The introduction of a pen pal initiative at HC-One’s The Beeches care home in Doncaster has helped enhance resident wellbeing by connecting them with new-found friends in Scotland.
The new initiative was suggested by Home Manager Lauren Wilde as a method to reach out to the wider community, with Residents selecting fellow HC-One care home The Beeches in Dunfermline to be their pen pals due to the two homes having the same name.
Many Residents decided to write a letter to their new Dunfermline-based friends, including John, June, Nellie, Joan, Rosie and Janet. In their letters, they wrote about the activities they had been involved with in the home, such as attending the Home Manager’s wedding and helping to transform the garden in time for summer.
After June posted the letter to Dunfermline, Residents were delighted to quickly receive a response, containing photographs of their new pen pals along with a description of the life history and hobbies for each individual.
Following the success of the first stage of the pen pal initiative between the homes, both of The Beeches have decided to continue the scheme throughout the rest of 2019 to further strengthen the relationship between Residents.
June commented: “It’s really nice to hear about the other residents in Scotland. It’s great that we will be keeping this up and getting to know them more.”
Lauren Wilde, Home Manager at The Beeches in Doncaster, said: “The pen pal scheme is a fantastic project and has brought a lot of happiness to our Residents, as it has provided them with the opportunity to tell their stories and make new friends across the UK.
“Many of our Residents have an interesting life history to tell and the letters enable them to share memories and learn about other people’s backgrounds.
“It’s so rewarding to see our Residents’ faces light up when they receive responses from the Dunfermline home, so we can’t wait to share more stories throughout the rest of 2019.”