often get the opportunity to give our staff gifts. So when Amazon approached us in the middle of the pandemic with the offer of fulfilling a wish list for us, we knew it’d be a great idea to use it to reward our staff.
“I always said I’d never marry again,” says Yvonne, “but then I met Dennis and I knew straight away. We both moved into Lawson House when it first opened in August 2018, but Dennis had a partner, so I stayed away. A year later he was single, we found ourselves having drinks in our friend’s apartment together and the rest is history!”
The committed and hardworking teams have kept more than 300 vulnerable residents safe and happy during an exceptionally challenging time and this gesture serves as a thank you for all they have done.
“Our teams have worked extremely hard to keep our residents safe since the Covid-19 outbreak several months ago, so we are very grateful to Amazon for assisting us to show our appreciation.”
Neither Dennis or Yvonne are originally from Larkfield but upon meeting, they realised they both used to frequent the same pubs in Welling many years ago and they most likely crossed paths in their younger days.
From the care, domestic and kitchen teams, to the administration, maintenance and
to limit the number of guests so unfortunately only a few could join us. The manager of the hotel, Dominique was wonderful, she managed to do an excellent job whilst keeping with the government guidelines, it was such a wonderful day.”
The pair began spending more time together and they introduced their families as a whirlwind romance ensued. Breaking with tradition, Yvonne proposed to Dennis and the couple planned to marry on 12th September 2020, they also recently moved into an apartment together at the scheme.
“Brian, a resident here took photos for us and Jed, another resident and friend, was my best man,” says Dennis. “He’s always losing things, so we made sure we didn’t give him the rings until just before! Of course, we were disappointed that all the other residents couldn’t join us for our special day but we’re going to hold a big party for everyone when all this is over.”
“Our families get on so well and whilst I think they were a little surprised I was planning to marry again; they love Dennis and my grandchildren even call him grandad.” Yvonne adds. “We married at the Larkfield Priory Hotel just around the corner and we wanted the staff and residents to come but, in the end, we had
There’s no honeymoon this year for the lovebirds but they are planning a cruise to the Fjords for their first anniversary next year. For now, they are looking forward to restrictions easing and being able to get back to their weekly Bingo nights, where Dennis is the resident caller. Jil Stanley, Housing Officer at Lawson House said: “Lawson House has only been up and running for a couple of years but the residents have developed such a wonderful community and built so many friendships, so we’re delighted for Dennis & Yvonne’s very happy news, particularly after such a difficult few months. “It’s been hard on everyone but we’ve managed to keep Covid-19 out, so we’re all looking forward to being able to celebrate the news together, when it is safe to do so.”
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Bon Appétit: Gravesend Residents Enjoy Restaurant Experience at The Edward Moore
Medway Lady, Monica Moves into Rogers House, 28 Years After Attending its Opening Event
With care homes having been locked down since March, staff of Edward Moore House Residential Care Home in Gravesend decided to treat their residents to an evening at The Edward Moore Restaurant.
A Medway lady who attended the opening event of Rogers House in 1992, has moved in as a permanent resident 28 years later. When she suffered a stroke and found herself needing care and support last year, 88-yearold Monica Feltham knew there was only one place she wanted to be. She viewed eight or nine homes with her children but always knew she wanted to live at Rogers House, feeling a sentimental attachment to the home.
Residents of Rapport Housing & Care’s homes have been staying safe since the organisation closed its doors to visitors in early March and whilst visitors can now see loved ones in the garden marquee with social distancing in place, an evening out on the town is still off the cards. With that in mind, staff at the Trinity Road home wanted to do something different for the residents and give them the opportunity to enjoy some normality and a relaxing evening with first class food. The Edward Moore was open for business as residents were invited to indulge in a delicious four-course meal, comprising several options, including creamy mushrooms, sirloin steak and Black Forest Gateau, to name a few. The evening ended with a cheeseboard, for those who had room.
Whilst the staff took their orders and topped up their wine, classical music played in the background, creating an authentic and calming ambience. Melanie Martin, Deputy Manager commented: “The residents had a great time dining at The Edward Moore, they were delighted with the food and said it was just like going out to eat. Our staff waitresses did a great job and the kitchen produced some lovely food, which went down very well. It was lovely to be able to treat the residents to a fun experience after a difficult few months.”
