Relatives are able to become a part of their loved one’s daily life in care, thanks to a unique app.
Broomfield Village Care Home welcomed its first residents into his £20m renovated facility behind Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford, earlier this year.
Residents enjoy luxury surroundings, including an art and craft room, beauty salon, cinema room, sweet shop and various dining and lounging areas.
They can have their own self-contained studio suite with patio, a weekly pamper with a hairdresser and beauty therapist, and physiotherapy and chiropody services.
Families are welcome to visit whenever and for however long they would like, including eating with their loved one in the garden café bar for free.
But, for the times they cannot be together, the home has created a way for families to be fully connected – with an app rarely available in UK care homes.
IT director Subhaan Iqbal has worked with Altra to introduce an app to connect residents, families and staff.
The app means team members at Broomfield Village can post daily updates about residents’ activities and wellbeing, while their relatives can book appointments for their loved ones and share news and photos from home.
He said: “This app is still growing in popularity within the care sector here in the UK.
“We are trying to amplify what we do here at the home to our families. As many family members can join the app as want to – everyone can get involved.
“If families want to send their mum or dad a photo from home, they can do. And, they can see what their family member is doing at the home – we have so much to do here and so much to show. They can book their visits and look at our menus before they arrive, so that when they get here their lunch is ready and they feel they are having a meaningful afternoon.
“We have made the activities planner available on the app, so if a family member thinks their loved one would enjoy taking part in something, they can book on to the activity themselves. There is also a concierge element to the system which allows family members to book their loves ones in to have their hair or nails done in the salon, all via the app.
“This is something unique, being able to share the wellbeing of residents with their families. It helps to put our families at ease – particularly in the early days – and shows we are doing our utmost to get to know them.
“We did not quite realise what this would mean to our families. Not every care home has this. I have been quite shocked at how quickly it has taken off. The feedback from our residents’ families about the app has been brilliant.”
