Applause for 86-year-old’s virus recovery

When 86-year-old Rosemary from Hayle left the isolation ward at St Martin’s this morning, she was greeted with clapping staff.

Rosemary had been tested positive for COVID-19 when she first arrived at St Martin’s 21 days ago after being discharged from hospital following treatment for a non-virus related condition. Thankfully, her symptoms were mild and she is now out of isolation.

“We were all delighted,” said Jill Pugliese, St Martin’s Deputy Manager. “She’s a lovely lady and I’m sure she enjoyed all the one-to-one pampering she got. She’s joined the other residents in the main part of the home and says she’s going to miss being the sole centre of attention. She’s a great character and we’re so happy she’s going to be okay.”

Each of our sixteen homes has a designated isolation area which comes into operation when two residents or more test positive for the virus. There have been comparatively few confirmed cases, with only a quarter of the homes having to put their well-rehearsed coronavirus plans into action.

“Our staff are doing a magnificent job and have been working so hard to keep people safe and well,” said Cornwall Care CEO Anne Thomas. “Celebrating someone’s recovery is really important – not just for the person concerned and their family but for the whole team. The video shows just how genuinely joyful those moments are.”

“We feel very lucky to be so well supported by management and to have good stocks of quality PPE,” said Jill. “It makes all the difference.”