Brooke’s big Care Home Bake off! When Barnes Lodge resident Bob turned 89, his great granddaughter had a rather wonderful idea, to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society by baking 89 cupcakes. Barnes Lodge had a delicious delivery of cupcakes, baked by 12-year-old Brooke, great granddaughter of Bob, who sadly couldn’t celebrate his birthday surrounded by loved ones due to
the pandemic. Bob suffers from vascular dementia, so this is a cause close to the whole family’s hearts, in particular Bob’s daughter, Janice. Janice said: “Brooke really enjoys baking and she has such a caring nature, I happily bought all the ingredients for her to be able to bake the cakes. I am exceptionally proud of her” Brooke didn’t stop there. She also walked 89km in June to raise more funds. You can visit her fundraising page here: www.justgiving. com/cupcakeday-brookemurray Nicky Pett, General Manager at Barnes Lodge commented: “The idea was fantastic and to come from such a young heart is even better, we are so grateful.”
Monica, who grew up and spent a lot of her life in Borstal with her husband and four children, had fond memories of Rogers House. To this day, she still recalls attending the opening event with her pastor husband in 1992, through his connection to the church he was good friends with the founders of the home, Tom and Doreen Rogers. Monica was due to move into Rogers House just before Christmas 2019, but the plans fell through and she had to move into a home in All Hallows instead, whilst she waited for another room to become available at Rogers House. In spring, the Covid-19 pandemic took
hold, so she ended up staying for a bit longer than she had anticipated. “It was a lovely home and I knew I’d be happy wherever I went,” says Monica, “but there was only one bus every hour and it was such a long drive for my family when they came to visit, it really was a bit too remote. “When I finally got the call that there was a room available at Rogers House, I snapped it up quick. I believe the path I took to get here was planned for me, but I am so happy to finally be living here!”
Canterbury Residents Enjoy Autumn Bakes With the colder days having arrived rapidly, residents of Connors House warmed up with a morning of autumnal baking. We’ve all tried our hand at baking since lockdown confined us all to our homes in March but for residents of our Craddock Road home, it’s something they’ve always enjoyed.
Christine Devlin, Home Manager of Connors House said: “We do lots of baking here and we like to keep it exciting and fresh for the residents, and so changing our bakes with the season works really well!”
With the colder grey days and gusts of wind arriving, residents decided to adapt their baking session to suit the season, making some lovely autumnal cupcakes. Even the cupcake cases were red and orange as the residents filled them with yummy cake mixture and topped with buttercream icing and decorative fondant leaves, carefully cut with a cookie cutter.
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Northfleet Residents Send Special Thank you Cards to Children at Nearby Nursery
Centenarian Tonbridge Resident Says Secret to a Long Life is Being Naughty
To thank them for delivering a delicious batch of biscuits, residents of Dene Holm Residential Care Home spent a morning making handmade cards for their friends at Northfleet Nursery.
Vera Greening, a resident at Rosewell House Extra Care Housing Scheme in Tonbridge, celebrated her 100th birthday, on Monday 3rd August.
Keeping in touch has been extremely important for all of us throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and that too is the case for our care home residents. Whilst they’ve been missing visits from their loved ones, they have also been missing their visits from the children of Northfleet Nursery.
Last week, one of the nursery’s teachers, Ms Bullen, dropped off a special delivery of biscuits for the residents, to let them know they’re thinking of them and that they miss seeing them. So, this week, to say thank you, residents of the Dene Holm Road residential care home made some very special thank you cards by hand, to send back to their friends. Chris Hutchinson, General Manager of Dene Holm said: “Just before Christmas, the children came to visit the residents. It was so successful, within weeks the residents had visited the children to watch their Nativity Play and the children had returned. “Over the next few months they got to know one another and built friendships, some of the residents even volunteered to be Beanstalk Volunteers, helping the children with their reading. Sadly, from March, we had to stop all non-essential visits, which was a real shame, however, the residents have the children in their thoughts and vice versa, and they are all looking forward to resuming visits when it is safe to do so.”
