🎄 Post-Christmas Breakdown — Free LOVE Reflection Tool

How was Christmas at your care home?

The Post-Christmas Breakdown is a team reflection tool, ideal for the first staff meeting after Christmas (and wider winter pressures).

It assumes managers and staff care deeply and want to do the right thing, while recognising that time, systems, and staffing don’t always make that easy, especially at this time of year.

What this free tool gives you

Staff discussion points (downloadable)
A LOVE framework to guide the post-Christmas staff meeting
A meeting record you can download as minutes

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A care manager and carer after Christmas

✨ Z Cares App version

Save reflections for each year
Plan the meeting and send information to staff via their portal
Send actions to your improvement Master Plan
Track progress over time

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🆓 Free version

Download suggested discussion points to share with staff
Capture notes during the meeting
Download minutes for your records
Feed the learning into your own improvement plan/tool

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💗 LOVE Christmas

Alongside direct feedback from people living in your home and their visitors, it's useful to have the chance to get together with staff after Christmas to discuss how well it went. This includes how it was for both residents and staff! Considering the LOVE framework as applied to the festive season, several discussion prompts have been developed. You should download them and review them, and adapt the prompts to your service as needed. They can then be shared with staff in advance of the meeting.

L — Living with Meaning: Did people have genuine choice and meaningful connection, including support with cards, calls, visits, and opting out?
O — Observed and Respected: Were people properly noticed and treated with respect under pressure, including those who are quieter or easily overlooked?
V — Valued and Independent: Was independence protected even when it was busy, or did “we’ll just do it for you” creep in?
E — Emotional and Personal Safety: Did people (and staff) have emotional safety, privacy, and space for grief, overload, and difficult feelings?

⬇️ Download staff discussion points 📝 Record meeting notes 💻 Open in the App

Location / service name

Meeting date

Meeting title (optional)

Attendees (optional)

L — Living with Meaning

Discussion prompts

Who was supported to send cards, messages, or gifts to people important to them?
Who needed help with phone calls or video calls, and how was that supported?
Who was able to receive visits in a way that felt like hosting (choosing where to sit, setting the pace, welcoming family)?
Who enjoyed getting involved in decorations, music, or small preparations?
Who preferred to opt out, and was that choice respected without pressure or judgement?
Was there a Christmas-free / low-stimulus space (other than bedrooms) for people who weren’t enjoying the atmosphere?
Were different faiths, cultures, or personal traditions noticed and supported where possible?

Notes from discussion

O — Observed and Respected

Discussion prompts

Did staff generally have enough time and space to notice how people were responding day-to-day?
Who did staff make a conscious effort to notice, especially quieter or less demanding people?
Were changes in mood or wellbeing noticed as well as physical safety needs?
Were there moments staff noticed someone needed extra support but couldn’t respond immediately due to urgent tasks (such as personal care)?
How did that feel for staff at the time (frustration, worry, “I saw it but couldn’t get there”)?
When things were rushed, how did staff keep tone, language, and body language calm and respectful?
Were people spoken to directly and included in what was happening, even when tasks were pressing?

Notes from discussion

V — Valued and Independent

Discussion prompts

Who was supported to do things for themselves, even when it took longer?
Where did staff successfully adapt routines to keep people involved and active?
Were choices about clothing, meals, and where to sit protected as much as possible?
Were there moments staff stepped in quickly because of time pressure, even though they would have preferred to support independence?
Did anyone temporarily lose usual routines, roles, or choices during this period?
How were mobility aids, pacing, and adaptations used to support participation?
What moments are staff proud of in how independence was supported?

Notes from discussion

E — Emotional and Personal Safety

Discussion prompts

Who found this period emotionally difficult (grief, absence, loneliness, overwhelm), even if they didn’t say so clearly?
Were people supported to reminisce or talk about memories when they wanted to?
Were difficult emotions acknowledged rather than rushed, redirected, or shut down?
Was noise, activity, or expectation overwhelming for anyone, and how was that managed?
Were people able to step away from festivities without feeling isolated or excluded?
Were staff able to take a moment for themselves if things felt emotionally heavy?
Were there moments of moral frustration where staff knew what someone needed emotionally but couldn’t meet it at that moment? What support would help next time?
Were privacy and dignity protected during emotional moments and personal care?

Notes from discussion

What should we be taking forward to next year?

What are we leaving behind?

⬇️ Staff discussion points 💻 Open in the App

What to do next

Pick one or two improvement actions and assign an owner.
Decide what “better” will look like next year.
If you’re a Zapp user, send actions to your Master Plan and track them properly.