The staff at Radius Fulton turned up to work without masks yesterday, when the Covid-19 mandates were lifted, and the residents were overjoyed.
Resident Lorraine Richardson said she could not help but become teary-eyed when she saw the staff.
"I feel like cuddling them all. I love all their faces. They’ve all got a smile."
She could not tell who the staff were when they had their masks on and had trouble understanding what they were saying, she said.
Facility manager Lisa Genge said it was a lovely feeling walking through the ward without a mask.
"But also it’s so nice to see someone smile and you know their care behind that."
Activities coordinator Lynley Workman said vocal and facial communication was really important to her job.
It involved being playful, singing songs and spending a lot of one-on-one time with the residents.
"When you take the mask off you see a full face and the expressions come out and everyone seems a lot more alive and happy.
"It’s not just your eyes, so it’s really important to have full expression - it’s so much easier without a mask on."