Watling Court Staff Host Fancy Dress Fridays In a bid to lift spirits and inject a bit of joy into the current difficult situation, staff of Watling Court Extra Care Housing Scheme introduced Fancy Dress Fridays. As lockdown continued, each Friday the staff came to work dressed up, based around a different and unusual theme. We saw wacky outfits, pyjamas, sports day, glamorous dresses, a Hawaiian theme and superheroes, to name a few. Helen Goulding, Housing Officer at Watling Court said: “Our fancy dress day seems to be growing every week, with more staff and residents wanting to get involved, which is great to see. “It started as a silly idea to bring a smile to our
residents’ faces during lockdown, so it’s lovely to see that it certainly seems to be doing that. It’s really fun to see what everyone will come up with each week and thankfully, we have lots of ideas to keep us going for a while!”
Born just two years after the end of WW1 and in the same year that women were finally allowed to receive degrees at Oxford University and the Republic of Ireland gained independence, Vera grew up in London, where she lived until her thirties. She met her husband Vic, when she was in the WRAF and he in the RAF during WW2 and they went on to have three daughters, before moving down to Kent in 1954 to get away from the smog. Vera worked in housekeeping most of her life and sadly lost her husband in the 70s. Today, Vera has three grandchildren, four great grandchildren and a great great grandchild, who lives in Cumbria. Up until just three years ago, Vera managed alone in her house, but a fall left her needing two hip replacements and the family decided it was time to move somewhere better suited to her needs. She has lived happily at Rosewell House since it opened its doors. Despite the big move and her advancing years, Vera is still strong willed, loves her food and has a great sense of humour. She loves to read and Tonbridge Library regularly drop in
books for her. She may be 100 but she is still as sharp as a needle and can clearly recall memories of her early days, including taking her young daughters to watch the Queen’s coronation in the early fifties. “I can remember we were at the Mall watching the parade at the Queen’s coronation, we still lived in London then, I looked up and my daughter had got herself stuck under one of the horse’s legs!” She laughs. Due to lockdown restrictions, Vera was unable to have the special celebration she deserves but she was able to see some family members and the staff at Rosewell House went all out to make her day special, decorating her lunch table with balloons, gifts, flowers, cards and a birthday cake. A representative from the local library also dropped some gifts, balloons and cards off for their VIP customer. The other residents wished her happy birthday from a distance and her family are planning to have a belated celebration when everything is back to normal. So, what is her secret to living a long and healthy life? “Being naughty!” She chuckles, “I always thought I’d live a long life, my grandma lived to be 100 too but I don’t feel 100, not all the time anyway!”
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Noel Dawes: A Devoted and Selfless Former Volunteer of Over 30 Years
Doll Therapy Brings ‘Joy Like Nothing I’ve Seen Before’ Says Care Home Manager
Noel Dawes, who sadly passed away earlier this year, gave three decades of his life to support the residents of St Mary’s Supported Home in Riverhead, from the home’s conception to the day it closed its doors.
A kind gift to the residents at Edward Moore House has had a wonderfully moving impact on the residents living with dementia.
“He gained as much as he gave,” says Kim, Noel’s wife, “He was the most unselfish person I ever met, he was so generous and caring and always put others first. He just loved being around people and getting to know them and their stories and his Christian faith was very important.” Noel first joined St Mary’s as a volunteer when it was just plans, a civil engineer by trade, he aided the development process and went on to join the home’s committee, which he eventually chaired, at a time when there were three other homes in Sevenoaks. Noel’s mother actually lived at the home for a while when it first opened too, before moving into a nursing home. Back then, supported housing looked very different, with a ‘house mother’ who lived with and looked after the residents. To begin with Noel helped with the odd property jobs but eventually, he got to know the residents and started spending time chatting to them and assisting with outings, organising annual fetes and fairs etc. Kim recalls how the former school governor of 20 years would take the residents on trips to the school to watch the children’s Nativity plays and attend their Harvest Festivals. The family lived very close, so a lot of time was spent at the home, including with the children and grandchildren.
