Sheffield Care Home Achieves Veteran-Friendly Status
Park View Residential Care Home in Shiregreen has just been awarded Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) status, in recognition of the team’s dedication to supporting the practical, emotional and social needs of the armed forces community.
As part of their commitment the dedicated staff, who currently care for three veterans, have established a monthly coffee afternoon at the home in partnership with the Armed Forces Veterans’ Breakfast Club (AFVBC) Sheffield, where veterans from the local community meet with the home’s veterans, providing companionship and friendship.
Home manager Lyndsey Darnell said:
“The knowledge we as a team have gained through this process has been phenomenal, in terms of how it has helped to have an even deeper level of understanding for our veterans and the specialist personalised support they require, because of their veteran status.
The team take the residents to visit local war memorials, to pay their respects, as well as pulling out all the stops for special events like VE Day, for which the residents were involved in planning a big ‘street party’ in the home’s beautiful atrium. They made their own bunting and enjoyed a delicious buffet, with live music with songs from the 1940s.
The home’s veterans and team also supported children from the local nursery, who are regular visitors to Park View, with a special project for their VE Day celebrations, with one of the home’s residents talking to them about his National Service.
The home also has dedicated champions, who have undertaken specialist training, which they then use to train their colleagues on how to provide the very best support to their veterans and their loved ones.
John Nixon, the home’s AFVBC partner, said:
“Friendship, stories, and a warm brew – Armed Forces and Veterans’ Breakfast Club (Sheffield) and Park View Residential Care Home coffee afternoons aren’t just about sipping tea, they’re about pouring love into our community, one cup at a time. Smudge and I are proud to be part of it, and we look forward to many more afternoons connecting not only with the veterans of Park View, but with those across our local community.”
Park View residents, veterans Colin Fowler and Doug Langton regularly take part in the coffee afternoons. Doug said: “I am very proud of the people who support me here for achieving this, it means they can look after me well.”
Colin added: “I like the coffee afternoons, they make me feel like my service matters.”
Kathryn Glass is the VFF Project Lead at Royal Star & Garter and responsible for supporting and assessing care homes going through the scheme. She said: “We’re delighted that Sanctuary Care’s Park View Residential Care Home has achieved VFF status. This is a great commitment to their continuous improvement in the delivery of person-centred care for veteran residents and their partners.”
