Friendships in Care
At Avery, we pride ourselves in celebrating the wonderful friends and companions made within our homes, and residents Sandra and Eunice at South Lodge Care Home, in Leicester, are just one example of this. Now, it’s more important than ever to remain positive, keeping active and socialising to rid the winter blues and loneliness. Sandra, 78 and Eunice, 89 have recently formed a special bond, and now spend a lot of their downtime together, be it eating cake, having tea, or simply sitting down for a natter.
Kerstin Tolley, Customer Service Manager at South Lodge, sat down with the ladies to discuss their budding friendship and how this has impacted their lives, especially during challenging lockdown periods. The interview revealed that their friendship stemmed from when Sandra offered to help Eunice with her meals. Due to her macular degeneration, Eunice admitted she would rather eat her meals in her room than in the communal dining room with other residents due to her deteriorating eyesight. “Sandra has become my eyes,” she said, and the ladies enjoy all their meals together now, people watching as they do. Since having her meals with Sandra, Eunice says her confidence and happiness has grown tremendously.
During their time together, the ladies have gotten to know each other very well, and say it’s made a world of difference having a companion to sit and chat with whilst shielding. “The days seem shorter when spent in someone’s company,” Eunice said. Sandra and Eunice have also bonded because they have both faced similar hardships, having both lost their husbands recently, and treasure the time they have together to sit and reminisce. Both ladies agree that the South Lodge staff go above and beyond for their residents. Sandra said, “All the staff go the extra mile, and some go even further.”