4 years ago
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admin
CHRISTMAS came early to Springdene this week with compliments of the season all round. The Christmas lights were switched on at the front of Springview and there was some hearty singing, with carols from the Salvation Army band.
It was a moment of sheer magic when our oldest resident, Gladys Gathergood, aged 108, joined in (see picture above). To stave off the cold of the chilly December afternoon there was hot punch, mince pies and doughnuts for everyone. Even more delightfully, a fire was lit and marshmallows toasted in the flames. The aroma of wood smoke and marshmallow was so evocative! There was a huge round of applause when the lights were illuminated and a snow machine sent flakes tumbling from above.
In the spirit of ecumenism candles were lit to celebrate the Jewish season of Chanukah – the Festival of Lights. Everyone agreed it was a wonderful occasion, with Tidings of Comfort and Joy for all our residents and staff. And there will be a cornucopia of celebrations to follow over the next few weeks at all three homes.
While on the subject of Christmas, several of you have asked about visiting arrangements over the Festive Season. The answer is that we are open for visiting all over the holidays, but please do book early to get the best slots. As usual, visits will be on a rota system, and according to government rules, access will need to be in the visiting room, rather than in residents’ own rooms. With the new Omicron strain of Covid threatening us, we cannot be too careful.
You can, of course, take Mum or Dad out for lunch, but remember you will have to take a Covid test first. You will also need to let us know of your plans well in advance. But maybe your loved ones would like to stay in – our chefs are preparing a splendid Christmas repast with all the trimmings. (There won’t be any visiting between 12 and 3 on Christmas Day while lunch is prepared and served.)
Of course, celebrations at Springdene are not just about Christmas. We’ve had a couple of marvellous parties over the past month to mark the birthdays of two of our centenarians. Mrs Dorothy Quill was 101, and Lori, our manager at Spring Lane, organised a magnificent cake with a splendid bouquet of flowers and arranged a sparkling toast with a glasses of prosecco all round. Meanwhile, Madge Ewart attained her century in style, with Lori doing her proud also.
We’re pleased to announce a new addition to our activities team, welcoming the arrival of Ashley Mizen at Springview. Ashley has a wealth of experience from his previous life in the Armed Forces and is a fantastic all-rounder. He joins his skills with those of the existing team, Magda, Odile, Steve and Malwiina, who have been keeping everyone fabulously entertained
It’s good to hear how much you appreciate their work and that of our carers. For instance, family member Elizabeth Roberts writes: My mother has been a resident at Spring Lane since 2014, and her increasing needs as her dementia has progressed have been met incredibly well. She loves her carers, who treat her with respect, compassion and warmth.
“The activities programme is extensive, engaging and varied, food is really good, and rooms are comfortable, clean and well maintained. The staff and management deserve much praise and appreciation for their dedication, heroism and hard work during the pandemic, keeping residents safe and happy, and relatives informed about their well-being. I would highly recommend Spring Lane.”
Indeed, we owe a huge amount to our wonderful staff, who are at the heart of our operations at Springdene. As you will know, they are caring, loyal, diligent and kind, having worked selflessly during the Covid pandemic. Many of them have been with us for several years.
However, as you’ll have seen in the media, the labour market in the care sector is extremely difficult. Now, in order to ensure we retain our existing staff and recruit the best new people, we have made the decision to increase our pay rates.
In the New Year we are raising our rates for everyone to accord with the London Living Wage. We believe that as a responsible company and a good employer, this is the right thing to do. The London Living Wage is calculated independently to reflect the higher cost of living in the capital, giving a worker in London and their family enough to afford the essentials and to save. It is voluntary and not required by law, but represents best practice.
This means that we will have to raise our rates for residents, too. Unfortunately, there are other increases in costs that we are facing. As you know, domestic fuel prices have rocketed. In addition, Covid-19 has meant increases of up to 60 per cent in our insurance bills. And from next April, we have to fund the government’s “Health and Social Care Levy” on National Insurance of 1.25 per cent.
The upshot is that it is necessary to increase our resident rates by 8.5 per cent. By now all of you should have received a personal letter to this effect. Rest assured that we will continue to work hard to keep costs down in these difficult times, and to this end, our directors are not taking any increase in their own salaries.
If you have any comments on the above, please get in touch with our CEO Michael Williams at mwilliams@springdene.co.uk and he will do his best to answer any concerns.
On a different note, we thought you might like to hear about the progress of our adopted puppy, Spring, who thanks to your generosity, is being trained to become a Medical Detection Dog, able to sniff out conditions such as Covid, cancer and diabetes. Spring is now six months old and will soon be allocated his red “in training” coat. It’s a proud day for him! He lives with Helen and her family in Milton Keynes – the setting for the start of his journey to becoming a fully-fledged life-saving dog.
Spring is a very bright boy and has a cheeky and fun personality. He has been able to meet with fellow dogs in training and has been regularly at puppy classes. Alongside the hard work of his trainer, Loren, this means that he now has a good level of basic obedience and has been learning new life skills.
