How we Cater to the Mental & Emotional Health of our Residents #GladtoCare 06/07/20
It’s #GladtoCare week, and here at Foxholes, we’ve been celebrating the hard work our care team has given, not only through the testing times we’ve experienced over the past few months, but also within the passion and genuine love they show on a daily basis.
It’s a time of retrospect for us at Foxholes, and so we thought we’d take some time to think about how the holistic approach we’ve taken to care has helped us tremendously in offering the best care we can.
#GladtoCare: A holistic approach to care
For us, a holistic approach has meant encompassing all aspects of health, combining mental, emotional and physical aspects of our being. This has allowed us, more easily, to offer personalised, individualised care.
At Foxholes, we love serving up healthy, nutritious dishes every day to support all aspects of health, boosting immunity and happiness – both of which are all-the-more important amongst the current circumstances.
To support emotional needs, our #GladtoCare team goes above and beyond to maintain a positive outlook within our home every day, forming close bonds and always encouraging social interaction within our residents. The communal spaces within our home are always bright and cheerful, with an on-site ice-cream parlour and regularly visiting pets helping to keep spirits high.
It’s always been important to us that mental health awareness is implemented within all aspects of our home and within our care planning. In as much as we feel it’s important to encourage the use of social spaces, for example within our dining and lounge areas, we also recognise that many people benefit in the same way by having their own safe, quiet space. That’s why we encourage our care recipients to personalise their bedrooms and create a space that feels exclusively theirs.
A friendly visit from the local girls’ school
To keep spirits up and encourage intergenerational relationships, you may have heard that we recently partnered with the local girls’ school to commemorate #LonelinessAwarenessWeek. Loneliness is such a common issue amongst the older generations, and it understandably takes a huge toll on their mental health. So, we started a very successful Letter Project, which saw our lovely residents and local schoolgirls exchange friendly letters – and continue to do so every few months. It has been wonderful to see the positive impact this has had within our home, and especially at a time where friendships are needed most.
Looking back on the wonderful memories we’ve made with our care recipients reminds us of why we’re #GladtoCare. It’s a truly rewarding experience, and seeing widespread smiles around the home makes our efforts all the more worth it.
To find out more about how we implement holistic health strategies within our care planning, take a look at our website and social channels, or feel free to contact us here.