Riverdale Care Home become VFF accredited

We’re pleased to announce that Riverdale Care Home, based in Chesterfield, has been recognised by the VFF as a veteran friendly care provider! To celebrate, we joined Denise and her team as they honoured those affected by the war, including two veterans who live in the home.

Riverdale Care Home have become the latest care home within the group to be accredited by the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF): an established framework dedicated to supporting veterans and their families.

After months of hard work, Denise, Home Manager, found out the good news in January this year, and was quick to organise a celebration fitting for their exciting recognition.

With entertainment provided by Claire at Razzle Dazzle, residents were treated to an afternoon of reminiscing, singing and dancing as they listened to their favourite hits from the war-time era.

Amongst the spectators were Colin and Frank, who both served in World War II and are proud veterans. Colin, who is almost 100 years old, recently enjoyed a special trip out in a police vehicle; honouring his time as a RAF police officer in the early post-WWII years. Frank, ex-boxer, loved joining in with Claire as she sang classic tunes, and even sang along with her to his fellow residents!

What does it mean for a care home to be accredited by the Veteran Friendly Framework? Well, according to The British Legion, approximately 8% of care home residents are veterans, and only a small number of homes have dedicated support in place for anyone affected by the war. By becoming a Veteran Friendly Framework approved care home, Riverdale is able to show their exceptional dedication to supporting not just veterans, but their spouses, children and family members, too.

Offering dementia nursing and residential dementia care, the Chesterfield care home prides itself on creating an inclusive, welcoming environment – so naturally, when the opportunity came for Riverdale to apply for VFF accreditation, they jumped at the chance.

Kathryn Glass, Veteran Friendly Framework Lead, said that Riverdale’s submission was a ‘testament to the dedication, passion and commitment Riverdale have for providing high quality, person-centred care for residents and colleagues alike’, and commended the team on their meaningful connections to the Armed Forces Community and NHS Services.

Now proudly a VFF accredited care home, the team are excited for the next few months. “We’re planning to dedicate one of our quiet rooms to be a veteran memorabilia ‘corner’, which not only helps educate people on the sacrifices people made during the war, but gives veterans a safe space to reflect on their time in the force” said Denise, who helped orchestrate the event alongside activities coordinator, Wendy. “This is a really exciting step for us, and I’m honoured to help the armed forces community in any way we can.”

What better way to celebrate the good news than a wartime inspired party? A huge congratulations to the team at Riverdale Care Home, and we can’t wait to see the positive impact you make on residents, veterans and their families!

To find out more about our Chesterfield care home, hit the button below or call the team on 01246 275003.