Early socialisation is a key part of any dog’s training programme and Spring has been round the local area, visiting garden centres and shops. He receives a lot of admiring glances from members of the public.
At the moment, Spring’s biggest distraction is other dogs, and his trainers have been working hard on his behaviour around them. He is also practising walking nicely on the lead in a variety of different places. He will be getting lots of support and guidance in these areas with Loren as well as his socialisers.
Spring is Helen’s third dog in training for Medical Detection Dogs and she is really enjoying having him around the house. He can usually be found playing in the garden and he loves fuss and attention.
Everyone is pleased with Spring’s early progress – and thanks again to Springdene families for their support. We’ll bring you another update soon on the pup’s progress.
Lastly, we’d like to commend to you our exciting new website. Bright and modern with specially-taken new pictures, this is the gateway to Springdene and tells you everything you need to know about us. We think you will especially enjoy the videos of interviews with your loved ones. The website can be found at www.springdene.co.uk
It will also link you to our social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which bring you more news and pictures in addition to this newsletter. It will be great if you can “like” and “follow” us on our social media platforms. See you on board!
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4 years ago
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admin
We thought it would be helpful for you to know the latest on life in our care homes and how we are responding to the Covid-19 epidemic.
Springdene Group is continuing to take measures across all the homes to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, including enhanced cleaning regimes and use of specialist cleaning products.
All our staff are wearing Personal Protective Equipment, as recommended by Public Health England.
At this time, in order to keep residents in our homes safe, along with our staff, we continue to suspend visits to the homes. Exceptions to this are visiting medical professionals. We hope you understand this is in the best interests of everybody.
As you will know, some residents have been confined to their rooms for personal protection, but we are pleased to say that we are gradually allowing people into the common areas on a rotating basis. Social distancing rules will be observed, balancing physical safety with emotional well-being.
We are also pleased to announce that staff in our homes are now becoming eligible for the national Covid-19 testing programme in line with PHE’s guidelines. The first member of staff was tested this week and others will follow.
However, it with great sadness that we report the death of Vivien Frey, the activities coordinator at Spring Grove. Vivien had worked for the company for nearly 20 years and was greatly loved and respected by all who worked with her. In particular she was a prime mover in the running of the Spring Grove Music Festival for 15 years.
“She was a great personality, at the heart of all Spring Grove’s activities and a crucial part of our operation – loved by residents and their families alike,“ says Medical Director Robin Powell. “We will miss her hugely and send out sincerest condolences to those she has left behind.” On the issue of communication, we know that during the embargo on visits it is distressing for relatives and friends not to be able to see their loved ones physically. But we are doing everything we can to facilitate phone calls or Skype, or other forms of video conferencing. To this end we have acquired tablet devices for residents to use.
Happily, the homes continue to be in contact with the “outside world”. Last week Spring Lane featured on the BBC’s Six o’ Clock News, with the news team filming through the front windows, to be greeted with waves and smiles from staff and residents.
And in a lovely gesture, pupils from Hornsey School for Girls baked trays of cakes and pastries and presented them to Springview, Spring Grove and Spring Lane. They came complete with a painting of a rainbow (right). Everybody reported on how delicious they were.
Nor was the spirit of Easter neglected. On Good Friday residents at Springview were greatly amused by the arrival of the Easter Bunny (left).
Meanwhile Waitrose, the supermarket group, donated some beautiful daffodils and Easter eggs, which also cheered everybody up.
We hope to make this newsletter a regular event, so we’ll be back in touch before long. Meanwhile, thanks to all families and friends for their cooperation in these extraordinary and difficult times. And a specially big “thank you” to all our staff who are working so hard to keep everyone cared-for and safe.
Thank you for your continued co-operation.
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4 years ago
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admin
IN THE PINK! As you can see from the picture, the residents of Spring Lane are all dressed up in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Day and having a tipple and a great time.
In fact, as somebody remarked: “It seems always to be party time at Spring Lane” –and manager Lori, with Magda and her team, have organised some fantastic celebrations over the past few weeks.
For animal lovers, there has been Pet Therapy Day and bakers have been engrossed in Fresh Herb-bread Baking Day. Not to mention fruit and vegetable printing, which was great fun for all, as well as indulging in a very popular pampering session.
Angela Peetamsingh, daughter of Vilma Ali, was moved to write: “Thank you, Lori. Mum was always very particular about her makeup, hair and nails. She was a personal secretary/shorthand typist in the city for most of her working life. I can see that she has enjoyed this session. Thank you so much for looking after her so well.”
Not just fun at Spring Lane, but the other homes as well. Music and art have been thriving at Spring Grove, thanks to Tegan and Odile, while Steve at Springview has been wowing everyone with his legendary singalongs. Everyone has had huge fun in the past week preparing for Halloween tomorrow. The decorated pumpkins look fantastic and we’re told the Halloween biscuits are especially delicious. A spooky time is sure to be had by all.
