At the start of the year we would never have imagined that so many of us would be having to spend so much more time in our homes.
Whether it’s balancing working from home and keeping the kids entertained, relying on technology to stay in touch with loved ones or finding new ways to stay physically and mentally active, we are all having to adapt the way we live.
As a property manager responsible for looking after 196,000 homes, we recognise how challenging this time is for our residents. While our focus will always be on making sure they have a comfortable, clean and safe place to live - which is now more important than ever - we’ve also been looking at other ways we can support their wellbeing during these unusual times.
Weekly entertainment packs for retirement residents
It’s a particularly lonely and difficult time for our retirement residents, many of who live on their own. Lots of these residents are in the most vulnerable category and are having to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. Each Friday, our retirement Development Managers are putting the latest release of our entertainment packs under any of their residents’ doors who may find them useful. These packs contain puzzles, crosswords, adult colouring sheets and recipes, as well as ‘staying at home’ poems that have been written by some of our residents. We’ve also shared childrens’ colouring sheets online for our younger residents in non-retirement developments.
We’ve received some wonderful feedback on these resources, with residents really looking forward to receiving them as a welcome distraction from all that is going on.
‘At home’ workouts with Rosemary Conley CBE
Many of our residents’ exercise regimes are being impacted at the moment, but there are plenty of ways for them to keep fit in the comfort of their own homes. Working with diet and fitness expert Rosemary Conley CBE, Editor-in-Chief of FirstPort’s Life & Style magazine for our retirement residents, we've launched a series of filmed mini-workouts on our blog.
These exercises are suitable for all ages and are mostly designed to be completed sat down. This means they’re not only great for people who are less mobile, but also anyone working from home that wants to keep moving in between a busy diary of online meetings. They’re also ideal for key workers who spend a lot of time on their feet but still want to work their muscles when they’re at home.
Easy meals to cook at home
We all know that what we eat is just as important as the exercise we get, so we’re also sharing quick and simple recipes on our blog. Each recipe uses everyday ingredients, making them easy to cook at home. These have been created by leading nutritionist Sarah Skelton, and specially selected for FirstPort by Rosemary Conley CBE.
Hints and tips
Our mental health is just as crucial to our wellbeing as our physical health, so our blog also features guidance from our colleagues about what is helping them cope at the moment. Our Talent team have shared their top tips on working from home with kids and we’ve also launched a series of posts from our Property Managers discussing how they manage stress.
We will continue to share more useful resources on our blog to help our residents and colleagues during these testing times. We hope that you, your family, friends and neighbours are staying safe and well.
David Young – Chief Operating Officer, FirstPort
