Colleagues at HC-One’s
Market Lavington care home, in Devizes, make a conscious effort to get to know their Residents’ personalities, likes, dislikes and life stories. And one fascinating story cropped up when the home’s Wellbeing Coordinator Riaz, chatted to Resident Phillip Kelley, a published author and train enthusiast.
Residents at Market Lavington often enjoy pulling out past memorabilia and chatting about them with Colleagues and fellow Residents, which always sparks some great conversations and friendships being made.
Phillip J Kelley is one of the newest Residents at the 80-bed residential, nursing and nursing dementia care home. Born in 1928, in Guernsey, Channel Islands, he has led a very interesting life as an author specialising in the history of railways and vintage vehicles.
Phillip talked to Riaz about his first book being published in 1973 by Oxford Publishing, which remains his favourite, called ‘Road Vehicles of The Great Western Railway’.
Having always had an interest in vintage vehicles and trains, since he was a little boy, Phillip had a variety of jobs in life, one being as an official photographer for the railways, which allowed him some wonderful opportunities to photograph trains that were in storage and no longer in commission.
After this insightful conversation, Colleagues learned that Phillip has quite a lot in common with
fellow Resident Frank who also has a love of vintage vehicles. Identifying these unique interests is great for relationship building in the home and Riaz works hard to facilitate that among Residents, leading to some enthusiastic conversations and bonding between everyone.
Phillip J Kelley, said:
“It took me five years to research and write (Road Vehicles of The Great Western Railway), my later books took me longer to research!”
“I loved every minute of it!”
Riaz Ali, Wellbeing Coordinator at Market Lavington, said:
“The wonderful thing about my role as a Wellbeing Coordinator is discovering that every single one of us has a ‘story’ – some part of our lives to celebrate, cherish and remember with affection.”
Residents bring in all sorts of wonderful items from home when they move into Market Lavington and, quite fitting, is that Phillip has displayed on his windowsill a pristine and intricately detailed model train, which took him two years to build (see pictured).