Much Wenlock nursing home goes hi-tech

Residents at a Shropshire nursing home will be able to instantly contact relatives abroad after being trained to use cutting edge technology.

The Lady Forrester, in Much Wenlock, has installed internet communication tools Skype and Wi-Fi to give its residents more independence. Skype enables people to conduct video phone calls through a computer free of charge, while Wi-Fi allows internet connection without wires.

The IT grant from the Social Care Institute for Excellence, under the Get Connected Grant Scheme, will see three computers set up at the centre.

David English, director of English Care which runs the home, said: "We have already installed the system at our other home, Bowbrook House, in Shrewsbury and saw how one resident could contact her daughter in Australia.

"At the Lady Forrester people live even more independently, so we've also introduced Wi-Fi and encourage people to do their shopping over the internet.

"We've turned the old craft room into an IT room, which local people will also be able to use.

"We're hoping to have two or three computers running in the New Year. The Care Quality Commission has also said it's impressed with what we have done."

Resident Noreen Dickenson, 91, said: "I wish I had learned to use it years ago because I feel like I've missed out a lot.

"I'm looking forward to using it to contact my two sons, David and Clive.

"I've never seen a computer up close before but it's beautifully compact. Everything moves so fast but this is just the next step."

Trish Crooke, 77, said she remembered electric type-writers were introduced while working at Leeds crown Court. "I'm looking forward to speaking to my son and daughter in Stuttgart," she added.

By James Fisher