When reborn artist, Trish, a friend of Kelly Town, who works at the home, donated one of her incredibly lifelike dolls to the Gravesend care home residents, no one knew quite how beneficial it would be for them. As times changed and the home moved to staff on shifts, as opposed to living in, Noel would also help with preparing meals when there were staff shortages, whether that was cooking or a last-minute dash to the fish and chip shop. He even accompanied residents to appointments and ensured the gardens were all colourful and beautiful, year-round. In 2017, Noel won the organisation’s annual award for staff/ volunteer recognition, following several nominations from the home’s residents and his son. In their nominations they described him as “thoughtful”, “kind” and “marvelous” and said “he’ll do anything for you. We can tell him our troubles and he listens, he’s just a wonderful man”. They all agreed without him, they’d be “lost”, and the home would be “a lot less colourful”. On accepting his award, Noel said: “Whilst it’s true you receive no financial reward from volunteering, I was rewarded in other ways.” Sadly, St Mary’s closed its doors shortly after, as it was no longer financially viable. Noel was understandably heartbroken, after giving so much to the home and residents. Leon Steer, Chief Executive of the organisation, said: “I have met a considerable number of volunteers in over 21 years at Rapport Housing & Care, plus hundreds more during my voluntary work outside of the organisation and Noel was one of the most sincere and kindest I have known. He had a genuine empathy for older people and was totally devoted to the wellbeing of everyone at St Mary’s, both residents and staff - he will be greatly missed”.
Looking after the baby has proven to have a significant calming effect, when residents are feeling unsettled or restless. It gives them a sense of worth and purpose and their reactions have brought the staff to tears, as they watch them interact and take it in turns to hold the baby. After the baby’s arrival, former employee and friend of the home, Maggie Town, also sourced a classic Silver Cross pram, which one resident, Marylyn, loves to use to push the baby around the home. Another resident, Jean, stops to hold the baby and tells Marlyln how she couldn’t have children and she’s so lucky to be able to hold Marylyn’s baby. Melanie Martin, Deputy Manager at Edward Moore House commented: “The effect the
baby has on the residents is heartwarming and emotional, it brings them joy like nothing I have seen before. When the baby is around the whole mood changes, they speak quietly as not to wake her and they are so gentle with her, it’s beautiful to see. Trish hand paints all of her dolls and she does an excellent job as they are very realistic. We are so grateful for what she has done for our home.” Whilst it has its critics and it isn’t for everyone, doll therapy is proven to have a therapeutic effect and it can be extraordinarily beneficial for improving wellbeing and reducing anxiety amongst some residents. To find out more about Trish’s reborn babies, visit www.facebook.com/mummyps
Life is a Beach at Rogers House We’re all missing our holidays and a dose of vitamin sea this year, so staff at Rogers House decided to host a beach day for residents. Residents were invited to seas the day and join in a number of sensory activities, designed to simulate their senses and spark positive memories, from shells and sand displays to calming seaside sounds playing in the background. Staff also decorated the room with inflatables and assisted residents with themed word searches.
year, due to the pandemic, we haven’t been able to have our normal outings, which have been greatly missed. So the indoor beach day was a great idea and everyone had a lovely afternoon.”
Jackie Miles, Home Manager at Rogers House said: “Usually our residents would enjoy summer trips to the seaside but this
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The Balloon Poem by Residents and Activity Coordinator at Rogers House Look at all the big balloons high up in the sky, look up at all the balloons in the sky just look at them fly, look at all the balloons in the sky they remind me of the war time gone by. Barrage balloons, barrage balloons, they are so very big and silent, when they fly it made me scared and made me run and hide. Look at all the big balloons in the sky, just look high up in the sky. I can see a man sending signals to the railway guy, so the train can go by. Look up in the sky, look up in the sky, oh my just look up at all the big balloons I can spy, I can see them from my shelter where I crouch down and lie. Look up at all the balloons in the sky, just look at all the big coloured balloons in the sky, it makes me think of my wedding dress when times like these were hard to come by.
