Patricia Scott
Patricia joined the Robertson family in May 2024 and it has been a delight to welcome her and her family to the home. It has been wonderful to see Patricia settle in and flourish since she came to the home, taking part in activities and making friends with her fellow residents.
Patricia’s daughter, Madeleine tells us about their journey to find Robertson and what set the home apart from the others they visited.
“We started looking at homes while Mum was in hospital and visited a few places in the area but nothing that we really liked. Some of the other homes were nice but either felt too clinical or a bit corporate and hotel-like, some were a bit run-down and I didn’t like the look of the bedrooms. I could also tell a lot from talking to the staff, with some of the homes I just didn’t feel like the staff I spoke to cared, it felt like it was just a job for them.”
“I hadn’t done anything like this before so it was difficult, but I knew I was looking for a nice home with the right atmosphere and I wanted to feel like the staff cared. There was one home that my brother quite liked, although I wasn’t sure. We did secure her a place at that home, however Mum wasn’t well enough at the time to be discharged from hospital so we lost her place.”
“When we started looking at options again I decided to drive around the local area and see what was about. I drove past Robertson and decided to knock on the door and take a look, I had done this with some other homes as I wanted to get a genuine, unprepared impression of the homes I visited. I had seen their website already and thought it looked really nice, I liked all the pictures they had up of the residents with animals and of them taking part in activities. When I knocked on the door of Robertson Nursing Home, I was greeted by a member of staff who was really lovely, she found Angela, the Clinical Lead, who came to speak to me.”
“Angela was really lovely and very welcoming, she took me to a quiet room, the library at the home, so we could talk. Immediately I could see how well they treated their residents, even while we were in the library Angela really engaged with the residents who came in and didn’t stop talking to them because I was there. Her priority was always interacting with the residents and making sure they were okay.”
“All the staff I met were very friendly and approachable. The home itself felt like a real home, not an establishment, there was even a therapy dog visiting at the time. Everyone was dealt with equally and with respect, that was one of the key things I noticed straight away. I knew instantly this was the place that I wanted my mum to go to. Up until this point I had been feeling anxious about her going to a home, but Robertson felt right and I was actually quite excited for her to move in, knowing how well the home would suit her.”
“I spoke to Gabi the Home Manager who was really friendly. All the people I met seemed to genuinely care and it felt like they were all part of a team, every staff member has their role and a purpose in the home. Instantly I liked the home and everyone who worked there.”
“When Mum arrived by ambulance to Robertson she slept for a few hours because she was so exhausted from the hospital. Then it was lunchtime and a staff member bought lunch to her room on a tray and helped her to eat her food. I was so impressed with the care and compassion they showed her straight away. At this point they assessed Mum’s abilities and what she was capable of doing, the staff member sat with her for an hour getting to know her. After the hospital she was exhausted, dehydrated and hadn’t been eating well, but the staff at the home were confident she was capable of more and was doing better that I had thought.”
“At the start Mum was quite poorly and I was quite disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to engage and take part in everything going on at the home. I was worried she would be missing out on all the nice things, activities and opportunities to socialise. But within the first four days she perked up and was getting involved in life at the home. When Mum first arrived at Robertson I was worried that she didn’t have very long left, but she really rallied within the first few weeks and the care that she was given was incredible.”
“I didn’t think mum would be able to walk at all, her legs were very contracted and she couldn’t stand or put her legs to the ground. They have a physiotherapist that comes to the home and goes round to see all the residents. She has been working hard with my mum and has managed to get her to stand, which I never expected to happen. The physiotherapist won’t give up on Mum and will keep working to see her improve, just like every member of staff there they really care.”
“Everybody who works at Robertson seems very happy, they all work together as a team no matter what department or position they work in. Most of the staff have been there a long time, they all seem genuinely very happy and like they really enjoy their jobs. In my experience this isn’t the case at all care homes. The home is always full of smiley faces and the staff are always pleased to see you.”
“When I had been looking at homes for Mum I really wanted to find a home where they brought the residents together so they could do things together, not just be sat on their own in their bedrooms. All the things that I wanted her to be able to do at Robertson she’s now able to do, taking part in their cooking classes, gardening classes and painting classes. The hairdresser visits once a week and Mum enjoys getting her hair done.”
“The food they provide is excellent, Mum is enjoying her meals and eating really well now. Mum is Catholic and has always been quite religious, someone comes to the home to give a service and performs Holy Communion. She really enjoys being able to take part and it was lovely to see her joining in with the service when I visited. I really feel that everything that is important to her is being met by them at the home.”
“It was actually Mum’s birthday recently and I was at the home with her to celebrate. It ended up being such a lovely day, they brought her some birthday cake and everyone was sitting out in the garden while an entertainer played the keyboard. I was debating taking her our somewhere but in the end I didn’t feel that I needed to, it was so special at the home and it was nice to celebrate her first birthday at Robertson with everyone there. I had tea and cake with Mum and celebrated with her in the lovely atmosphere of the home, it was a really nice day for both of us.”
“I am very happy with how things have worked out with my Mum coming to Robertson, it’s been better than I expected. I was definitely worried about her going into a home. My plan had been to retire from my job as a midwife to spend more time with mum and to care for her, then she was admitted to hospital and I thought we would lose her. She couldn’t walk or stand, I wanted to care for her at home but even with carers visiting us at home it would have been too much to manage. We decided that the best thing would be for her to go into a home where they had the hoists and other equipment she needed, but it wasn’t the plan and wasn’t what I wanted at that point. I couldn’t find anywhere I really liked until we found Robertson, I know this is right and this is where I want her to be.”
“My mindset is different now, it’s so nice going to see her at the home and to just enjoy spending time with her. I have now retired so am able to visit Mum at Roberton and spend time with her there, without the stress and worry of also being her carer. She is in a really nice place, I feel really happy because she is really happy.”