Colette ChewPR

Peggy and Barbara, residents at Mountside Care Home, a branch of ACI Care that specialise in residential, dementia and respite care, recently struck up a friendship after finding that both their daughters worked as exam invigilators at local schools.

From then on, the duo became inseparable with staff always finding the pair deep in conversation with a hot drink or taking part in one of the home’s many activities.

Speaking of their newfound friendship, Peggy said: “It’s great having someone to talk to who understands me and she always knows how to make me laugh.” Whilst Barbara added: “We really enjoy each other's company and doing things together.”

Mountside strongly encourages the forming of new friendships and relationships to promote socialisation and positive mental health. The home also strives to make every resident feel part of the community and to try and alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness that are more prevalent amongst elderly care residents – with 60% of people in care homes reporting they get no visitors, according to Age UK.

Peggy previously worked in a village shop and post office, whilst Barbara, a resident at Mountside for 12 years, worked as a nanny for Lord Peckingham. Both ladies will be enjoying a cup of tea and a slice of cake tea together to mark the day and show gratitude to the companionship Mountside offers its residents.

Ravi Sodha, Director of ACI Care, said: “We believe that friendship knows no age limits, and Peggy and Barbara's beautiful bond is a testament to that. It’s lovely to witness such genuine connections between our residents, proving that companionship and laughter can brighten any stage of life.”

International Friendship Day seeks to promote the role that friendship plays across all cultures. The United Nations encourages society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the community towards promoting a dialogue of solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

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Mountside Care Home, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, recently received a ‘Good’ rating from the CQC, building on its ‘requires improvement’ rating from the year before.

Inspectors commended the Laton Road home for performing well and meeting expectations following an inspection in November.

The report said the home was ‘clean, well-maintained and comfortable’ noting that ‘there were enough staff to meet people's needs’.

Mountside said the most recent report details the home’s transformation and how ‘the providers' governance systems had improved and were being used consistently to improve the service.’

At the time of inspection, 40 people were living at the home and CQC recognised that ‘people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, while staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.’

Ravi Sodha, director of ACI Care, said: “This is a very significant milestone for Mountside as we continue on our journey to provide the very best care to the Hastings community. We’re absolutely delighted to have improved on our CQC rating from last year and it's a true testament to the efforts of our staff to see major improvements.”

Taking on board advice from the last inspection, the home said it followed a stringent action plan which included upgrading the care planning software and recruiting a new and enthusiastic staff team to work alongside the dedicated long-standing staff on the continuous improvement of the home.

Ravi said: "We are continually building a strong team at Mountside as we all work together to make it a great place to both work for our carers and live for our residents. As we continue to grow and improve, so will our inspection rating.”

When questioned as part of the report, a resident said: "I feel safe, the staff are amazing, and they look after me well and look out for us all.

"I enjoy the activities, we play bingo and have quizzes, I have plenty to do. I can join in the activities or watch television. My family can take me out and I will meet friends for lunch here. I’m settled, the staff are good and seem to be highly efficient and trained, so I don't have any worries."

Shelagh Hazleton started working at Mountside Care Home, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, in 1992 – where she joined to assist residents with their hair, before volunteering with afternoon activities.

Staff and residents at the Laton Road home kept the celebrations a secret so Shelagh was overwhelmed when she walked into the lounge to be greeted by a room of smiling faces. Even some residents who would normally stay in their room opted to come out and share Shelagh’s special afternoon. She was given a card full of warming messages, a bottle of wine and a beautiful clock, and the home’s chef Steve had prepared a buffet.

The rewarding job has seen Shelagh spend three decades at the care home, ensuring each resident is engaged, happy and their needs are met. Shelagh, who is now the home’s activities coordinator, joined after her husband’s grandmother became a resident at Mountside thirty years ago.

By showing kindness, Shelagh received kindness in return. Mountside wanted to offer Shelagh a full-time position after seeing her patience and empathy with the residents during her voluntary work but she initially turned down the offer due to childcare struggles of her newborn daughter, Louise. However, not wanting to lose Shelagh and the great work she does, the home offered the solution for Shelagh to bring Louise to work with her so she could continue her duties whilst keeping an eye on her daughter. This delighted some of the residents, with one finding particular joy in cuddling and feeding Louise.

Shelagh leads various activities throughout the week, trying to make each day different and engaging. Some of the most popular activities include board games, card games, magnetic darts and bingo on a Friday. She goes above and beyond to ensure all residents' needs are met, and for those who don’t wish to leave their rooms, Shelagh sits with them one-to-one and encourages them to play cribbage and cards, or just engage in conversation.

Speaking of her time at the care home, Shelagh Hazleton said: “It’s amazing. I love my job every single day. It’s hard work but very rewarding. In fact, the rewards you get from it far outweigh the hard work.”

Talking of one of her fondest memories, she recalls: “We did have one lady who thought our Elvis performer was the real Elvis. Her heart would melt the minute he came in and her family always paid for him to come and sing for us all. Even when her dementia got quite bad she could always recognise Elvis, and it was lovely to see!”

Not falling far from the tree, in what could be considered fate, Shelagh was born in the house opposite the care home where she now works. Reminiscing over its history, she recalls that the property was two separate buildings - one being a boys school, and the other a house that was sold to become a care home. The care home took over the house next door, combining the properties and adding an extension to make it what stands today, before ACI Care acquired it in 2020.

Kimberley Mann, fellow activities coordinator at Mountside Care Home, said: “Shelagh is amazing with the residents and she really takes her time to ensure they are all happy and accounted for. Even those who don’t want to come out of their rooms and participate in activities, Shelagh is happy to go and just spend time with them one-on-one for a chat.

“To reach a 30-year milestone working at a care home is amazing. There is always bad press about care homes being understaffed and experiencing high turnover, but amongst all the noise there is a Shelagh who wouldn't want to be doing anything else, and in Mountside’s case, the residents wouldn’t want anyone else here either. It’s a pleasure to be able to work alongside her in creating a bit of magic for our residents’ lives every day.”