We were delighted to host a delegation of counterparts from São Paulo’s Residencial Israelita Albert Einstein (Albert Einstein Jewish Home) and MedLogic UK on Tuesday, 9 April. The Albert Einstein is home to approximately 120 older individuals and serves the Jewish community of about 25,000. MedLogic offers scientifically validated tools to improve the well-being of the elderly and optimise the positive cash flow of care homes.
Gideon Klaus, Vice Chairman of the British Israel Chamber of Commerce, introduced the British and Brazilian teams and facilitated the Albert Einstein and MedLogic visit to the UK, suggesting that the delegates from São Paulo prioritise a visit to The Fed run care home despite their packed schedule.
The Brazilian team – comprising General Manager Nivia Pires Collavitti, Care Coordinator Carla Patricia Grossi Palacio Alves, owner of MedLogic, Daniel Melo, and Project Manager Liana Melo – was accompanied throughout their visit.
Our CEO, Mark Cunningham, and Director of Clinical Care, Karen Johnson, provided a comprehensive tour of the village’s facilities, including Willow Tree House, the activity centre, hairdressing salon, shop, and atrium. The teams discussed and compared their respective cultures and care delivery practices.
Asked what they took away from their visit, Ms Pires Collavitti noted the strong similarities in their approach to caring for the elderly and the use of digital software for recording care, which allows more time for carer-resident contact.
She enthused about Heathlands Village: “You can feel life is here. This place has ‘alma’– soul – and you can feel the Jewish culture pervading everything.”
Ms Grossi Palacio Alves was struck by the environmental information and how it provided clear communication to residents about staff and management. Design features that help residents orient themselves in space and time, such as light flooring, ‘sky’ panels in corridor ceilings to help distinguish between night and day, and individually coloured, brightly painted doors with large numbers to help people recognise their rooms, were particularly noteworthy.
They said they saw things that would help them improve their own practice and at the same time confirmed that they were “on the right path.”
Following the meeting, Mark reflected on how positive it had been “to host and meet colleagues from outside the UK who deliver a similar service to our own and to have an opportunity to share experiences, learning, and understanding”. He added:
“They picked up on many of the improvements we’ve introduced over the last decade or more to enhance people’s lives, which we now take for granted, but they saw as eye-openers: the environmental changes we made since the merger between The Fed and Heathlands Village, and the improvements in our communication materials, such as the introduction of our residents’ guidebook, with everything people need to know about living here, and posters on walls with photos of staff members and personal information.
“They were a lovely, warm group to host, and we were especially gratified to receive much positive feedback from such well-informed, highly qualified people.”