Humbled by the dedication and good humour of care home staff

Unfortunately my mother-in-law had to leave her home several years ago to move into assisted living at Le Grand Courtil under the excellent care of Carolyn Bourgaize and her team who went above and beyond to try to keep my mother-in-law with them. But it was not to be as her Lewy body dementia took hold and left her requiring far greater care.

My mother-in-law then moved to the lovely Chateau du Village before moving to GreenAcres, which brings me on to the reason for writing this letter.

Upon entering GreenAcres, it was almost like she had returned home. From the time that you enter the lobby and are met at reception by a lovely and soft-spoken young lady who gently shows you in, I was immediately taken aback to see the residents going about doing chores as if they were living in their own house. Others were participating in gentle exercising with a personal trainer while others were talking and joking with staff, knitting, reading newspapers and so on.

One thing that really struck me was that GreenAcres is all about living – and boy do the residents live to the best of their ability under the encouragement and care of the staff.

It is a credit to Moira Boyd (who is a force of nature) and her assistant Tanya Russell to be able to recruit a team of wonderful dedicated, caring and funny people, a surprising percentage of whom are young people, which is just fabulous to see.

I have enjoyed the meat draws they have for the residents and I know that my mother-in-law enjoyed a tipple or two in the bar while watching Strictly Come Dancing.

Sadly my mother-in-law’s condition recently took a turn for the worse and she passed away in my presence (and indeed in the presence of some of the other residents – who were her friends – walking in and out of her room at the time). The staff were wonderful and comforting, even offering to give us a lift home. They took control of everything that I felt too upset to do.

This is my first experience with care homes in Guernsey and I am so amazed that we have such a great facility on our doorsteps.

I shall miss my visits to GreenAcres, particularly my chats to the residents, listening to their stories and the very nice lady who taught me how to knit.

It was a humbling experience for me and I experienced a warm, loving and happy environment for my mother-in-law. I wish Moira Boyd and her colleague Tanya Russell, whose determination and drive are unparalleled, continued success in what I believe to be a truly outstanding dementia home in Guernsey.

NANCY LAWS (Mrs),

Driftwood, Rue de Putron,

St Peter Port, GY1 2TE.