Peamount facilities and maintenance team bring some Christmas cheer to the Newcastle facility. The sleigh was built using some obsolete equipment and materials at very little cost by Peamount Facilities & Maintenance staff. This dedicated team has given much of their own time to bring Christmas joy to the residents, patients and staff. The sleigh will be on show on campus and will be part of Peamount’s Christmas Wonderland & Light up Peamount. Peamount Campus and grounds are very conducive to bring Christmas cheer in a safe manner. They look forward to bringing a smile back onto the faces of resident’s, patients and staff.
Shona Schneemann CEO of Peamount commented “Given the ageing demographic and the vulnerability of residents, keeping the campus COVID-19 free and protecting residents from the adverse outcomes associated with this pandemic has been a priority. To date we have managed to do this, with very few outbreaks on the campus and low mortality. This has been achieved by strict adherence to public health guidelines and the efforts and resilience of residents, staff and families. National restrictions resulted in the necessary closure of Day Services for extended periods, restrictions on family visits and curtailment of other important social support networks. At Peamount Healthcare, we are very mindful of the fact that social isolation comes with its own health risks, including loneliness, depression and anxiety and efforts have been made to provide contact with family and friends through patio visits and using iPad and other technologies. The festive season has provided the opportunity to look at innovative ways to support Patients and Residents in Peamount to celebrate and make this a season of joy and happiness”.
“Christmas will be “tough” this year and is unlikely to be a traditional family type celebration that service users at Peamount Healthcare have known in past years. The Christmas Wonderland has created a sense of hope, has given service users, and staff something to look forward to. Peamount Healthcare has transformed the campus into a Christmas wonderland to help lighten the mood and create a sense of tradition using festive lighting and various Christmas scenes. Service users will be supported by staff to continue to experience the wonders of Christmas, with planned walks and visits to the various pop up Christmas scenes on campus and within the Health & Wellness Centre (Hub) keeping the traditions of community togetherness alive, while maintaining social distancing, and bringing some holiday magic to everyone” concluded Shona Schneemann.