Devonians asked to donate unwanted puzzles to housebound elderly

DEVONIANS are being asked to donate any unwanted or surplus jigsaw puzzles they may have to the county’s elderly and vulnerable who remain housebound under the current Coronavirus restrictions (May 2020).

Guardian Homecare, operating in Exeter and surrounding areas, says many of its service users can’t afford to buy these items and they urgently need things to do during the lockdown.

Catherine Porter, Guardian Homecare’s Devon Manager, says: “Most of the people we look after and care for do not have the funds to purchase endless entertainment items, as they are on restricted incomes. Few have internet access or the equipment or know-how to get online and play virtual games, or to interact with others. But it’s vital they keep their brains active.

“We’re joining with our sister organisation in Devon, HomeLife Carers, to launch a Puzzle Appeal right across the county and are asking anyone who may have puzzles they have already done, and no longer need, to pass them to us via our branch in Brixham. We can then re-distribute them to those in our patch who need additional mental stimulation at home to help them get through the on-going lockdown.”

Guardian Homecare’s team of carers are on the frontline shielding some of south Devon’s vulnerable and elderly in their own homes. The organisation is also protecting the NHS from being overwhelmed by preventing many non-essential trips to hospitals.

“We’re asking people to drop off any puzzles at our Brixham branch, which is near the food stores, when they do their shopping, so they don’t make any unnecessary trips out. Rest assured, we’ll be hygiene-responsible before passing the jigsaws we receive on to our service users.”

Guardian Homecare delivers personalised home care supporting people with various medical needs who wish to stay living safely and comfortably in their own homes in south Devon.

“Our office teams will redistribute the donated jigsaws on a weekly basis through our carers to those in need.

“We’re recommending our service users take up, or reinvigorate, hobbies at home, to not only keep them occupied during this time, but to also help keep their minds alert.

“Board games and jigsaws are great for keeping the mind active and healthy. The more pieces the better, as before you know it you will have spent a good portion of the day trying to fit all the pieces together!

“Other puzzle games such as Sudoku and word searches are also good for keeping the mind ticking over too. For those who are at home with a partner or family member living in the same household, strategic games such as chess are great for exercising your memory and can stimulate the growth of dendrites, which are the bodies that send out signals from the brain’s neuron cells.”

For more information about the Puzzle Appeal, please visit www.guardianhomecare.co.uk or https://www.facebook.com/GuardianHomecareUK/jobs/.