Mobberley care home welcomes indoor visits

Mobberley care home MHA The Willows recently opened its doors to long-awaited indoor visits, meaning a nominated family member can once again hold the hand of a loved one.

To coincide with the return of visiting, residents were delighted to receive a package from charity Silk Elephant CIO containing beautiful, hand-knitted hearts. Each pack contained two identical hearts, one to give to the relative and one for the resident to cherish in the knowledge they both have a matching heart.

Amanda Drayton, activity coordinator, suggested spraying favourite perfume on the hearts so they could share the perfumed scent of their loved one between visits, to draw comfort and a feeling of closeness for both the resident and the family member.

Home manager, Tamara Simmons said: “It was lovely to be able to see relatives coming into the home, being reunited face-to-face and holding hands with their loved one.

“The heart gifts have been a bonus for which we are thankful. It has been a very emotional time for all, but a positive one.”

Zoe Holland, Chair and Founding Trustee of Cheshire based charity Silk Elephant added: “Being able to support MHA and the residents of The Willows through donations from our ‘Gift of a Heart’ campaign, has been so fulfilling for myself and the rest of the team. 

“Seeing the positive impact that a simple act of loving kindness has had on residents and families especially after their time apart during the pandemic, has been heart-warming and I’m so happy we were able to help.”

As a national charity, MHA enables people to live later life well. Through 90 specialist care homes, 70 thriving retirement living and 62 vibrant community groups and befriending, we inspire the best care and wellbeing at every stage of later life. With over 75 years’ experience we put people at the heart of everything we do in all our homes and schemes across Britain. All our donations and any surplus we generate is invested into the services we provide for our 18,500 residents and members. We have over 7,600 dedicated colleagues, supported by over 4,000 generous volunteers.