A care home in Twickenham has opened up a Covid-friendly suite to allow visitors to continue to visit residents during lockdown.
Lynde House, which is home to around 70 residents, has begun the new strategy, which will see families reunited during the pandemic.
The care home has a garden which connects to one of their living room areas, which is where the Covid-friendly suite is.
Alison Titheridge, the customer relationship manager at Lynde House said: “We were doing garden visits but as the weather has changed, it’s obviously not very nice to be sitting outside.
“From a mental health point of view, being able to keep in touch with people is very important, because it really does make a difference.
“It’s completely safe and secure and we also have an intercom, so if anyone is hard of hearing we can adjust it.
“It’s lovely because they can talk to each other and through the screen show pictures, it’s amazing how many different things people can talk about and show.
“One of our residents’ son plays a musical instrument, so when he comes, he plays for her and it’s beautiful.”
The room is separated by a Perspex screen, allowing residents to see their families in person.
To prevent any potential spread of the virus, residents enter through the house and visitors through the garden, where their temperatures are taken before entering the building.
The house operates this visiting time with a booking system, which allows guests to spend half an hour with their loved ones, allowing for the rooms to be suitably cleaned for the next visitors.
The house has already opened up the visiting suite and has had great reviews already from visiting families.
But the home has also made sure that those who cannot visit, either due to isolating themselves or to living abroad can also stay in touch.
Titheridge said: “We do a lot of Skype with relatives who physically can’t visit the home, we have a tablet which we use for Skype and Facetime, so even if you are in Australia you don’t miss out!”
Alison McIntosh, general manager at the home, said: “The visiting suite has been a much welcomed development for our residents at Lynde House.
“The suite visits are well organised, and a lot of safety measures have been put in place to keep everyone safe.
“It was wonderful to see how happy it made the residents and their relatives in a warm and cosy environment.”
