'Come into the garden (shed), Maud'

New visiting space

The Old Vicarage care home in Sherborne, Dorset, which provides care to up to 41 people, is proudly announcing the opening of its temporary ‘garden visiting room’.

The purpose-built wooden cabin is situated in the communal garden at the home, and provides a safe space for relatives to visit residents whilst Covid-19 continues to pose a risk, according to a story in this week's edition of The Carer UK:

The team has been keen to find a way to make visiting more comfortable for residents and their loved ones so has created the temporary garden room. Equipped with a perspex screen to separate visitors from residents, and an intercom to make communicating easy, the room enables loved ones to get together without increased worry. The room is also equipped with heating when required, insulation and nurse call buttons.

Home Manager Molly Burrows said; 'Opening our garden visiting room is such an important moment for us. It has been so hard seeing our relatives missing their loved ones. For many, visits are a very regular part of their week, so lockdown restrictions have been incredibly hard for them.

'Thankfully, restrictions have started to ease, but many of our residents are still classed as high risk and vulnerable so we continue to have procedures in place to protect them. Being able to welcome relatives into this lovely, welcoming and comforting room will make the whole experience so much better, and we hope that this brings a great deal of joy to our residents and their families.'

You may recall the blog about a glazed visiting room in a Dutch care home introduced in response to lockdown? (18 June 2020)

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Come into the garden, Maud

Come into the garden, Maud,

For the black bat, night, has flown.

Come into the garden, Maud,

I am here at the gate alone;

And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad, 

And the musk of the rose is blown.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson