Nonni Felici 4.0 is a Care Home with more than one anomaly: it has maintained a philosophy of openness to the outside as much as possible (except, of course, during the months of national lockdown) and has not had even a single case, to date, of Covid-19, neither among the staff, nor among the assisted.

We talked about this happy anomaly with Fabio Ruvolo, president of the Etnos social cooperative, a beautiful reality that works for inclusion and hospitality and who has opened his care home in Caltanissetta. And that he has chosen Jonix for the well-being of his residents!

What characterises Nonni Felici 4.0?

First of all, the spirit with which we founded it: we want our guests to keep their enthusiasm, curiosity and skills with them, which must be maintained, valued and remembered. This is why we try every day to bring cognitive stimuli, moments of sharing and creativity, of pure joy! We want them to feel part of a family, where attention is paid not only to the well-being of the body, but also to the mind and heart, good mood and serenity.

We are convinced that this can be a management model to be made known and disseminated, published online.

And not only in our area: we have looked for all those initiatives that could involve our elderly and make them feel part of the world. At Christmas, for example, we took part in a project “I nipoti di Babbo Natale” (Santa’s grandchildren): where each elderly person wrote a letter, expressing their wishes and dreams and we sent them to Santa’s grandchildren. On Christmas day, each of our grandparents received a gift and a letter from a child, Santa’s grandchild! In a video call we opened the gifts and everyone met the child who took care of him or her, it was very exciting for everyone!

Have you really never closed completely?

Apart from the months of closure imposed on a national level, we have always tried to keep alive the relationship between our guests, families and the facility. In fact, we think that emotional, mental and physical health are at the same level, they have the same importance. So, we worked in every way to keep the morale of guests and staff high. Above all, we wanted decisions to be taken together with guests and families: never closures or other positions imposed from above, but always managed together.

As soon as it was possible, we created outdoor spaces where the elderly could safely meet their loved ones, talk to them, be with them in peace, for as long as possible. When the situation became more difficult, with the cold, we set up a special multimedia room with everything you need to make phone calls and video calls to keep in touch, several times a day, every day.

And last autumn, we installed Jonix devices in every room and communal areas. And we could immediately tell the difference!

How?

The best air quality is immediately noticeable as soon as you enter: it is fresher, crisp, you really feel that it is cleaner. And in addition to the Covid-19 problem, what has significantly improved is the environmental comfort for everyone, residents and staff.

We met Jonix through a journalist friend and then we researched. Our health manager has studied the scientific file you sent us and has completely convinced us. Also, our guests’ families are thrilled!