Chaseview Care Home, run by HC-One, located in Burntwood, Staffordshire, was visited on Saturday 1st July by Chair of Burntwood Town Council, Councillor Di Evans, as the home welcomed visitors and guests from the local community to celebrate this year’s Care Home Open Week from 26th June to 2nd July 2023.
Care Home Open Week is a national event hosted by Championing Social Care, designed to connect care homes with their local communities. The week provided care homes with the opportunity to showcase what they have to offer, their fantastic facilities, activities, and services, and to remind their neighbours that they are there if they need support. Residents and Colleagues in HC-One’s care homes enjoyed opening their doors again to celebrate the week together with friends, family, and people from the local areas they serve.
Residents and Colleagues of the HC-One owned home enjoyed meeting Councillor Evans and chatting to her about what life is like at Chaseview Care Home – which is an integral part of the local Burntwood community.
Chaseview Care Home’s chosen theme for this year’s Care Home Open Week was ‘Celebrating Together’.
Throughout the week, Residents, Colleagues, families, and friends took part in a variety of fun-filled activities which were enjoyed by all, including live music, arts & craft sessions, games and a range of delicious food and refreshments.
Chair of Burntwood Town Council, Councillor Evans also opened Chaseview Care Home’s new ‘secret garden’ area and planted a tree donated by the family of current Resident, Cath Twyman. Ms Twyman was born on the site of the care home in 1930, later moving to the house next door which is now the care home garden.
Cath Twyman, Resident at Chaseview, said:
“I moved into the house during the war and used to shelter under the stairs when there was an air raid, and a bomb did land quite near to the house. We had lovely neighbours, and I went to St. Joseph’s School in Chasetown and then to Chase Terrace Hight School.
“When I was little, I had a pet duck called Donald who used to follow me around and come into the house and sit by the fire and used to hide under the stairs with me during the bombing raids. The duck is buried a short distance from where the commemorative tree is planted.
“There was a community centre right opposite my house where they used to hold dances and that’s where I met my husband, Les. We were married in 1948.”
Visitors also enjoyed learning from Colleagues in the home about what a rewarding career in care looks like and finding out about opportunities for community engagement and volunteering roles to support their local care home.
Jennifer Khadoo, Home Manager at Chaseview Care Home, stated:
“We were delighted to welcome Chair of Burntwood Town Council, Councillor Di Evans to our home and open the doors of Chaseview Care Home again to welcome in our local community and bring everyone together to celebrate Care Home Open Week 2023. Everyone had an amazing time.
“We are proud to support Burntwood, and our Open Week celebrations provided a great opportunity to reconnect with our local community after the challenges of the pandemic, to support community engagement, and to remind our local community that our kind care teams are here if they ever need support for themselves or a loved one.”
Chair of Burntwood Town Council, Councillor Di Evans, commented:
“I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Chaseview during Care Home Open Week. It is evident how well the Residents and their loved ones are supported and looked after by Colleagues’ kindness and consideration.
“I was provided with the privilege and opportunity to plant a tree with a Resident at Chaseview, Kath Twyman, which was especially poignant for me, as I have known her for many years, and I recognise what she has done for the community of Burntwood during her younger years.
“It was lovely that Chaseview could make her wish come true and she was very happy to know that the tree was planted in a place that her house was situated years ago, and it must have brought back many memories for her. I look forward to visiting the home again soon.”