A pensioner who enjoyed her first ever foreign trip has been able to share her holiday photos with the boss of the charity who developed the Blackwoods Clever Cogs innovative care system that allowed her to travel to Vietnam.
Margaret Sancken, 65, felt confident enough to book her first ever holiday to Vietnam thanks to Blackwood’s Clever Cogs system, a digitally enhanced product which aims to keep people as independent as possible. Blackwood has a commitment to push the boundaries of technology to allow property adaptations which make a huge difference to people with disabilities.
After hearing the amazing success story and Margaret’s rave reviews of Clever Cogs, Blackwood Chief Executive Fanchea Kelly was keen to visit her at the St Leonard’s Court development in Ayr to see the travel photos and hear about what she’d done on the trip.
Fanchea said:
“I was absolutely thrilled when I heard that Margaret had been able to book her first ever holiday thanks to the Clever Cogs system. It was brilliant that she felt confident enough to do so thanks to the technology and having been to Vietnam myself, I was excited to hear all about her travels. The trip itself looked amazing and the fact Margaret felt comfortable enough to book such an exotic holiday for her first ever break is testament to the quality and usability of the product.”
The Clever Cogs system tailors each device to the wants and needs of the individual and gives users control over their care and support. It also enables customers to browse the web, email, do their shopping and even catch up with friends and family.
Margaret was joined on the 6,223 mile trip by St Leonard’s Team Leader, Gina McClinton, and the pair spent 11 days discovering the country in Southeast Asia. The pair took in all that Vietnam has to offer and even spent one night eating dinner with a local family. The holiday was so successful that Margaret now has plans to take a longer break to Australia next year and explore the country by train.
Fanchea added:
“Margaret has been a tenant at St Leonards for 23 years and it’s great to see that we’re still able to help her become even more independent thanks to developments in technology and care. Margaret herself admits that she can’t imagine life without the Clever Cogs technology that has given her a new lease of confidence.”
She said:
“Clever Cogs is very easy to use and after using it for a while now, I couldn’t imagine life without it. Beforehand, I’d never have though this sort of trip was possible but the system as given me the confidence to try new things and allowed me to go to places I never thought I’d visit. My trip to Vietnam is one I’ll never forget. It’s a beautiful place and it was amazing to take in the different sights and cultures.”
