“Dear Lesley

Following the recent death of my mother, Barbara who was a Resident in Marillac House, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and the team for the wonderful care provided to Mum during her time there.

Sue and her team epitomise all that care for the elderly should be, in my view. Their compassion, kindness and respect for Mum meant that the 16 months she spent there were happy, comfortable and safe. Sue has the enviable skill of being able to really understand the people she is working with – their personality preferences, the way they like things to be, their sense of humour and what they enjoy, so that the care Mum received was tailored to her as an individual. Mum was able to get up when she chose, go to bed when she chose, eat what she wanted when she wanted it, and to choose how she spent her time: just like she would have done in her own home, but with the reassurance that she was always completely safe and cared for. And the teams care and compassion extended to me and my partner Andy as well – making sure that we were always kept informed with how Mum was, anything she needed, and on top of all that, always the offer of a warm drink and a friendly chat when we arrived to see Mum after our 200 mile journey. I know we are not the only people who face the difficulty of living a long way away from an elderly parent, but Sue and her team took away the worry that we would have had about Mums well being.

We’re really aware from the time we spent with Mum at Marillac House that this level of care was not unique. The staff spend real time with all the residents, chatting to them, joking and teasing, encouraging people to eat or drink if they are finding that difficult, and (most importantly of all, I think), stopping to provide a hug, a kiss or a squeeze of the hand, just whatever was needed in that moment.

None of this happens by accident – it comes from selecting, training and coaching the right people who have the attitude and motivation to do this challenging work well. In this, I think Sue does an amazing job, and I really can’t recommend her, her team, and the care they provide, highly enough. We were incredibly lucky to have found Marillac House, and we will forever be grateful.

Yours sincerely

Sally”

“Dear Sue and team

Thank you so much for all that you did to provide such superb care to Mum during the time she lived with you.

Your kindness and compassion, and the respect you showed to her as an individual, meant a huge amount to us and to her. You made the time she spent with you happy and safe, and for that, we will be forever grateful.

Thank you also for the care you showed to us as well – the phone calls to keep us updated, the friendly chats and all the cups of tea and coffee!!

To us, you are all very special and we are so very grateful to you.

With Love,

Sally & Andy”

February 2015

On 2nd February 2015 we used Dignity Day to celebrate the achievements of our Residents and staff throughout the year.

As a team we revisited the word ‘Dignity’, we reviewed what it has come to mean to us and our Residents. To share this information with everyone we demonstrated our achievements with visual aids, using photographs of the years events and achievements.

To demonstrate what we have all accomplished we used each letter of the word ‘Dignity’ to represent:

Diversity: Different needs

Imaginative: Activities, Care Plans

Giving: Time, care, energy

Nutrition: Health eating, choice

Involvement: Residents, staff & families

Togetherness: Activities, carers, family, coffee shop

Yearly: Celebrations, events, birthdays, special days

All the photographs demonstrated the outstanding achievements of our Residents and staff. For example: writing letters to friends, baking competitions, staff performing a pantomime for Residents, Residents playing guitar and piano, a Resident giving piano lessons, the Sisters providing comfort and much appreciated pastoral support, annual derby day – where Residents demonstrated their skills with hand ball, sheet ball and scoring goals, many annual events, themed days and birthday celebrations, food tasters and celebrating nutrition day.

Christopher Grange also takes great pride in the way that we celebrate and remember past Residents in our annual remembrance service. All families, Residents, staff and the Sisters come together in a service of remembrance where a candle is lit to represent each resident who have had their name entered into the remembrance book. This is a small snap shot of what we all triumph at.

Residents, families and staff all met in the Market Place where refreshments of tea and homemade cakes where enjoyed by all. One of the Residents Jan played her guitar and everyone joined in singing out favourite songs. There was lots of laughter as we all tried to remember the correct words, which ended up with a few ‘lar, lars’ being sung. The pictures were a point of discussion reminding everybody of all the wonderful events that have taken place and the enjoyable times that everyone has had. It also served as a tool for staff to reflect on the joy they bring to our Residents and their families which is inspirational.

Maria Deegan
Nurse Manager

Congratulations to Joan who celebrated her 90th birthday on 23rd January 2015. Joan partied with her sister Winifred and a group of close friends.

Sincere best wishes from all the staff and Residents at Christopher Grange.

On the 5th February 2015 one of our Residents Maria celebrated her 103rd birthday. Maria had a delightful day with her family, she also enjoyed her birthday celebrations with the Residents and the staff on her unit.

A truly outstanding achievement Maria, you are an inspiration to us all!

Maria Deegan
Nurse Manager