Maidstone care home extends welcome for festive cuppa and a chat
“No need to be lonely in Maidstone this Christmas!”
A Maidstone care centre, The Poplars, will be opening its doors to members of the local community this Christmas season, as it promises that no-one needs to spend the festive period on their own.
“Christmas is a very hard time for many, particularly older people, who can find themselves feeling lonely and isolated at this time of year, so we’re making a special effort to invite them in for a lovely hot drink, a mince pie and a good old chinwag,” comments centre manager, Marion Harford. “Our residents always have company around – whether visiting family, fellow residents or our friendly staff – but we know that many people are not so fortunate, so we wanted to share our warm winter welcome with anyone living around the area with an hour or so to spare.”
Residents in the home already enjoy visits from local musicians and school groups, but it is hoped that this festive idea encourages more members of the community to befriend residents, and vice versa. “For many of our residents, getting out and about is no longer an option, so where possible, we like to encourage people from the outside to come in. Within the home, we hear some amazing stories from residents – jobs they have done, places they have been – so spending time just chatting is a fantastically rewarding experience,” adds Marion.
The idea stems from an initiative within the home called ‘People like me’ which encourages conversations between residents of the home, staff and visitors who share common interests – from football to needlecraft, gardening to tattoos!
“People living in their own homes have networks of friends who share common interests, and ‘People like me’ is a great way of finding people who love to talk about similar things with like-minded people,” explains Marion. “Who needs social media sites like Facebook and Twitter when you discover that you support the same rugby team as someone you see every day? We’re now looking to extend this beyond our doors to our neighbours in the community so that they too can connect with our residents, making new friendships and sparking some wonderful conversations over a brew and a biscuit!”
Members of the community are welcome to pop in to the home between 2pm and 4pm until Christmas Eve, and from 27 – 31 December. If the open invitation proves successful, Marion will look to introduce ‘community chat time’ to the home’s weekly event calendar.
The Poplars Care Centre is located on Tonbridge Road in Maidstone, with 56 bedrooms offering a friendly, family environment for persons over 65 with a range of needs, from respite and post-operative care to crisis intervention and emergency admissions. The Poplars is part of the Forest Healthcare group of homes, which includes 13 individual homes throughout the South East of England. For more information on The Poplars, please visit www.foresthc.com or call 01622 752872.
ENDS
For further media information or photographs, please contact:
Sam Orange or Jay Commins
Pyper York Limited
Tel: 01904 500698
Email: sam@pyperyork.co.uk or jay@pyperyork.co.uk
