By PSS | Posted: Monday August 10, 2020
As the whole of New Zealand battened down the hatches in lockdown, PSS’ Enliven Peacehaven Village staff took the Coronavirus pandemic head on - offering up ingenious services and cooking up a storm to alleviate the impact of restrictive protocols and boost the spirits and welfare of its elderly residents.
Pastoral Care and Retirement Villages Manager Karl Lamb says stringent measures to protect against Covid-19 had been put in place across all Enliven rest home and retirement village sites early in the piece but the suspension of all non-essential visits and the over 70’s ‘stay-at-home’ rule presented some unique challenges for residents and staff alike – not least matters of access to food and grocery goods, nourishment and general well-being.
“Staff went above and beyond the call of duty to keep our residents safe, fed, happy and healthy during lockdown and they have been extremely appreciative of their efforts,” says Karl.
Kitchen Manager Rochelle Copeland heads one of the teams Karl says is deserving of big kudos.
While many could have been overwhelmed in the face of the dilemma presenting, Rochelle and her team rolled up their sleeves and cooked up a storm, producing and delivering - with the help of Village Liaison Officer Karen Harvey and the Peacehaven service car - over 1000 two-course midday meals to village residents during the lockdown period, on top of their usual task of cooking for the care home each day.
“This represents an increase of 300 percent over and above what the kitchen team would normally cater for,” says Karen Harvey, Village Liaison Officer.
With a ‘can-do-anything’ attitude and smiles to boot, the team produced an extraordinary amount of hearty and heart-warming fare that, Karen says, brought comfort and buoyed residents’ sometimes-waning spirits.
“Delivery of the midday meal was, hands-down, the highlight of their day!”
Another innovative solution to have evolved during quarantine was that of the daily ‘Lockdown Shop’. Here village residents could purchase everyday grocery and household items alongside the Kitchen team’s tempting speciality inhouse baked scones and biscuits, cheese-rolls and soup, and home-cooked heat-and-eat meals.
“One of the best things to have come from the in-home deliveries and Lockdown Shop services is that they gave us a non-intrusive way of checking-in to see if our residents were doing ok, while also giving them opportunity to socially engage.” says Karen.
When asked what motivated her team to forsake precious family time to work extra-long hours in the kitchen, Rochelle’s answer was straightforth.
“We do it for the residents.”
“We like to do our part to make their lives better.”