RESIDENTS at two care homes in Gwent who have been separated from their loved ones due to the coronavirus lockdown are receiving virtual postcards from them.

Cwn Celyn in Blaina, Abertillery and Maes-y-Dderwen in Tredegar will no longer have to wait for the morning post to receive well-wishes from family and friends during the lockdown thanks to the new scheme.

Care home operator, Shaw healthcare, developed the new ‘Virtual Postcard’ feature on the home page of its website as part of its efforts to keep up the spirits of residents, who have been unable to receive their usual visits for more than a month as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.

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Friends and family members can click on the Virtual Postcard icon on the firm’s website (www.shaw.co.uk), type in the name of the recipient, select their care home and create a personal message for their loved one. Staff at each care home are then able to open the postcard on a tablet to show the resident or print off a copy for them to keep.

Mike Smith, chief operating office at Shaw healthcare, said: “Our care teams, and in particular the activity co-ordinators in each home, are doing everything they can to keep residents busy and entertained during this really difficult time, but there is nothing like receiving a postcard form family and friends to cheer people up.

“The main focus of everyone at Shaw at the moment it is to keep our residents and staff members safe during the crisis. However, we know from messages we’ve received from families that many of them are also finding it hard being separated from their loved ones.

“Hopefully, this will make a bit of a difference and residents may even find they start receiving more messages from their younger relatives, who are far more likely to send a virtual postcard than sit down and write a long letter.”