Shelters for Window Visits at Bryony Park Care Home

With COVID-19 restrictions preventing people from visiting their loved ones properly, Bryony Park Nursing Home have built shelters to allow window visits for family and friends, meaning that people can spend some form of quality time with their loved ones without being bothered by the weather. 

sydney bate visits wife, freda, in care home from outside shelter during coronavirus pandemic

The inspiration for the idea was a man called Sydney Bate, who has visited his wife Freda, 86, every single day for three years since she moved into the home. He was previously able to come into the home and see Freda but the current restrictions meant that he was limited to window visits, but he still came every day to see his wife through her window. 

Yitzi Bamberger, owner of the care home, devised the shelters so that people continue to visit without worrying about the wind and rain that winter brings. Mr Bamberger said: “I noticed that Mr Bate visited his wife here everyday, and he would stand in the bad weather to make sure he spent some time with her.

 He’s a real trooper so I came up with the shelters to ensure visitors could still see loved ones but were dry and more comfortable. 

We realise how difficult it is at present for our resident’s relatives so this is the perfect solution to keep everyone safe and happy.”

Memory Lane Care Home Group plans to expand the shelters to all three of their care homes in Sunderland so that all their residents and their families can enjoy visits without worrying about the weather.

Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, Sydney said: “Everyone was worried about the implications of these new rules but these pods are just fantastic.

“The girls here are working their socks off and they don’t get enough credit for their hard work. It’s lovely to see how well Freda is being looked after.

We’re very glad to see that our new shelters have been such a positive addition to our care home and to our treasured visitors. As we roll out these shelters in our other care homes, we look forward to making visits easier for our residents and their loved ones, and we’ll be keeping you updated with the goings-on at our homes. 

If you’d like to know more about our care homes in Sunderland, please feel free to contact us today and one of our friendly team will be happy to help you.