The events of the last year were certainly unexpected. Many of us welcomed in the year of 2020, and we couldn’t begin to imagine what the year had in store. A year later, we mark the National Day of Reflection.
3 lockdowns later, Tuesday 23rd March 2021 marked exactly 1 year since our country went into its first national lockdown. No one knew what the rest of the year would bring but we knew that it was going to be a lot different to what we were used to. Following in the footsteps of charity Marie Curie, the nation marked the anniversary with the National Day of Reflection.
What is the National Day of Reflection?
The aim of this day (held on 23rd March 2021) was to bring the nation together to reflect on our collective loss and to share our hope for a more normal, brighter future. Many organisations and millions of people took part. Buildings across the country were illuminated with yellow light, such as the London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Edinburgh Castle. Many celebrities also paid tribute to the lives that have been lost throughout the pandemic and shared their reflections and support. This included the Queen, Sadiq Khan and Downton Abbey star Jim Carter.
A minute silence was held at 12pm in memory of all who have fallen victim to the Coronavirus and to the family members who lost loved ones too soon. During the day, Marie Curie hosted a series of talks and conversations about support for bereavement and those who have suffered a loss.
Sydenham House’s Reflection on 2020
At Sydenham House, the past year has been difficult for everyone. We are very proud that we remained covid-free throughout. This has been thanks to our hard-working staff and the patience of all of the families whose loved ones live with us.
Thankfully, through the wonders of technology, we were able to keep communications open between family members, arranging regular video calls. This has been incredibly important for not only morale but for the health of our residents and their relatives. It has helped to promote good mental health throughout our home and give everyone something that is as close to normality as we could get.
We are extremely grateful for the support of relatives, and our staff’s dedication to our home and to our residents.
Moving forward we are trying to look towards a year that is filled with more hope, fuelled by what is hopefully a light at the end of the tunnel. We are very much looking forward to the day when we can all get back to some form of normality. We’re excited for our residents to be able to spend more time with their families and for Sydenham House to be able to return to hosting fun family events.
If you’d like to find out more about our care home, you can read about our farm and our team on our website. You can also keep up to date with our latest news and events on our Facebook page.