Staff make the difference at high quality care home
The Covid pandemic was a particularly tough time for care homes, and for residents – many extremely vulnerable due to age or health – being isolated from their families for months at a time was heart-breakingly difficult.
Diane Martin, manager of Deeside Care Home, in Cults, has heaped praise upon her staff for how they stepped up over this time, marked with throwing a party when qualified nurse Margaret Duff retired after an amazing 29 years in the role.
Diane said: “I’ve been here for two and a half years, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to advertise for staff. This industry has traditionally had a high turnover of staff, but not here at Deeside.
“Our staff are very settled here; they enjoy their jobs, love the residents, and that connection has been invaluable during the lockdowns over the past 15 months.
“We never use agency staff here … we’ve found that the continuity of nursing and caring staff is really important for our residents, especially when people were missing seeing their families in person.”
And nurse Margaret is the perfect example. She retired this month after a period of long service almost unheard of in the industry, where her familiar face and cheery disposition made a massive difference to the wellbeing of all residents, who were left with no family visits for extended periods of time due to government restrictions.
Diane added: “The residents and relatives have a great fondness for her and she was well respected by staff. She’s the perfect example of the team we have here at Deeside.”
As well as Margaret’s marathon length of service, the warm and friendly environment has encouraged and developed others to spend their whole career in the care home. There’s another team member with 24 years’ service, 10 with more than 10 years’ service and 25 with five years or more.
The continuity of care helps Deeside provide high quality care for the elderly and vulnerable in its tranquil setting, where comfort for residents is at the heart of everything they do.
Fully refurbished, Deeside, which was formerly known as Rowan Court, now has its own cinema room, hair salon and spa and a library, making it a perfect little village community for its 68 residents. And residents routinely play an active part in the wider community, enjoying weekly services, sing-a-longs and coffee mornings at the local church, and taking part in outings around the beautiful countryside.
During normal times, the home provides activities and entertainment of all kinds, even visitors of the four-legged variety! Miniature Shetland ponies – part of a therapy group – have also been guest stars, adding to a busy and stimulating calendar of events.
Diane added: “We know taking the decision to move yourself or a loved one into residential care is a big step. From the moment you arrive at Deeside Care Home, our staff will do everything possible to ensure that your stay is welcoming and comfortable, and that Deeside becomes a real home-from-home.”
Discover more about life at Deeside at https://www.deesidecare.com/ or call 01224 869816 to book a tour.