Residents and staff at Ashley Grange residential care and nursing home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, are delighted to be welcoming guests again thanks to the installation of a visitor pod.
Until August, communication between Ashley Grange residents and their families had been extremely limited. Ashley Grange’s doors were firmly closed to visitors for many months to protect the physical health of residents. Where possible, contact with the outside world has been encouraged by telephone or video calls but nothing beats the joy of seeing your loved ones in person.
Ashley Grange residents are now able to invite their families to have a proper face to face chat in the newly installed pod. Initially installed for one month, the pod is divided into four areas with separate external door access for residents and for visitors. Separated by glass panels, communication is via a two-way intercom system. The pod’s surfaces are extremely easy to sanitise and the pod itself boasts a themed interior with immersive graphics to provide a tranquil and decorative environment.
When visitors were asked what it meant for them to be able to visit and for their loved ones to see them without their masks, one guest commented, “I found it really rewarding as she finds it hard to understand what people are saying with masks on. I was very impressed with the facilities.” Another family said, “It meant alot. I knew she was well looked after but it was good to see her face to face. A big ‘thank you’ to all concerned and I wait to hear when I can visit next.”
Meanwhile, in Buckinghamshire, our hardworking team have just completed the installation of one of our compact pods at a care home in Chesham. Opting for a smaller structure, The Willow care home now has a compact visitor pod standing proudly on the front carpark area. As with the larger model at Ashley Grange, The Willow’s compact pod features attractive immersive graphics, easy to clean surfaces, a full glass partition and separate entrances for residents and visitors. Once installed, one of the residents couldn’t wait to pay a visit to the pod and check it out for herself!
Rob Goodman, managing director of Showplace Ltd, commented, “For every visitor pod we install for a care home, we feel a great sense of happiness and pride that families are able to reunite after so long apart. The feedback we have received from Ashley Grange, The Willow, and other care homes we have serviced, has been extremely positive and we are pleased that our structures can be utilised to put smiles on people’s faces.”
Commenting on the recent difficulties concerning visits to care home residents, Mark Walford, CEO of TrustedCare, said, “The visiting arrangements at care homes are a high point of consideration when care seekers are deciding on which service to choose for a loved one; homes which have facilities in place such as visiting pods are twice as likely to be considered than those that have nothing.”
“As we move forward into the autumn and winter, garden visits will become challenging during poor weather. Visiting pods provide the perfect solution to connect families and residents, no matter the weather, in a safe environment.”
To find out more about how Showplace can enable care homes to safely facilitate family visits, please call 01789 262701 or email sales@showplace.co.uk.
