I have long said
"Activity Coordinators are Amazing!"
Lu Lawrence stands out from the crowd, she has recently become rather famous for the difference she makes to the lives of residents of Baycroft Flitwick Care Home. In particular, through sharing the videos of her work with Beryl.
Lu is a nominated finalist in the Great British Care awards - 23rd July 2021
and a dementia champion
She clearly cares about the residents she supports, this story is just one example. It was shared with me by Beryl's daughter, Wendy who is clearly very pleased with difference Lu has made for her mother during a particularly challenging time.
She told me "Yesterday mum and I did our first painting session in real life, again facilitated by Lu. She videoed it so I'm sure that will be next to be posted on LinkedIn."
She continued "Lu has been an absolute godsend during this pandemic. She's exceptional and I nominated her for an award. She's been shortlisted in the Great British Care Awards, winners to be announced in July!"
Great grandmother Beryl’s vibrant paintings of flowers became an internet sensation during Lockdown 2020, with more than 32,000 likes on a global Facebook group’s page.
Her family had no idea the 85-year-old was capable of producing such work and say she had never before, to their knowledge, painted a picture in her life.
Beryl has lived with dementia for several years and is permanently bedbound due to physical disability.
She moved into Baycroft Flitwick to receive nursing care in October 2019, but when Covid-19 lockdown prevented family visits it became very difficult to maintain meaningful connections to the outside world.
Beryl’s daughter Wendy, explains: “The discovery of Mum’s painting ability came about because I was struggling to communicate with her during lockdown. Normally I would visit her in person and hold her hand, but trying to keep her engaged during Skype calls was proving impossible.”
Lu Lawrence, Baycroft Flitwick’s Activity Coordinator suggested a remote art session between mother and daughter when Beryl took an interest in artwork that Wendy had painted.
As Wendy said at the time: “It was just so beautiful and amazing to see the way she took to it. I was blown away with how focused she was and how she concentrated on all the detail. When we’re painting together, we talk about what we're doing and about the colours we're choosing – it’s a real conversation which isn’t normally possible anymore. What's even more important is that while she is painting and producing a piece of artwork she is having a happy, positive experience. Even though the conversation details may be forgotten within a short while I know that this positive experience will last a long time.”
Beryl's Art Cards - Pack of 4 A5 cards with envelopes £10 per pack
Pack One contains 4 x A5 cards, blank inside, with 4 x C5 envelopes in a cellophane packet.
Each card features a different print taken from original artwork by Beryl Wall.
Paintings in this pack include daisies, marigolds, alliums and forget-me-nots.
Pack Two contains 4 x A5 cards, blank inside, with 4 x C5 envelopes in a cellophane packet.
Each card features a different print taken from original artwork by Beryl Wall.
Paintings in this pack include poppies, sunflowers, echinacea, buttercups.
Price £10 per pack includes 2nd Class p&p within UK mainland.
Profits from the sale of these items will be donated equally between Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK.
This blog is a contribution towards my 100 positive care home stories for my Captain Tom 100 challenge.
Please click here if you would like to contribute your care home story too.