The Garden of England by Margaret King, Rosewell House Resident What a lovely place the true “Garden of England” really is Ideally located within easy reach of the Kent & Sussex Coasts, what bliss Gatwick & Heathrow airports are close by and its also within good proximity to London Your journey through Kent & Sussex leads to everything that is quintessentially English we say “well done” There are beautiful gardens, imposing Castles, stunning country houses and much much more Like orchards, farms, hills and downs, all make up this mid & western part of Kent, with even more in store Untamed woodland and country parks, golf and go-karts and many lovely country inns to enjoy You will also pass through many pretty and picturesque villages, plus the amazing “Cinque Ports”, oh boy Then bustling market towns such as Battle, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and the only Spa Town in the South East “Royal Tunbridge Wells” Tenterden though is the ‘Jewel of the Weald’ with its lovingly restored steam railway, plus amazing antique shops, that ring bells The Parish Church here dominates this town though, from the top there are clear views to the Channel Coast many miles away It is possible to see ships in the English Channel and even see the French Coast, it must be clear though, we say One infamous Country House though has to be “Chartwell,” home of the amazing Prime Minister “Sir Winston Churchill”, so great A Victorian house that was re-modelled for him, superbly situated here in Kent full of reminders of this great statesman we rate One of his great passions though was painting, and at Chartwell there is a studio housing a few hundred of these for you to see From Chartwell there are splendid views looking across this part of “The Garden of England”
also a garden wall built by Churchill, another of his many talents, believe me Now for an imposing Castle “Hever” childhood home of Anne Bolyn, Henry VIII’s Second Wife, it stands romantically in its moat we see With manificent gardens, a 35-acre lake, plus ½ mile avenue of Chestnuts, another with limes and a maze with 1000 Yew trees, packed full you must agree Outside there’s a set of Chessmen shaped from Yews, and an Italian garden containing statues, columns and busts, collected by Lord Astor when in Rome It was he that restored this place to the wonderful setting we see today, certainly a place you could call home Next we come to “Lakes” here in the “Garden of England” and Bough Beach is one that is really great Divided into two, the largest is for sailing boats and the smaller one for birdwatchers, there are very many birds here, watchers like to come with a mate Up the road is a mini museum with lake information, plus eats & gifts to buy who could want for anything more These lakes are set in a most picturesque area too, with walks galore and a notice board to write down unusual birds you saw So much of this land though, is taken up with farming of all types, and a great deal with cattle grazing too There’s so much for the farmers in this “Garden of England” to contend with, plus hedge cutting as well, that they must do The North & South Downs though provide wonderful vistas across the landscape so good, we can’t get enough of it So walking here is a definite must to enjoy these views at their best, and it keeps you very fit Next is Penshurst, one of the best villages around, filled with history, old buildings, rolling parkland with a lake & room for marquees hosting shows galore But “Penshurst Place” birthplace of Sir Philip Sidney, a poet and courtier is an amazing palatial country house, approached through a medieval garden tower, with more in store It’s centrepiece is the magnificent “Great Hall” hardly altered since it was built in about 1340, they say Next to this is the state dining room, an Elizabethan long gallery and a tapestry room. A really great place, but make your visit for more than one day Battle Town comes next where “William the Conqueror” defeated the Saxon “King Harod” in 1066 and changed the whole course of our English History William built a church and an Abbey followed, there was no town then only open land, but the town grew with fine old Inns, and several museums all telling a story Across the road from the Abbey the leisurely days of Victorian shopping are revived in “Buckleys” museum of shops, lots and lots of items are on display going back years, in this shop here 1066 though was the best known conflict in English History, however that battle was on a smaller scale compared to today’s standards, oh dear Our lovely journey through a very small part of this “Garden” has given a look into the few areas we chose, for you But all things have to come to an end, so sadly we are now going to wish you ‘Adieu’
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Working in a Care Home and Overcoming Covid-19 Sue’s Story
Staff Corner
For Sue Ferry, a carer at Dene Holm and asthma sufferer, the threat of contracting Covid-19 was a real concern but having endured the virus and returned to work, she shared her story with us. “I was really worried when Covid-19 started to become more serious, as an asthma sufferer, I knew I would be high risk if I caught it, so when I started to feel unwell over Easter, I was concerned. I got home from a shift at about 10pm and felt really tired and lethargic. I was coughing a lot, I cough quite a lot anyway as I suffer from asthma, but my husband picked up on this, which was unusual. After taking myself off to bed, it really hit me in the night, the high temperature and the headaches were unbearable. I phoned in sick to work and called 111, who advised me to isolate for five days, I could barely get out of bed to get to the toilet, so that was no problem!” A few days later, Sue tested positive for Covid-19 and continued to isolate but unfortunately, her condition worsened and 111 advised her husband to call an ambulance for her. “The paramedics wanted me to go to the hospital, but I didn’t want to go, I genuinely thought if I went to hospital, I wouldn’t come back. So, I contacted my GP and arranged to have my observations done safely, as they had a tent set up for safe
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work at Edward Moore House
Below: Connors House staff, Julie & Alex receive their Star of the Month certificates & gifts
By working together and lifting one another up, the team at Edward Moore House Residential Care Home, have managed to keep their residents safe and staff morale good.
