Keeping to a routine of exercise, coupled with sharpening up his Bridge skills, Jim from Napier’s Princess Alexandra Retirement Village surprised himself how settled he was during the recent lockdown period.
In fact, he found the hours could disappear quickly playing Bridge online!
Although he missed his daily workout in the village gym, Jim stayed active and took regular walks, read some favourite blogs online, watched television, and did plenty of reading from his e-book.
Having a routine was beneficial in helping pass the time.
Jim’s a relative newcomer to the village having moved to his serviced apartment just a year ago and he is pleased he made the move.
“I can’t say enough about how good the staff were,” said Jim. “They were unbelievably good. It was like Victoria Station here during the day. Meals were delivered along with morning tea and on Tuesdays ‘Happy Hour in a Bag.’ They were tremendous.”
Jim’s a keen bowler and he’s so pleased the village bowling green is open again. He enjoys a roll-up on the green three or four times a week usually, and it keeps him fit.
Keeping in contact with friends and family was made easy with the use of Facetime and group messaging.
Ryman Healthcare rolled also out Zoom to more than 3,800 devices and delivered 70 new devices to each village to be used by serviced apartment residents to connect with family.
Like many residents in Ryman villages, Jim has shown resilience and understanding during this challenging period.
At a time when residents in aged care were most vulnerable Ryman Healthcare responded quickly, restricting visits to villages from late January for people who had travelled to affected areas overseas.
Security was vital to protect all residents and the team ensured packages were delivered safely and promptly to residents, and all staff and visitors had a health check before entering the village.
The aim was to keep COVID-19 out and protect all residents in care who were most vulnerable to the virus, and create safe havens for residents by making sure they could stay home with everything they needed while the Level 4 lockdown was in place.
Ryman provided deliveries of essential items such as bread, milk and biscuits along with delivering groceries and medication. Across the country they delivered 9,000 Bidfood grocery orders and 56,000 ‘Happy Hour in a Bag’ packages over seven weeks.
Families wanted to be sure their loved ones were being well cared for during this time and Ryman stepped up to reassure them they were providing the best of care.
Lack of family visits is hard on residents and their families, and the team did everything possible to keep spirits up.
Along with fitness classes and games for residents, Ryman continued to communicate with residents and families by delivering newsletters and keeping their website updated on the latest announcements.
As well as caring for the residents’ physical needs Ryman conducted welfare checks and arranged counselling for anyone who was struggling.
With the restrictions easing, the community is buzzing again with the sound of laughter. New residents are excited to be moving into the village and others, who have found this time particularly trying, have decided to join the village to experience the security and comfort that a Ryman village offers.
Sales advisor Shona welcomes your call to arrange an appointment for you and a family member to tour the village and view our available serviced apartments.
