Family FaceTime at Ashlyn Care Home

Family time is so important to us all personally but it is also extremely important for Excelcare too, as we believe in ‘family first’. Having those that you love around you is important, more so if you are living with dementia.

Feeling that family are close, supporting you and keeping in touch is essential. During these uncertain times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important to keep as many lines of communication open as possible.

Ashlyn Care Home in Essex have been doing just that. Whilst it is a challenging time, the team is standing strong and staying positive, ensuring that everyone living at Ashlyn is safe and comfortable, with lots of activities to do.

However many people have been missing family during the lockdown. To solve this, the home has implemented a variety of ways to help loved ones to keep in touch. These include their new iPads, which have been sent out to all care homes in the Excelcare group. These are being used for FaceTime, Skype, and various messenger platforms such as WhatsApp.

A variety of other internet-based technologies are being used as well, along with dedicated phone lines. With these now in place it has given a way for everyone to look forward to some much-needed family time, bringing them together regardless of distance and the current isolation measures.

Mary, who lives at Ashlyn, enjoyed time with her daughter Tina as well as her little dog via an online video chat, under normal circumstances Tina would visit Mary weekly, on her own, with her little dog or with Mary’s grandchildren. While this is not currently possible, the video chat allowed them to send each other kisses and reassurances that they were well. They discussed family and had a general chit chat, by the end of the call Mary was grinning from ear to ear!

Another resident, Audrey, worries sometimes about her daughter Wendy, so it is important that they keep in contact with each other. Audrey is a joker, always making people laugh, especially during her family visits with her daughter and son in law! The Ashlyn Team made sure Audrey had access to an iPad in order to jump on a FaceTime call with her family, there were lots of giggles, smiles and laughter the entire time they were online.

This is technology at its best; bringing families together, especially during difficult times like these. Ashlyn, along with all homes within the Excelcare group have made it a priority to enable those that live there every possible means of communication so that mental wellbeing is maintained, family remain connected and so that laughter and fun can still be shared no matter the barrier!

click here for more details or to contact Ashlyn Care Home