Lucky May
Has May been a lucky month for Shedfield Lodge?
Well, we won the Care Home Bed Finder photo competition with some pictures of a pony visit and some of our residents walking in our cherry blossom filled grounds, so that’s lucky isn’t it?
Was it the pictures that won the competition or something a little deeper than that?
We had a pony visit, so that indicates that we believe that animals can offer a therapy to people like no other. They can create conversations, evoke feelings, if not memories and they can help with communication too. The pictures also show that not only do we have grounds, including a beautiful garden, but that they are there to be enjoyed by everyone living at Shedfield Lodge, regardless of their mobility. The cherry blossoms are an indicator that we recognise the benefits of sensory stimulation, seeing the beauty, smelling the fragrance in the air, touching the delicate blossoms.
It also says that despite political correctness, we refer to the people that live at Shedfield Lodge as residents, because they reside here. Shedfield Lodge is their home. It is a family home, filled with love, compassion, kindness, respect for everyone that lives and works here. People are cared ‘about’ not ‘for’. They are supported, to be as independent as possible, to make choices, to contribute, to feel valued, to have their personhood maintained and their dignity to be upheld.
Were the people that voted for us to win the photo competition thinking are pictures were the best? All the other entrants had equally lovely pictures so maybe the votes for us were an acknowledgement of what we do, how we do it and who we are.
But maybe May was just a lucky month because on the 17th May, we were invited to attend the Care Campaign For The Vulnerable Inspiration In Care Awards by their founder Jayne Connery.
Ten of us went for what promised to be an entertaining evening, with good food, nice music, maybe a dance but most importantly to see some truly amazing people be recognised for their passion and dedication to improving the lives of others. The ten of us that went included our Proprietors, Manager, Head of Care, as you would expect but also Carers and Pam, the wife of a Shedfield Lodge resident.
We were so pleased that we went to the Award Ceremony because we won two awards, the first for ‘Inspirational Leaders in Care’ and the second was won by one of our carers Kathy, who was recognised for being an ‘Inspirational Individual in Care’
Was this just luck, or appreciation of what we do, how we do it and who we are.
We like to think that the support we give others, the ideas we share freely, the forward thinking and our proactiveness in the care sector, along with our passion for what we do, were responsible for our awards, not just a lucky month.