visiting. Unfortunately, my GP recommended calling an ambulance again and this time, my oxygen was so low, I had to go in. Watching my daughter’s face as we drove away was awful.” Sue spent the next two weeks in hospital, she had pneumonia, and was put on oxygen as well as IV, as she was unable to eat. Using a walking frame to get to the toilet and taking morphine for the excruciating headaches, she slowly started to feel better and was able to go home and eventually, return to work. “The recovery was slow, I stayed at home for days, not wanting to go out. But when I returned to work, my team were fantastic. At the start of the pandemic, it felt like care homes were not acknowledged by the government, with regard to PPE and testing, everything took a long time. But now, we have all we need and so I actually felt really safe coming back to work. “Being at Dene Holm actually feels very safe, as we are in our own little bubble. We stopped accepting visitors quickly once the situation started to escalate and the situation with testing is now much better. When we come on shift, we’re given masks, visors, hand gel and we ensure we use it correctly. We all take it very seriously, as we are aware of the risks. “I have worked here for 16 years and as a team, we really pull together, I received so many well wishes from colleagues whilst I was off, so it was lovely to be back. We are upbeat, and morale is much better than it was at the start. Of course, we have good days and bad days, but we help each other through, as we’re all in it together.”
“At the outbreak of Covid-19, I knew it was going to be a difficult few months, but I felt positive and assured, as we’ve always worked so well as a team here. I knew we would all rally around and just do what we needed to do.” Says Melanie Martin, Deputy Manager at the Trinity Road residential care home. “At the beginning of lockdown, I was in on a Saturday shift and we thought one of the residents may have the virus, as she was showing symptoms. Understandably the team were worried and anxious as this was all new, but I was amazed by how well we all supported one another.” Adds Christine Boswell, Activity Coordinator at the home. “Our kitchen staff made everyone hot chocolates and we all talked it through, really helping one another to calm down. Thankfully, the resident didn’t have the virus and it ended up being a really lovely day. I think lockdown has definitely made us appreciate each other more, we’re like one big family.” Mel agrees, “I’m so proud of us all, we’ve really kept it ‘business as usual’, despite some staff suffering with anxiety, they’ve carried on and done a great job, as they know the residents need them. The majority of staff agreed that they felt safer at work than once they left for the day, we’re in our bubble here and we have some normality, as the residents need us no matter what is going on outside, so nothing has really changed too much.
Below: Edward Moore House staff Jenny & Christine celebrate their long service achievement
frazzled, but slowly we’ve built them back up.” Continues Mel, “I struggle with the masks as the residents can’t see us smiling, so one day I printed off red smiling lips and stuck them on. Little things like that cheer us up and keep us going. I avoid watching the news now because it’s discouraging and not a reflection of our experience. People believe care homes are unsafe at the moment, but for us, we had just one case the whole time, a resident who didn’t show any symptoms and was tested in hospital. It’ll take time for the public to trust that we are safe, but I’m looking forward to getting back to normal!”
“I felt totally safe at work.” Christine concurs, “I have to get the bus in and that does worry me but once I’m here, I’m so relaxed. We’re singing as we’re working and checking in on one another, I’ve definitely realised how precious my team are.” “The morale has improved a lot from the first few weeks, everyone was naturally a bit
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The Old Wharf, Station Road, Cuxton, Rochester, ME2 1AB T: 01634 723007 W: enquiry@rapporthc.co.uk Rapport Housing & Care is a registered charity 254140, Company 908333, Housing Act Registered Number H2362.