With aged care facilities across St George and Sutherland Shire enforcing stringent measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including banning visitors, they have come up with new ways to keep residents connected to their loved ones.
Moran Engadine has been in lockdown since midnight March 17, with no one but employees and GPs permitted to visit unless residents were at end of life or very distressed.
Moran Engadine general manager Mary Gibbs said Moran Aged Care had invested heavily in iPads for its homes, which were being used to connect residents to the outside world.
"Technology has played a huge part in maintaining the social well-being of residents, as all Moran homes have been in lockdown since midnight March 17, with no visitors permitted except employees and GPs," she said.
"FaceTime family hook-ups have been extremely popular, combined with the use of a mobile device app called CareApp, which the Moran team use to take photos and short videos of residents which they share with family members."
She said residents had shown resilience and patience during the coronavirus crisis.
"They go about their daily routines as usual; adapting well to changes to some routines and activities to accommodate social distancing," she said.
"Overall, residents have embraced new ways of staying connected and although they can't wait to see their families in person, they want them to know that they are fine, they don't want their families to worry about them."
