The SafeTime Pod ~ Keeping families together

                        Our Story...

Hello & thank you for your interest in our Crowd-funder ~

                                The SafeTime Pod

The SafeTime Project is made up of Bruce Martindill, a Tiny house builder & Emma Joanne, a freelance photographer from Brighton.

Like a lot of people under the Covid-19 lockdown, we are out of work, but thankful we still have the freedom to spend our precious free time with our family & friends.

However we are aware there is a crisis taking place in care homes right now across the country, with the ban on visits to homes by friends & family due to corona virus.

The residents in these homes are now isolated like never before, many have not seen their loved ones for months and there is no end in sight. Due to the danger of contamination & the vulnerability of care home folk, families can only see their relatives through a computer or phone screen, which is only available to some & for those with dementia, this system does not tend to work.

There are reports of residents in homes now literally fading away & it has been stated that more people will die from the fear & loneliness of abandonment, than Covid-19 itself.

Data from the Office of National Statistics reveals there were 83% more deaths than usual in Care Homes pril 2020, with charities warning that a reduction in family visits, are now taking a devasting toll... see link:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/05/covid-19-causing-10000-dementia-deaths-beyond-infections-research-says

We have been completely moved by the prospect of this tragic situation unfolding & for some time have felt helpless to act, but that changed when we felt compelled to act to find a solution!

So we devised one & call it: The SafeTime Pod

The first of its kind in the U.K. The SafeTime Pod is a safe & innovative solution to the ban on visiting the vulnerable in care homes & hospices.

Images top right / left pod from behind, image above Pod from front

Our Concept:

The SafeTime Pod is a stand alone unit, placed outside the home with a wireless & hands free communications system intact, allowing families and friends to visit care home residents face to face, whilst shielding them from one another, eliminating the risk of cross contamination.                 

The SafeTime Pod is lightweight, but durable & easily placed in front of a window or patio doors. It is fully mobile with heavy duty, lockable wheels intact.

Installation ~ The set up of the pod is easy & takes just 10 minutes with 2 people

Hygiene ~ The surface of the pod is durable & easily disinfected after each visit         

Space ~ Room for 2-3 people seated safely inside / space for 1 wheelchair plus carer

Sound ~ Our state-of-the-art Intercom speaker system is wireless & hands free, so no touching to speak is necessary

Lighting ~ The Pod is lit internally for use in the evenings if required

Commission ~ Available for rent for a set period or gifted / purchased outright

Our Plan:

We plan to raise enough funds to create & donate up to 50 pods (or more!) to the homes & hospices most in need. It's simple...

The more funds we receive, the more pods we can donate.

We have now successfully piloted the scheme at a Care home in Shenfield, with the end goal of rolling it out across the U.K, to as many Care homes as possible. However we need help to get our project off the ground in terms of funding as follows:

• A workshop to build the Pods (as my city garden will no longer suffice!)
• Transport ~ we need 1-2 vans to deliver / collect the pods
• Materials ~ sourced & ready to go
• Staffing ~ sourced & ready to go 
• Guidance & help on the general infrastructure needed to run this new venture, so we can literally hit the ground running
• Funds for the development of our product as we add new designs & ranges

Not-for-profit

This is a non-profit venture, with the emphasis on helping as many people as possible, who are in isolation & not able to see their families, just when they need them most. Both the young & old reside in care homes  & hospices & we are hoping to reach a whole spectrum of people affected. Lock down may be ending for some, but for these people, they will be the last to be granted their freedom back & sadly many of them are in the last stages of their life.

We have received nothing but positive feedback on our project thus far & feel we are providing an affordable solution to a tragic problem, affecting communities both inside and outside of the care home walls.

Why should you donate?

Many of the 400,000 care home residents in the UK, are in their last year of life.

The one thing Care home residents have left to look forward to, are visits from their loved ones.

We are providing a solution to a tragic problem, affecting communities both inside and outside the care home walls, along with the mental health of families & loved ones.

Your contribution will go directly into helping implement our solution, so that care home residents can still maintain a connection with their families; which is so crucial at this time of their lives.

Please help us support the people & their families who made the sacrifices for the freedoms we take for granted & enjoy today. 

Video testimonials from our launch day @ Old Shenfield place Care home:

We spoke to Nikki Palladino (Operations Manager) of Amba care Homes Group: 

https://www.achg.co.uk

She had this to say:

"During the Corona-virus outbreak our residents have been told to shield, due to being vulnerable or having pre-exisiting medical conditions. We have no choice but the close our homes to protect the lives of our residents. We feel the SafeTimePod could definately help those who are shielding at Care home's, to see their families and loved ones."

"The SafeTimePod will also support those who are severely immunocompromised, such as those who have had transplant surgery or are going through aggressive chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments, by enabling them to access social and emotional support from their families and friends when they need it most."

"The SafeTimePod would still be useful after the threat of corona -virus & could be used to alleviate isolation during the other outbreaks we experience regularly, such as winter vomiting virus or influenza, when care homes are forced to shut their doors for up to a month at a time. Care home closures to visitors is something we have to deal with on a regular basis & currently have no solution for."

Nikki Palladino ~ June 2020

Press & public opinion   

'It is so important that we maintain as much as possible, human contact for elderly residents in isolation. The government and healthcare professionals supporting them, must recognize and respond to the strain that social isolation puts on residents and their families.' ~ Article by the B.G.S Society on COVID-1

Isolated care home residents 'fading away.'

“Virtual visits and waving through windows have become the norm in care homes” Jill Rennie 22 Apr carehome.co.uk                                                                                                                                                          

“A dying man gets to see his family a last time through the window as fireman use a crane to hoist family members into the air”www.Mailonline.com 09 Apr

Dutch family reunited in glass pod

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-52589041/coronavirus-dutch-care-home-reunites-families-in-a-glass-pod

Surely as a community we can help? With your support... 

                                         WE CAN! 

Help change someone's life TODAY by supporting us...

                         THANK YOU! 

                                            https://www.safetimepod.com

      'Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud' ~ Maya Angelou