A SALISBURY care home has achieved ‘veteran-friendly’ status under a national scheme designed to support the armed forces community.
Colten Care’s Braemar Lodge made the grade to join the Veteran Friendly Framework after meeting eight required standards.
They include having a programme of activities and visits that reflect the specific interests of ex-service personnel and their families
For Braemar Lodge this has involved building partnerships with forces organisations in the community such as the Royal British Legion.
The VFF itself is a collaboration between the Legion, fellow veterans’ charities and a range of other interested bodies.
Various team members at Braemar Lodge have service histories of their own and were able to help with the VFF assessment process.
Among them is home manager Jackie Cash, who was in the Princess Mary Royal Air Force Nursing Service, and Companionship Team leader Graham Ballard, a former Staff Sergeant in the Royal Horse Artillery.
Graham said: “We are deeply honoured to have been accepted onto the VFF. Our support for residents who have been in the armed forces stems from a profound respect for their dedication, sacrifice and professionalism.
“We ensure that support extends to their families as well. It’s all about fostering an environment where we can give something back to those veterans and military families who have themselves given so much.”
Residents who are veterans include 100-year-old Douglas Parish, who served in the Royal Navy and was present at the D-Day landings in 1944. Douglas has lived at Braemar Lodge for more than two years.