iPads help care home residents in Irchester stay connected with friends and family during lockdown

Techno-savvy residents at a Northants care home have turned to iPads to keep up with their loved ones during the Coronavirus lockdown.
Residents can stay in touch with friends and family.Residents can stay in touch with friends and family.
Residents can stay in touch with friends and family.

The Cottage in Irchester closed its doors to all but essential visitors in March.

But residents at the home can still ‘see’ family and friends thanks to the home’s use of technology.

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Maria Frankiewicz, 92, had a visit from one of her three children every day.

But her daughter, Kristina, has been stranded at her holiday home in Spain.

She said: “For us, and for her, the iPad calls have been a lifeline,” she said.

“Mum is Polish and speaks very little English these days so it’s been very reassuring to her to be able to talk in her native language. One of us three would pop in every day, sometimes helping out with mealtimes for Mum.

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“She has dementia and to start with it was a little difficult for her to understand why we weren’t there and how the technology worked, but as the weeks have gone by, she’s got used to it.”

Maria is now reassured that she can still see her family.

“We’re still there and she’ll sometimes kiss the screen,” added Kristina.

“It’s lovely for all of us.”

Maria has endured a number of hardships during her long life. Aged 12, she was imprisoned by the Russians during the Second World War and was taken to Siberia.

She was then transferred to a Polish refugee camp at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in what is now Tanzania.

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She came to the UK at the age of 19 and lived at the Podington Polish camp in Wellingborough where she met and married her husband, Franciszek.

The couple had three children and Kristina and her siblings, John and Barbara, still live locally.

“The carers at The Cottage are such good people,” said Barbara.

“When we call Mum on Skype we often have a sing-a-long. She’ll sing English and Polish songs.

“It’s lovely that we can see she’s happy.”

Manager, Kath Tillbrook, said: “The iPads are perfect for those families who can’t visit so often because they live far away.”

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