Vaccinations complete at Leamington care home

Arden House Care Home has now managed to provide every one of its 27 residents with their first shot of the Covid-19 vaccines, and has also vaccinated 90% of all staff.

While the vaccinations come as a sign of hope for the future, they have not distracted the care home from ensuring every one of its residents is carefully looked after in mind and body.

And though they are currently in lockdown, meaning no visits of any kind, that has continued to be a challenge – but one the staff have risen to every day under the guidance of manager Tracy Jones.

“We’ve got a very good activity coordinator and staff doing activities where they can and staff and resident spirits are quite high,” she said.

“We’re doing a lot of one-to-one activities, so whatever the resident likes we try to do. That has included things like knitting, which we’ll do with tea and cakes, while one of the most popular among residents is reminiscence, where we just sit with them and talk about past holidays where they used to go and what they did, and looking at photographs.”

Arden House is a beautiful traditional Leamington Spa building right in the heart of the town, and the home is perfect for both the practical needs of residents and also able to provide that comforting feeling of home.

Recently refurbished, its residents are able to relax in several comfortable lounges, and while the cold weather has limited outdoor activities in recent weeks, over the past year they have been making great use of their terrace and garden.

“The garden has been a huge benefit during lockdown,” said Tracy. “We have a few keen gardeners, but the majority just like to socialise in their groups outside on the terrace in the fresh air.”

Of course one of the biggest issues has been keeping family and friends in close contact with their loved ones, at a time when visiting is often impossible.

Staff have ensured all the residents have access to video calls, while there is a Facebook page where families can be kept up to date with everything that’s going on.

And while they might not be able to visit, they can be assured that the health of their family members is of top priority, with staff and residents tested for Covid at least twice a week.

“We’ve all gotten used to it, and these measures will continue even though we’ve all had a dose of the vaccine as that is needed to keep everyone safe,” says Tracy.

“The residents are happy they have had a vaccine but for now at least it won’t make a huge difference to our work.”

In these most difficult times, Arden House continues to provide exceptional residential care to the older people of Leamington Spa and the surrounding area.

And they still operate a “home for life” policy which means that unlike many of the other homes in the area they would not ask somebody to leave if they ran out of money after living there for some time.

The home is admitting new residents into their community, in a safe and equitable environment that puts the safety of existing residents, new residents and the wider community at its heart.

Currently anyone looking to possibly explore the many benefits the home has to offer can do so through a virtual tour that can be arranged by contacting the home

Arden House care home in Leamington Spa is managed by Greensleeves Care, one of the most respected care charities in the country.

To find out more about Arden House, visit the website or call Tracy or one of her team on 01926 423695.