An award-winning, Surrey based care home group, CHD Living, has digitised it’s “Adopt a Grandparent” campaign and is calling for additional ‘virtual volunteers’ amidst the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, in efforts to continue providing their elderly residents with companionship during this difficult time.
The group, who announced their ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ campaign last year to combat any potential feelings of loneliness across their homes, is looking to re-invigorate and ‘go digital’ with the initiative in a bid to reduce the impact of falling visitation in light of Government advice for the public to self-isolate where possible.
The campaign, which originally saw CHD Living pair elderly residents from across their 13 Surrey and South London based care homes with local children and adults who don’t have or see grandparents of their own, is now welcoming new applicants from across the UK as ‘virtual volunteers’.
As ‘virtual volunteers’, participants in the scheme will be encouraged to use technology to provide mental stimulation and remote companionship to those in their care via regular video calls with the residents, with each CHD Living home receiving a Facebook Portal TV to facilitate communication and interaction. Drawings, letters and poetry from the public are also being welcomed as part of the initiative to brighten residents’ days, with the group looking to get as many children involved as possible during current school closures.
Shaleeza Hasham, Head of Hospitality, Communications & Commissioning at CHD Living, said: “The nature of care means that we’re looking after some of the most vulnerable members of society at the moment. It’s a worrying time and we’re taking the threat of coronavirus incredibly seriously, putting stringent processes and protocols in place to protect our residents as much as possible.
We are however keen to keep spirits in the homes high and so have been thinking of ways that we can continue to enrich the lives of our residents whilst providing them with stimulation and companionship. It made sense at this time to digitise the Adopt a Grandparent campaign and to recruit further volunteers who might like to help keep our residents company over the coming weeks. It will be a wonderful distraction for everyone involved.
If you, or someone you know, would be interested in enrolling in the scheme, then we would encourage you to reach out via our website – https://chdliving.co.uk/adopt-grandparent”
The scheme has already seen an influx of registrations in recent weeks with 36 new sign-ups in March, including 23 sign-ups since Wednesday 18th March.
“The recent increase in registrations is really great to see. It’s clear that the public are looking for rewarding ways in which to fill their time and we know our residents will be delighted to start building these relationships.”
Established in 1984 by founders Liakat and Nazira Hasham, CHD Living is an award-winning, family-owned group, comprising 13 residences throughout Surrey, as well as two specialist rehabilitation centres and a domiciliary care business, Longdene Homecare, providing care for over 800 people across Surrey and South London.
For more information on CHD Living, please visit https://chdliving.co.uk/
