AgeCare Care Homes has announced that its nine care homes are undergoing accreditation by the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF). It comes as the nation prepares to mark the historic 80th anniversary of VE Day – a tribute to those who served in World War II in Europe and a powerful reminder of the resilience and unity that have defined our country ever since.
The VFF is a free-to-access programme funded by Royal Star & Garter and the Royal British Legion. Very much aware that its residents include people who have served in the Armed Forces, AgeCare, which has homes across London, the South East and East of England, wanted to ensure that their needs were being fully met. This led to a meeting with the VFF team in February, when AgeCare began its journey towards VFF accreditation.
Designed for use in residential settings for older people, the VFF supports care providers to offer appropriate support for the thousands of veterans living in care homes across England. It does this by helping them identify veterans and their partners, addressing social isolation and signposting to statutory and charitable services. Implementing the Framework also helps create a culture of understanding for people who have served.
“We were delighted to receive the resources and guidance provided by the VFF to get us started in attaining accreditation status,” said Sara Gallagher, Head of Nursing & Care at AgeCare Care Homes. “Our homes are eagerly progressing with their accreditation process and we’ve already made some amazing discoveries and connections.”
The process consists of eight standards which care providers need to meet to complete their accreditation. Each of these is accompanied by a set of resources that support care homes in demonstrating their achievement. Part of the process is to help providers understand service life and how it might shape the things that matter most to residents who have served.
“The training resources are fabulous. It’s particularly useful to us to gain a deeper understanding of service life and how it might impact on what’s important to our residents,” said Sara.
Kathryn Glass, VFF Project Lead, said: “Every care home undertakes a journey towards obtaining VFF status with our support. The standards they need to reach have been developed to align with the work already being done in care homes. Once they have achieved VFF status, the homes meet with us every three months to share their progress and are then reviewed one year after their initial achievement.
“We have heard so many lovely stories about the impact it has had on veterans and their families, as well as other care home residents. I also think it’s given homes the confidence to look at other groups of residents and see if there are similar things out there to support them.”
Sara from AgeCare said: “We’re hoping all our homes will be VFF accredited by the end of July and we’ve got some fabulous VE Day 80 celebrations planned,” said Sara from AgeCare. “Watch this space!”
