Getting people online at Brendoncare Ronald Gibson House
THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGISTS CHARITY
Bringing the Outside In
Getting people online at Brendoncare Ronald Gibson House
T he world is clearly moving online, and yet those without access to this online world are becoming more and more digitally isolated. For older people living in Brendoncare centres, who are unable to leave because of their physical and mental frailties, social isolation is already a key issue that can have huge implications on their health and quality of life.
We are extremely grateful to the WCIT Charity for your generosity and support which has enabled us to provide Wi-Fi for all of our residents at Ronald Gibson House. This project has made such a substantial difference to the every-day life of everyone at the care home; providing a huge variety of new opportunities that our residents had previously been unable to experience.
On Christmas Day, Steven has always enjoyed watching the Queen’ s speech. It was one of his traditions at home with his family that he always enjoyed and that was a key part of what Christmas meant to him.
This year, residents at Ronald Gibson House enjoyed a vibrant Christmas day with a delicious meal, games and activities.
However, unfortunately when it got to 3pm Steven was asleep in his room( as he hadn’ t been well) and as a result he missed the Queen’ s speech.
Walking through the care home now, the presence of technology is everywhere; residents reading the paper on kindles and iPads, Youtube and Spotify being used to play favourite songs or reminisce on film clips, and group activities that bring the outside world into the home.
Residents have more opportunities to stay in touch with their friends and family than ever before, with skype sessions and personal email accounts being set up regularly. This project truly has transformed the way of life for our residents.
Without the wonderful support we received from the WCIT this project would not have been possible, so thank you so much for helping us to make a difference to the lives of those in our care.
Contributed by Victoria Smith, Fundraising Officer at The Brendoncare Foundation
Before Wi-Fi had been installed at Ronald Gibson House, it would have been extremely difficult for Steven to have caught up with the Queen’ s speech and kept up his home tradition. However, thanks to The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, the team at RGH were able to use the care home’ s tablet to go online and re-play the programme. This made Steven extremely happy and he relaxed instantly, as he was still able to carry out one of his Christmas traditions.
Whilst this may seem like a small opportunity now available through the installation of Wi-Fi at RGH, for Steven this was incredibly significant. It enabled him to continue to take part in something extremely important to him, a tradition that he had followed throughout his life. It also ensures that Ronald Gibson House feels like Steven’ s home and that he is able to enjoy life to the full in the ways that matter to him.
We are extremely grateful to the WCIT for helping us to make these differences to the lives of our residents, improving their happiness, wellbeing and quality of life through the inclusion of online opportunities.
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