College and County Connecting Care Homes – Covid-19 30 Apr 2020
Raising funds to purchase tablet computers
The teams at College and County and Open Doors Lettings are excited to launch this fundraising campaign. They are raising money to purchase tablet computers for Care Homes in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
As well as the tablet computer, they are providing the care homes with the support and instructions to set the tablets up to use WhatsApp which will allow residents’ loved ones to begin a conversation with the care home to be shared by the carers, with the residents in their own time during the day.

Grans and Grandads can be connected
Videos, photos and short messages can be sent through to brighten the residents’ day and ensure Grans and Grandads across their region, who may not be tech savvy, can continue to feel connected to their support network at this worrying time.
College and County have sponsored the first device, which is already in use in a care home in East Oxford, and will be sharing some photos from them soon. They have been told that as well as many residents receiving videos and photos, the tablet has also been used to allow a resident to view a happy 100th birthday message by his family whilst on lockdown.

Help us keep loved ones smiling
Each device costs less than £200. The more that’s raised, the more care homes and vulnerable people will able to help stay connected and keep smiling over the next few months.
Details here for ‘Go Fund Me’ to support Connecting Care homes Director David Gilson comments “thanks to all of you for your support, we really appreciate it. Please stay safe, keep in touch (leave a comment) and help us keep loved ones connected. Best wishes from the teams at College and County and Open doors”.

Working with landlords to offer free rentals to NHS staff
College and County Director David Gilson comments “we have also been working with our landlords to offer free rentals to NHS staff working at hospitals that may not be able to otherwise have a safe space in which to relax after the long shifts they have been doing”.