Video conferencing connecting our families

Popping in for a visit has taken on a new dimension during Covid, with our residents racking up over 700,000 video conferencing minutes during the pandemic.

At Bossley Parkside Care Community our residents represent 26 different nationalities. For those families, being able to connect and speak in language together during long periods of lockdown has been a great relief – and the joy on their faces when the screen lights up is priceless.

We teamed up with FaceTime to show how using tech in our residential Care Communities is bringing joy to those we care for.

Read more from some more of our stories of connection through FaceTime from over the last couple of years.

Intergenerational friendships benefit young and old

The Seniors & Teens Empathy Program (STEP) is based around the principle of story-sharing.  With visitor restrictions due to COVID, the program was facilitated over nine weeks utilising video conferencing systems for the students and residents. Embracing technology was a challenge that everyone, including our elders, enjoyed - many of whom had never used an iPad before.

Nurturing intergenerational friendships across our care communities

Intergenerational programs offer a mutually beneficial learning experience for young and old, and by doing activities together, we have seen all generations experience a higher sense of purpose and increased self-worth. We have focused on maintaining these important relationships throughout COVID-19 by using technology to connect residents with children without being in the same room. Video conferencing technology has been put to great use to keep these activities running, giving our residents social opportunities to look forward to that are meaningful and fun for all.

Connecting families at Narrandera Homestead

With every challenge comes opportunity and the pandemic this year has given us an opportunity to extend the way we connect with our families and community. The restricted access has meant our visitors, volunteers, and contractors are unable to attend our home, but, that doesn’t mean everything has to stop. With the support of our Home Office, we have been able to introduce calls to family and friends, for our residents, through video conferencing apps. Our residents have embraced this technology and are getting great enjoyment from being able to see and talk with their loved ones.

We have also introduced church services by using the same app. Rev Michael Perrot and Fr Bradley Rafter have been giving spiritual support through this technology, and our residents are absolutely loving it. The joy we see on their faces when they connect with their loved ones, through this technology, is a privilege for us to experience.

Team members have jumped in with supporting residents through our ‘Meaningful Mates’ program, ensuring each resident has quality time with a team member that they can call their mate. Mates share experiences and life stories, they reminisce and partake in activities together. It can be a very special time.

This time has also allowed our team to become more creative with different activities, to bring joy into the daily life of our residents. We have had ‘throw the ball at the Manager’; games, slapstick with two team members targeted for whipped cream throwing (Pie in the Face); making Easter decorations, an Easter egg hunt, and a visit from the Easter Bunny. We have participated in online Safari Trips, live Zoo shows on YouTube, and other sites according to each individual resident's interests. Residents enjoyed a concert on Friday with team members, and decorations for Mother’s Day celebrations. Birthdays for residents are celebrated with family and friends via Facetime.

Our home is the same as yours, we’re not going out unless it is essential and we only have essential people coming in. Like your home, we are still well-fed, warm, comfortable, happy, and connecting with those not coming to our home through the wonderful world of technology!

Meaningful relationships through virtual visits

At the forefront of our minds during this change, is ensuring our residents can maintain the relationships that are important to them and that their families have different ways to stay connected with their loved ones. We have accelerated our tech program and are successfully using a variety of different applications for telehealth consultations with doctors, and for virtual visits between residents and their families.

Stories are pouring in from our homes, sharing the ways in which our residents and their loved ones are connecting through technology.