Residents At Hope House Care Home Reunited With Their Families

Residents at Hope House care home in Clayton-Le-Moors, Accrington, are overjoyed after being able to see their family face-to-face for the first time since government restrictions were eased.

Since March, residents at the home have been keeping in touch with their families virtually because visits to the home had been restricted to ensure the safety of residents.

Now, one relative at a time is able to visit their loved ones in Hope House care home’s garden, while adhering to social distancing requirements.

One of the residents who has enjoyed an afternoon in the sun with her family member is Evelyn Corris, 99.

Evelyn is one of four children, two sisters and one brother, who have sadly passed away. Evelyn has two of her own children, Derek Corris and Jean Plumbley, and feels lucky to have had both a boy and a girl.

Evelyn said: “The toughest thing about lock down for me is not being able to cuddle my family, I’ve not been able to do it for such a long time!

“The second toughest thing is not being able to see my hairdresser! I might be 99 but I love having my hair cut and looking my best. When I look in the mirror I think to myself ‘oh heck’, and the staff always say I look beautiful but they must be pulling my leg!”

Derek Corris, Evelyn’s son, said: “After months of looking through a window, its wonderful to be able to see mum in the flesh outside in the fresh air. My sister Jean and myself have visited mum’s window regularly to keep her in good spirits, thank goodness she has a ground floor room! I would like to give a massive thankyou to all the staff at Hope House for all their efforts, it’s great to look at mum and see her so happy.

Cathy Yates, home manager at Hope House care home, said: “Being able to welcome back families to Hope House care home was a long-awaited day by us all. Though we have done our very best to keep everyone in touch virtually, being able to spend time with each other in person again has been priceless for our residents and their relatives.

“We’re blessed to have a spacious garden to host a family member at a safe distance and look forward to seeing more faces very soon.”