Doncaster care home brings in KFC-style drive-through system for family visits

Now a Doncaster care home has brought in drive-through family visits to make sure its residents can keep in touch with their loved ones.

The visits have been introduced at the Dunniwood Lodge home in Bessacarr to make sure families can keep in touch during lockdown while still remaining safe from the coronavirus.

Residents at the Bawtry Road care home were brought to the door, while family relatives drove past to wave and give each other the chance to see one another through the glass. Familes came from as far away as 17 miles to see their loved ones.

Some had not been able to see their relatives at the venue for some two months, since lockdown started.

Joanne Booker manager at the home was delighted with the scheme.

She told ITV: “It was absolutely amazing. The response has been phenomenal.

"We had response from 17 families who said they would come in and I think we have tripled that so far and we have still got a huge queue waiting to come in as well.

"The residents have really enjoyed it and are still enjoying it and I think the families have got a lot out of it as well.

Care assistant Lisa Barwick added: “It’s very hard for them not seeing their families on a day to day basis. It means the world, just putting that smile back on their faces.

And for one resident, there was an extra special treat. Violet Talbot, a 98-year-old living at the home, saw her great grandson, Teddy, from a safe distance, on what was his first birthday.

Describing the visit, she said: "That was absolutely out of this world.

"The only trouble was I felt like crying because I wanted to hug them and yet that was being greedy because this was a real treat to see them in the flesh and it was lovely."

The home is now hoping to organise another similar drive through event next month.