Lockdown in a retirement village

Everyone has experienced many months in lockdown, but for those living in an Enterprise Retirement Living (ERL) retirement village, life continued to be pretty good …

The friendly and dedicated teams at Boughton Hall in Chester and The Red House in Ripon pulled together and went out of their way to make sure that all of the Owners and Occupiers were kept safe, happy and their wellbeing nurtured by doing shopping, collecting prescriptions and newspapers, posting letters, and delivering refreshments and three course meals. Every day, members of the team would buddy up and make sure that every resident had a call or socially distanced chat to check that they were okay and had everything they needed to make them feel part of the community and comfortable in their apartments. The Managers provided a variety of entertainment – weekly quizzes, books, DVDs, regular newsletters and special treats. They arranged A Cocktail and Snack evening delivered to each apartment in Gatsby style, or some other similarly themed event. Our chefs cooked cakes and biscuits regularly, and each apartment was presented with a hamper full of goodies.

Both villages are situated in gated and beautifully landscaped grounds, so daily strolls were encouraged, and it was a real treat for neighbours to see each other and the friendly faces of the village staff. Everyone enjoyed the fresh air and the changing colours of the seasons and the abundance of fauna and flora within the gardens. When the regulations (and weather!) permitted, outside entertainment in the form of barbecues or Pimm’s Parties were arranged to bring people together in a community spirit. The momentous anniversary of VE day was celebrated together, and everyone contributed a memory to be shared of their time during WW2.

The staff at the villages worked tirelessly to make sure that everyone felt safe, secure and looked after, and, in turn, ERL made sure that staff received regular surprises of cupcakes, wine, sweets, chocolates, and last but by no means least – Betty’s Fat Rascals!

Lockdown in ERL’s retirement villages was a little hard on the waistline, but the community pulled together and everyone looked out for each other.

To find out how good retirement can be, call 01223 494082 today to arrange a viewing.

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