Care home residents and staff in the New Forest have received a heartfelt message of thanks direct from an elderly people’s care centre they have been supporting in war-torn Ukraine.
Volunteers who run the centre, called Big Family, in the second city of Kharkiv, about 25km from the Russian border, recorded a video thank-you for Colten Care and charity New Forest For Ukraine (NFFU).
It follows donations of no-longer-needed mobility aids, clothes, bedding, nutrition supplies and other items collected at three Colten Care homes.
The items are handed over to NFFU who ship regular lorry loads of donations to Ukraine from its humanitarian aid hub in Lymington.
The video was played to residents and team members at Colten Care’s Kingfishers in New Milton in a talk given by former respite resident Sheila Darrell and her daughter Sandra Quinn, both NFFU volunteers.
In the film, shot at Big Family, a centre volunteer called Christian speaks direct to camera, explaining that the facility has been running since 2022 and currently has around 50 residents of various ages and medical diagnoses.
Around a third have either had a stroke or unrepaired hip fracture, or both, and need physical therapy to regain the ability to walk and have any measure of independence.
With Kharkiv a strategic target for bombs, missiles and drone attacks, Christian says residents and staff have had to deal with the Russian threat every single day since the start of the war more than three years ago.
“In spite of this,” he says, “every day our staff are working, caring for residents, making three hot meals a day, tucking people into bed at night, getting them up and moving, and providing physical therapy, pet therapy and music therapy.
“Many residents have lost family members, friends, homes, some everything they own. Quite a few are bedridden and five or six have to be hand-fed due to strokes and issues such as dementia.
“We have one nurse working Monday through Friday, one or two cleaners covering seven days a week, and three full-time care givers each working 24-hour shifts every third day. In effect we have two and a third persons caring for 50 residents at any given time. It’s quite a job but you get the job done.
“Dignity, respect and compassion are an important part of our work here and what our staff and volunteers bring to our ‘big family’ on a daily basis. We may have very few staff here but we make a big impact.”
Christian signs off at the end of the film by saying: “We are able to accomplish all of this because of you at Colten Care and your partnership with NFFU, sending us extra supplies of bed sheets, pillows, blankets, mattresses, mattress covers, bedside tables, nutrition supplies and used clothes, both for summer and winter.
“This is a huge factor in making this place what it is today, so a big shout out to everyone at Colten Care and NFFU for helping us accomplish this incredible, nearly impossible task. You are responsible for this and we appreciate it.”
In the talk to Kingfishers residents and staff, Sheila and Sandra also gave details of the wider support that NFFU gives to people in Ukraine.
This is achieved through donations from across the New Forest and beyond including items such as bandages and baby clothes made by local people.
Sheila knits baby clothes and helps to make up boxes of baby supplies for Ukrainian maternity units some of which she brought along to show.
She has gone on to do more volunteering for NFFU since her last stay at Kingfishers.
“I love doing it,” said Sheila. “I get a lot from being able to make a difference to families in Ukraine and it is wonderful to be able to share this with residents of Kingfishers where I have previously stayed, and where many of the residents are friends.”
Sandra said: “It shows the power of what you can do even from within a care home, individual to individual.”
As well as Kingfishers, Colten Care’s dementia care homes Linden House in Lymington and Fernhill in Longham near Bournemouth, and the provider’s Ringwood head office and warehouse, also support NFFU.
The initial driving force behind Colten Care’s involvement was former Linden House Home Manager Lorraine Bell, who now manages Fernhill.
For more information on volunteering or donating money or goods to New Forest for Ukraine, visit www.newforestforukraine.org.