While our activities staff have worked so hard during the dark days of the pandemic to generate entertainment “in house”, we’re now looking at introducing more outside entertainment. Spring Grove and Spring Lane residents have been treated to the ever-popular musical talents of Roddy Skeaping, while a group of musicians from Live Music Now have been entertaining folk at Spring Grove. Other new outside entertainers will follow and we will keep you posted.
There’s lots of other good news to report. Springview has won a silver medal for its lovely gardens in the Enfield in Bloom competition. Congratulations to Stacey-Louise, whose green fingers helped make it all blossom. We’re happy to say, too, that the homes have remained Covid-free for many months now, thanks to all the precautions taken by our hard-working staff – and you, the visitors, who have patiently endured our testing regimes.
While the media have reported low rates of booster vaccinations in care homes around the country, we’re proud to say that almost every resident in our homes who is entitled to a booster has had one.
Also, as of November 11, all our staff will have been fully vaccinated and anyone who enters the homes – whether medical staff, tradespeople or entertainers – will have to show proof of their jabs. This will provide an additional layer of security.
However, a cautionary word. As you will have seen in the news, Covid infection rates are soaring again in the community. It is vital that the virus is not brought into the homes, and we would urge all folk to make sure they have had their vaccines. While this is not a legal requirement for visitors seeing their loved ones, we would urge you to make sure you have had all jabs available to you. It is a sensible precaution for all.
One of the nice things about our folk at Springdene is the fact that so many have a fascinating back story. Distinguished among these is Rachel Kidd at Spring Grove. Rachel, who is a wonderful painter in her own right, is the daughter of sculptor Barbara Hepworth and the artist Ben Nicholson.
Hepworth is regarded as Britain’s greatest-ever woman artist and Nicholson was one of the finest abstract painters of the 20th century. To add to this distinguished artistic heritage, Rachel’s grandfather was Sir William Nicholson, one of the most eminent painters and portraitists of the Edwardian era.
Chatting as the autumn sun beams through the windows of her fourth-floor room at Spring Grove, Rachel talks of the influence of her family and how it has moulded her life. At 87, still bearing her mothers’ striking features, she speaks of her upbringing in Hampstead and St Ives in Cornwall and how she didn’t start painting until she was in her early forties, after the death of her mother.
Barbara Hepworth died in 1975 as a result of smoking a cigarette in bed. “I have always tried to lead a healthy life,” says Rachel, “Never drinking or smoking.”
“I had no formal training and didn’t know I could paint till I tried,” she says. Yet her paintings, especially her quiet still lives and landscapes, are exquisite and have been exhibited widely in many galleries and collections. At her first London exhibition in 1980, her eminent father commented: “I never realised she could paint so well. I would have been happy to paint that one myself.”
“I was one of triplets,” she says, “and you can imagine what it was like for my parents with their artistic work and three brats on their hands. We must have been a pain in the neck!”
As a result, her mother was a somewhat remote figure. Rachel and her siblings were left with a cook and a nurse while her parents got on with their creative jobs at their studios, off Parkhill Road in Hampstead. Her father was a warmer character – she recalls him playing ball games with her on the sands at St Ives after they moved there from Hampstead at the beginning of the war. Rachel still loves ball games, she says, because of what Ben taught her.
Their Hampstead house was a veritable salon for the great artists of the day. Henry Moore dropped by, and Rachel remembers the great abstract artist Piet Mondrian coming for tea. As a young child she was appalled that he ate off his knife!
These days Rachel no longer paints – and devotes herself to her three adult children and their families. But she stays in touch with the artistic world by reading The Guardian every day, as well as indulging her passion for classical music. And she still has an eye for a landscape, savouring the view from her window with the leaves turning golden. “I saw a fox curled up on the lawn in the sunshine the other day. It was lovely.”
Meanwhile, we congratulate our residents of the week, whom we pamper with flowers and chocolates and try to meet their special wishes. Laura Davis at Spring Grove is one of our newest members. She was a journalist, and among other jobs, worked at Woman’s Own magazine in London for a while.
She loves Italian food and a glass of sauvignon blanc, so she’s being treated to some of those delights this week, too. She is a lover of music and sang in a choir for many years. Lots of singing and dancing, too, then for Laura!
At Spring Lane, Johanna Maund hails from the Cape Province of South Africa. she previously lived in Australia. Johanna was a teacher and thoroughly enjoyed her work educating young minds. She very much enjoys quizzes and documentaries, so we’ve been keeping her brain active with those this week. She isn’t a big eater, but adores fruit, so she’s been treated to a range of lovely different fruits throughout the week.
Joan Barnett at Springview loves keeping fit. We’ve made sure she attends all of the fun exercise sessions this week, as well as some walks, since the weather has been kind to us. She doesn’t drink alcohol, but is quite partial to the occasional fizzy drink such as Coca-Cola. She also really enjoys Chinese food, so we’ve ordered her an oriental treat for her special meal.
Finally, may we offer a very warm welcome back to Kathy, our Business Administrator at Springview, who has been away recovering from a long illness. As many of you will know, Kathy’s lovely smile and cheery manner always light up the reception desk. Good to see you home, Kathy!
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