In line with the Government of Jersey advice, the Jersey Cheshire Home has begun a six-week programme of shielding its highly vulnerable residents ahead of the imminent Covid-19 vaccinations.
The Government of Jersey announced this week that a shielding requirement for the most vulnerable would start from Tuesday 8 December and would run for six weeks in order to ensure the Covid-19 vaccination programme can be rolled out successfully in January 2021.
David Lord, General Manager at the Jersey Cheshire Home said: “We are delighted at the news of the vaccination programme. Just last week, we celebrated the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which focussed on working towards disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-Covid-19 world and this news confirms, and helps to support, this positive future for our residents. Whilst it reduces visits from friends and family over the festive period, we learnt a lot from the previous lockdown and how we can provide a positive experience for the residents, and the staff”.
In March, the initial government lockdown restrictions meant that the highly vulnerable residents at Eric Young House were unable to receive visits from family and friends as usual. It also meant that usage of the Jersey Cheshire Home’s aquatherapy pool and physiotherapy facilities by external users was also stopped and this led to the launch of an adapted physio and wellbeing programme for residents.
Residents were able to use the Home’s gym on a one-to-one basis with the physio team also providing additional sessions in the residents’ rooms. With the pool and gym closed to outside users, the physio team were able to increase the amount of attention each resident received which led to some fantastic results being achieved by the residents. In turn, residents were really enthusiastic about their sessions and experienced a boost in overall mental health and wellbeing during the lockdown period.
Senior Physiotherapist at the Jersey Cheshire Home, Steve Martin said: “To begin with, there was a lot of uncertainty in the Home about how things would work out over lockdown. However, once a routine was in place for the residents, the atmosphere became fantastic and I would go so far as to say that it was the best atmosphere I have ever experienced, among both staff and residents, in the ten years plus I have been at the Home. It really helped everyone to understand each other’s roles in greater detail and to work more closely together, and I think it’s put us in a really good position for this next phase”.
