You’ve Got Mail – Care Home Pen Pals Go Back To Basics

In an age of instant messaging and emails, residents at two north-east care homes are embracing a more personal way to stay connected through handwritten cards and letters.

The card swap began with residents at Wakefield House in Cullen and Deveron Way in Huntly sending Christmas greetings, followed by Burns Night cards. With Valentine’s Day approaching, the tradition continues, and residents are now busy preparing to swap friendship cards.

Leanne Stephen, manager of Wakefield House said: “I thought it would have been a great idea to send cards to one of the other homes and since Deveron Way was relatively new to the Parklands group, like us here at Wakefield, we decided to swap cards with them.

“Our activities coordinator Anne spent time with the residents making homemade cards to send at Christmas time and we identified residents who wanted to take part. The residents are absolutely delighted to receive a card – something so simple is so touching.”

James Hayes, well-being coordinator at Deveron Way said: “In this era of digital communication, the art of letter-writing probably seems so old fashioned. It’s so much easier to text or send an email but taking the time to write a letter or card is so much more meaningful. We have been having so much fun creating themed cards to exchange with Wakefield House, and it’s great to see the excitement on everyone’s faces when they see they have a new letter!”