The Lord Mayor of Armagh Sharon Haughey, representatives from the local council, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and managers of other care homes across the province were all in
attendance and voiced their support for the„Conversation‟.
The Big Care Home Conversation‟ aims to increase public understanding of the realities and potential for care homes and to inspire a greater connection between care homes and the wider community. This project, which was established in the UK by the „My Home Life‟ team in association with The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, City University London, Age UK and Dementia UK, sets out to engage the public in a nationwide debate about care homes for older people.
Several Sunnymead Residents along with the Lord Mayor Sharon Haughey released balloons to symbolise that for some people care homes provide new freedom and the opportunity to experience improved independence as well as to establish new friendships. Amanda Leitch, Home Manager of Sunnymead Residential Home said “This initiative provides a unique opportunity to the people of Northern Ireland to have their say on what homes could do differently or better in order to improve services now and in the future.”
The initiative will run for one month until 28th September 2012. Information gathered from across the UK will then be presented at Number 10 Downing Street. The hope is that more support will provided to care homes and services will be improved in the future.
Anyone can take part in this conversation. Get involved – everyone‟s talking about it!!! Click on http://myhomelife.org.uk/get-involved/big-care-homeconversation/ and click on a leaf to leave your thoughts on what you would like to see in a care
home. You can also contact Sunnymead directly if you want to discuss the project here in NI. Call: 028 3752 3866 or email:
admin@sunnymeadrh.com.