We see you, housing heroes

 

Managing a retirement housing estate has always been a unique job.

It’s one centred around providing advice and assistance, help and support. One that puts you at the heart of a community, makes you the person residents go to when they need a helping hand.

But during lockdown being a ‘key point of contact’ has taken on a profound new meaning.

Our frontline housing colleagues have become a crucial lifeline for thousands of older people across the country. In these strange times, as other support networks, family and friends, have been taken away, isolation and feelings of loneliness are a real threat.

As the world got smaller for many older people, your role got bigger.

You are doing all the usual stuff plus acting as a vital constant for people whose routines and way of life have been turned upside down. 

You are all also adapting to fundamental changes in the way you work, having to learn new processes and pick up different technology extremely quickly. And explaining all of this change to residents in a way that reassures them, from some distance, when usually you are hands on, face to face people.

We know this all comes with pressure. A lot of people rely on you for so much more than normal, not just the individual residents that live where you work, but all the other people in their lives who care and worry about them. 

You are showing amazing resilience and adaptability, determination and commitment to ensuring the older people living with us stay safe and stay connected. 

And we want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone working in all of our retirement housing – what you do is deeply appreciated. 

The media and news may not be talking about you, but we will. We are celebrating you, our housing heroes up and down the country, by taking part in the #BigHousingThankYou.