I just wanted to drop you a quick note to show how much I appreciate the work being done by Angela and her team at Clarendon House to improve the environment for my mother Letitia and other residents.
My mother, who has been a resident for the last 8 weeks, has chosen to spend as much as her time as possible in her room, isolated from the other residents. This is mainly due to the fact that she suffers with depression, is quite frail and often feels nervous being in the large lounge around a lot of people, particularly those with dementia, as she is unsure of how they will react to certain situations.
My family and the Doctors feel that if Mum could be encouraged to socialize a little more, this could help with the depression. The care workers have been great in talking to Mum and encuraging her to visit the main lounge to join in with the residents, but it has not always been an easy task to keep her there for a period of time.
Angela has now encouraged some of the residents, mainly those who do not have dementia or other related illnesses, to use the smaller lounge, where they can watch videos and listen to music together. When I visited the home yesterday, I was encouraged to see Mum sat in this lounge with 3 other residents, all of whom Mum feels very comfortable and happy to be around. Mum did not go back to her room until 8pm, which has been unheard of until now! She has her "own" chair now, and can happily converse with these other residents - almost as if she was in her own home.
As you can probably imagine, it was a difficult decision to put Mum into a care home, and at times I have wondered if it was the right thing to do, particulary as she has been very low some days, and sat alone in her room (her choice). However, it has been great seeing the way Mum has responded to this change, and I camn only thank Angela and her team for considering how to improve the residents' stay and for making this initial change happen.
Many Thanks,
Frances |
