The Park achieves Veteran Friendly status
The team and residents at our not-for-profit care home in Chaddesden are celebrating after being awarded Veteran Friendly status.
The team at The Park Residential and Nursing Home are proud to be the first of our homes to achieve the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) status, which aims to better support the practical, emotional and social needs of the armed forces community living in care homes.
As part of their commitment, the home established strong links between their veterans and local armed forces community groups, dedicated ‘champions’ undertook specialist training, they created a system where poppies are placed on residents’ doors, to remind visiting healthcare professionals of their service status. With the support of families, care plans were adapted to reflect residents’ service history. Home manager Juliet Gardner is also fundraising for national veterans’ charity, the Royal British Legion Industries.
She explained: “As someone with a family history of armed forces and services involvement, this has been a true labour of love. It’s about learning what it’s like to come out of what feels like a family in the armed forces and enter civilian life.
“We are passionate about supporting our veterans here at The Park and ensuring they feel acknowledged for the amazing service they have given to their country.
“For us it’s about them feeling a true sense of belonging here, as many felt when in the armed forces.”
The VFF is a collaboration between Armed Forces charities Royal Star & Garter and Royal British Legion and NHS Veterans’ Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), with funding support from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
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 The Park Residential and Nursing 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.”
For more about how we are enriching lives at The Park, or any of our care homes in Derby, our Enquiry Support Team are here to help on 0800 331 7411.
