Residents of a care home for older people in the UK were shocked to open Valentine’s Day cards that turned out to be from a firm of funeral directors, the Sun reports.
Residents of Whitegates Care Centre in Surrey received cards adorned with red hearts and bows from T.H. Sanders & Sons Funeral Directors, a funeral firm located in Staines, a market town near the care home.
One family member of a resident told the Sun that the ill-received incident would have caused the residents “great confusion, upset and disappointment as often they are here after losing their life-long partners.”
Another relative called the move an “insensitive attempt to woo new customers.”
An 80-year-old woman living in the care home is set to be moved by her son, who is outraged by the incident.
The woman’s son said he was fortunately able to intercept the card and hide it from her before she opened it, as it would have devastated her.
“It’s appalling for funeral directors to be trying to attract new customers by targeting vulnerable elderly people,” he told the Sun.
Approximately 40 cards were delivered to the care home by the funeral directors, the BBC reported.
The home, which offers 51 bedrooms, has rates that start at $1,640 a week.
T. H. Sanders is part of the Dignity Funeral Directors group, which told the Sun they “deeply regret any unintended distress.”
A spokesperson from the care home told the Sun that they are “deeply embedded within the local community, and we value the support and engagement of all our neighbors, including T.H. Sanders.”
“Residents were thrilled to receive the Valentine’s Day cards, and they all had a lovely day celebrating,” they said.
Whitegates declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider.
