Staying Positive at Ridgeway Rise Care Home

Coronavirus and COVID-19 are words we’re unable to get away from recently, and they bring along with them the feeling of panic, uncertainty, and sadness. To ensure the safety of our residents, here at Ridgeway Rise Care Home we are taking all the precautions necessary and are listening to government advice closely. To cocoon our residents we have, unfortunately, reduced non-essential external visits. This, of course, has made it difficult for families to communicate.

But not impossible! We continue to celebrate birthdays, awareness days, special events and daily enrichment. A Skype account has been set up not only to keep communication between families but also as a tool to introduce our home to new potential residents via virtual, live tours. It’s not ideal, with Mother’s Day just around the corner as well, but we’re doing all we can to ensure families get to connect with their loved ones in this trying time. Our virtual, live tours mean you can still get a feel for our care home, without having to be there in person!

We won’t let the pandemic crush our spirits! In the last couple of days, pink became the most essential colour for all of us at Ridgeway Rise Care Home. It brightens our day, says ‘good morning’ with flower arrangements, ‘how are you’ with songs’ lyrics and ‘have a nice day’ with creative arts & crafts projects. For Mother’s Day, our residents will be recording a song for their loved ones, and we are keeping spirits high with a variety of fun activities!

Pink is the colour of the uniforms our Activities Team wear. Ever since we decided to cocoon our residents and reduce non-essential visits to the Home, our Fantastic 5 have been going above and beyond to keep the residents’ routine and sense of assurance undisturbed. Those living with dementia are oblivious to the global crisis and we use our pink curtain to cover anxiety, frustration and negativity.

Our windows have colourful lights and pictures of rainbows in to say – No matter what, we smile a lot! Pink turned into colour of hope; pink is the sound of songs we sing and taste of cookies we bake.

We want to assure our residents and their families that Ridgeway Rise Care Home is a safe environment and, with our heads held high, we are continuing on as normal with the appropriate safety measures in place.

We thank you for your continued understanding and support during this unfortunate time and wish you all the best of health. When the sadness descends and we all doublethink, stay positive – be pink!