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south yorkshire housing association The Meadows

Posted By cyril1937

"south yorkshire housing association The Meadows"

About: South Yorkshire Housing Association Limited / The Meadows - Extra Care Scheme

(as a service user),

I was reluctant to come to what I thought was an old people's home but my decision to do so was one of the best I have made, I was isolated in a council flat across the park with few people to talk to, I believed it would be just sitting around in a lounge, but it has been really different. its an independent living place with help if you need it. We did all sorts of activities pre-covid and the cafe is great.   We do a coffee morning, I organise bingo and call one of the sessions, we have a regular visit from Watercliffe Meadow school children, all these things we enjoy. Since covid we have not had outside entertainment except a string trio that came in and played for residents on each floor , we listened socially distanced in the corridor, We are missing being able to socialise as much as we did inside the home.  We would  like to have the trio come back and have other entertainers come in if this can be done now.

However there are some issues I feel about the way we are all treated and I have experienced these personally. The staff attitude can be patronising or rather we feel like we are treated some times as if we are in school. Also we are encouraged to make friendships and relationships with other residents but we feel we are not treated well when we ask about a resident who is a friends if they go into hospital, instead we are told its not company policy to share other residents information, we just want to know how our friends are, We particularly want to know if our friend has died.    

I would like to pay tribute to the care of team members; Trisha, Jacqui, Sarah and and House Keepers Carole and Anne all who do more than their roles demand  in helping care for us. I would also like to commend the Sheffield Care Watch Care Team working here with us. 

Overall its been an excellent move coming here.

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Responses

Response from Chris Dearnley, Project Lead, The Meadows, White Willows - Extra Care Schemes, South Yorkshire Housing Association 3 years ago
Chris Dearnley
Project Lead, The Meadows, White Willows - Extra Care Schemes,
South Yorkshire Housing Association

Submitted on 15/12/2020 at 10:57
Published on Care Opinion at 11:01

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us feedback about your experience of living at The Meadows. We’re pleased to hear that you feel it has overall been a positive experience for you and that you were able to get involved with so many activities before Covid. We will certainly pass on your feedback to the people who organised the visit from the musicians, and hope that the other activities will be able to start up again in the future, once it is safe to do so.

Thank you also for your feedback around the things we need to do better. We appreciate that it is frustrating that we are unable to share information about other residents when they are taken ill, or have sadly passed away. However, data protection policies prevent us from sharing personal and confidential information about other residents, unless they give us verbal or written permission. If appropriate we do ask residents or their families if we can share information, but ultimately must respect their wishes. There are occasions when we do not know how someone is when in hospital or if they have passed away as we rely on somebody telling us and hospitals do not have to inform us. We would of course encourage residents to build friendships but unfortunately this does not change the regulations which we are bound by. We also have to respect that when residents pass away, this can be a difficult and sad time for their families, and we must respect their wishes around sharing information. We will however ensure that we speak to the team about the way we share and deliver information and will strive to always communicate with residents in a manner that is respectful and polite.

Finally, we will ensure that your gratitude for members of staff is passed on. We appreciate you taking the time to provide this feedback and will ensure that we reflect upon it as a team, in order to keep improving the service we provide.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by cyril1937 (a service user)

Thanks Chris for your reply to my concerns about living at the Meadows. I concur with much of your response but cannot accept your reasoning for the lack of communication between SYHA staff and residents when a fellow resident is suddenly conspicuous by their 'absence' from the Meadows for a length of time. There have been several cases in the past year where residents have passed away while in hospital and SYHA have known they were there. With all due respect, I consider that when asked for, residents should be told whether their friend and neighbour is in hospital. We are not asking for personal medical details - merely that we have not seen them and are concerned for their well being. I feel that SYHA should look at their Company Policy for dealing with this issue and not hide behind government regulations which I suggest are not intended to cover only asking about someone's whereabouts and not their medical history. I was shocked to first learn that a friend had recently passed away by observing his cortege drawing up outside the Meadows on the day of his funeral - hardly conducive to the well being of those with a fragile disposition and getting on in years! Meadows staff and manager are always respectful and polite when speaking with the residents but there have been occasions when we feel that we are being spoken down to by management as if we were school children and not rent paying tenants who provide a great deal of the SYHA annual income.

Please accept this response as a constructive one intended to improve living at the Meadows. Once again I have only the utmost praise for your staff and the Sheffield Carewatch team for all you are doing for us at the Meadows to make our twilight years more enjoyable.- keep up the good work!

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