Worksop carers join together to clap for NHS and keyworkers

They mirrored thousands of others across the country on Thursday at 8pm to show their appreciation for the efforts of frontline staff putting themselves at risk to support others.

A heartening video filmed at the unit - which cares for adults with learning difficulties, brain injuries and other illnesses such as stroke or dementia - showed workers clapping and cheering during their shift.

Laura Mangham, a carer at Greenacres, described the moment as ‘lovely’ as ‘staff and residents hung out of the window to join in’.

She said: “We just wanted to show a bit of support not just for each other but for all the other key workers.”

Mum-of-two Laura told how staff working 12-hour split shifts were feeling the strain at the home - which has been under lockdown for the last three weeks due to Covid-19.

She described how, sadly, dementia patients could not understand why they were not allowed to see their families.

Laura, 40, told how the unit was housing patients who had been unable to return home as they had no-one to care for them while in self-isolation.

She said: “During the last three weeks dementia patients have been speaking to their families through FaceTime.

“They can’t understand why they appear on-screen but they’re not here in person - it’s really sad.

“They get frustrated and it can be quite trying but we do what we can - it’s brought us all a lot closer together and the management are fantastic.”

Laura said she and fellow workers tried hard to keep residents’ minds off coronavirus and give morale a boost while on-shift.

She said: “We try not to have the news on in the communal areas because it’s just too much.

“A lot of the residents are worried about their families - they’re scared because their loved ones are still on the outside world and they have to live with that.

“But we try and cheer them up with activities such as baking cakes and we have a lovely garden - we just do the best we can.”

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