Activities something for everyone

We want our residents to truly enjoy every moment with us, whether this is indulging in their passions, going along on the many trips we organise or letting their hair down at the variety of events we host.

We promote an active lifestyle and it has a proven positive effect on our residents. If you walk into any of our homes you will find plenty of fun and lots of laughter. There is never a dull moment – we don’t believe in simply passing time.

Each home has dedicated activities co-ordinators tasked with organising internal and external activities, keeping them fresh and interesting.

We have gardening clubs where our avid gardeners can get involved in the look and feel of a particular home’s grounds. Residents at our Amber Wood home in Cheltenham, for example, grow, cultivate, cook and eat their own vegetables. Those that once enjoyed cooking can continue this in our bakery clubs, while those with the love of the written word at our Alderwood home in Colchester can enjoy penning short stories in a writing club. We bring in a variety of outside entertainment from dance shows or plays to gentle exercise classes.

Each week residents have the opportunity of going on a variety of trips to museums, theatres, National Trust parks and popular local spots. All of our homes have access to a mini bus that provides transport to these destinations.

Personal pleasures

We are always keen to help our residents to continue the hobbies or interests they have always been passionate about. We leave gardening tools by the door, for those that fancy a spot of gardening, or provide an easel and paints for our artists.

Quite often we tailor the environment to one that a resident is accustomed to. We might provide a desk and files for a resident who used to work in an office or put up a train timetable for another who worked on the railway.

The simple things

Many of our residents take pleasure from doing everyday tasks they are familiar with and we assist them in any way we can. This could be sweeping, folding clothes, polishing furniture or simply making a cup of tea. We have found from experience that some of our residents can find real comfort from household chores that they have been used to all their life. For those that do we strategically place items, like a brush and pan or duster, so residents can pick these up whenever it takes their fancy. We host laundry days where groups get together to fold clothes or pair socks.

Some of our group activities include:

• Gardening
• Indoor flower craft
• Visits from local entertainers, fitness instructors, dancers and musicians
• Trips to museums or shows
• Baking classes
• Poetry sessions and discussion groups on a variety of topics including current affairs and culture
• Quiz nights
• Tea dances
• Themed events, like a St Patrick's Day lunch or Valentine's Day Dinner