The extended family at Drymmau Hall
We’re proud that Drymmau Hall is family owned and family run. Our care home is built on a continuing story of family values and family connections, at the heart of which is the Valler family’s ethos of seeing our community of management, staff, and importantly, residents and their families, as part of the larger extended family that we create here.
It started in 2001, when Rosina Valler brought her experience and passion as a nurse to the new stewardship of Drymmau Hall. The family link continued when in 2008, her son, Tim Valler joined her to dedicate his life to Drymmau Hall rather than continue his degree in Medical Genetics. In 2016, the family commitment involvement continued, when Rosina’s daughter, Lizzy, joined the Team bringing with her a degree in Physiotherapy and her years’ experience in the NHS to further develop health and wellbeing at Drymmau Hall – an area of health that was very important to her.
The family involvement didn’t stop there. Recently, Drymmau Hall has welcomed its latest Valler, in Tim’s daughter who was born last summer. She is already imbuing our staff and residents with enhanced wellbeing with her frequent visits and interactions.
The family connection happens naturally at Drymmau Hall though, and staff often call in with grandchildren, especially important to those who have no family. Our Manager, Hayley, recently did this with her twin grandsons, an absolute delight to behold. And some new mothers on our Team, returning from maternity leave, will soon be doing the exact same. We all cannot wait to meet the new babies.
We always had the vision for Drymmau Hall to be like the best of family homes: homes where different age groups connect under the same roof. We don’t believe in segregating the generations, as we know how much interaction between different age groups does so much for rehabilitation. We know how much a chat and a cwtch with a new baby is beneficial to mental health and improved mood. To see the smiles on our residents’ faces is a testament to that.
We have therefore always made it part of our mission at Drymmau Hall to connect as much as we can with the world outside, and bring that outside world to us inside at every opportunity. We are fortunate to have so many young people visit frequently, and as part of our varied programme of events and activities (run by our activities’ coordinator, Leila) we have a rich and ongoing relationship with the local nursery school, Treforys Tiny Tots here in Skewen. Every month, five to six of the children light up afternoons and entertain our residents. Sometimes they all simply sit together, other times they paint together. Other times, they make and decorate pancakes. Sometimes they listen to music and dance. Often, many of our residents with challenging health problems, including those with advanced dementia or those who are non-verbal, react and respond to the children. For these precious times, everyone is part of our inter-generational, extended family.
So, if you, or your loved one, are considering a care home in the not-too-distant future, we’d love to welcome you here to discuss your care needs, and for you to see our truly intergenerational extended family home.