Activities for Care Home Residents | Discover Our Newest Episode of Carepool Karaoke!
Have you been tuning into our CarePool Karaoke series?
If so, we're delighted to share that our newest instalment is now live! In this episode, our residents, Nora (72) and Mavis (82) sing some of their favourite songs, chat about what music means to them and share some of their life experiences.
Click the link below to watch the full video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phc3ZHyzaSo&t=5s
Best Social Activities for the Elderly | Our Gabriel Court Care Home Outings
Are you looking for outings and excursion ideas for an older relative?
At our Gabriel Court Care Home, we understand the value of social activities for the elderly, and strive to help our residents lead fulfilling lives. That’s why we offer many opportunities to participate in enriching activities, both inside and outside of the home.
Keep reading to discover more about our recent outings and activities:
Social Activities for the Elderly: Celebrating Awareness Days
National awareness days are an excellent way to create social activities for the elderly.
Celebrating these days can help to foster a sense of community and togetherness, whilst providing a change of routine.
We love getting in on the action by organising a variety of activities to mark these occasions. From dressing up in costumes and enjoying themed meals to throwing fun events, we always strive to bring a little extra joy and excitement to our residents’ lives.
Over the years, we’ve celebrated many national awareness days, such as Scotland’s Burns Night, National Namesake Day and International Women’s Day. Each event is unique and special, and provides the opportunity to connect with our residents and make lasting memories together.
Social Activities for the Elderly: Shopping Trips
Does your elderly loved one appreciate maintaining a sense of routine?
At our Gabriel Court Care Home, we understand the importance of daily tasks like cooking and cleaning. Our approach is to encourage our residents to participate in these activities to give them a sense of purpose and boost their cognitive and physical abilities.
We also occasionally take our residents along for trips to the supermarket, where we can pick up ingredients for a cooking or baking session. From selecting the ingredients to preparing the meal together, we’re always looking for opportunities to involve those in our care in day-to-day tasks.
By engaging in these activities, our residents can stay active and involved whilst still enjoying a sense of independence.
Social Activities for the Elderly: Outdoor Walks
If you’re looking into the best social activities for the elderly, outdoor walks are a brilliant option.
Our team at Gabriel Court regularly organise walks around our local area of Kettering. We believe that taking a stroll in nature can do wonders for our residents’ overall physical and mental wellbeing.
Regular walks has many health benefits, such as reducing the risk of developing certain health conditions and preventing falls. As well as this, it’s the perfect way for elderly individuals to get their dose of Vitamin D, helping to combat feelings of depression and anxiety.
Cultural Activities for the Elderly: Excursions and Day Trips
Organised excursions and trips are also a core part of our offering.
Nestled in Kettering, Northamptonshire, our Gabriel Court Care Home offers many opportunities to explore the local area. We love taking our residents to local shops and attractions, and believe this can help them to embrace new experiences.
Recently, we took our residents on a fun-filled sightseeing and shopping trip, which even included a visit to an art display. Taking our residents to new places offers them the opportunity to pursue their interests outside of the home.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our social activities for the elderly, please contact a member of our team.
Alternatively, why not read our previous blog to discover our 5 top tips for ageing well?
Care For Older People | 5 Ways Our Fairways Care Home Can Help Your Loved One Blossom
How can we provide first-rate care for older people?
At our Fairways Care Home, we understand the importance of providing exceptional care for older people. From personalised care plans to engaging activities, we strive to create a warm and welcoming environment for our residents.
Read on to discover 5 ways our care home can help your loved one blossom:
Care For Older People: Healthy and Nutritious Meals
Providing high-quality care for seniors requires prioritising good nutrition.
That’s why at Fairways, our skilled chefs prepare three nutritious meals every day, considering each resident’s dietary needs and preferences. Our food is made from scratch using only the freshest ingredients to ensure we create healthy and delicious dishes.
As well as this, our mealtimes are more than just an opportunity to savour tasty dishes — they’re also a time for building community and connection. We encourage our residents to come together like family, swapping stories and enjoying each other’s company.
Care For Older People: Engaging Activities
No two days are the same at our care home in New Romney!
We believe that staying active and engaged is the key to a fulfilling life. Whether your loved one is into arts and crafts or film nights, we’ve got plenty of options to choose from. We ensure our activities suit a range of preferences, interests, and abilities, so everyone can get in on the action.
But that’s not all — we also offer a variety of fun physical activities to get the endorphins flowing. From gentle stretching exercises to our infamous ‘dance party’ sessions, we know how to get our residents moving and grooving.
Our goal is to not only improve your loved one’s health, but encourage them to socialise, make new friends and, most importantly, have fun!
Care For Older People: Personalised, Homely Spaces
We acknowledge the importance of creating a home-from-home environment.
That’s why we’ve designed our rooms to be cosy and comfortable, providing a peaceful sanctuary for our residents. They also have a say in our rooms’ decor — including aspects such as the colour of the walls!
To create individualistic spaces, residents can bring their own personal belongings and mementos when moving in. By encouraging those in our care to make their space their own, we can help them to feel truly at home.
Excursions and Day Trips
When offering care for older people, it’s important to recognise that getting out and about is an essential part of maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle.
To achieve this, we regularly take our residents on local trips to shops and attractions. These excursions offer an opportunity for our residents to break out of their shells and experience new things.
Whether it’s a visit to our nearby Greatstone beach, a trip to a nearby shopping centre, or a day out at the park, we always try to plan something that everyone will enjoy.
Enjoying Downtime
Whilst we believe that fun and engaging activities are important for elderly individuals to stay active and connected, we also understand the value of downtime.
At our Fairways Care Home, we strive to create an environment that allows our residents to relax and recharge in their own way.
Believing autonomy is key when providing care for older people, we encourage our residents to choose how they would like to unwind, be it reading a book, enjoying a cup of tea, or simply chatting with friends.
Our care home has multiple lounges and gardens that provide the perfect setting for socialising with fellow residents. We’ve designed these spaces to be comfortable, quiet, and peaceful, so that our residents can enjoy some well-deserved rest.
Whether they prefer to relax indoors or outdoors, we want our residents to feel at home and enjoy their downtime in whatever way suits them best.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our exceptional care for older people, please contact a member of our team.
Alternatively, why not read our previous blog to discover how to support someone living with dementia?
Pet Therapy Dogs | Meet Our Furry Friends, Connie and Melly
How can pet therapy dogs improve the wellbeing of residents?
Using animals for therapeutic purposes can greatly benefit elderly people. The presence of a friendly, furry companion can reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, as well as lower stress and boost wellbeing.
To celebrate National Pet Month, we’re featuring our very own pet therapy dogs, Connie and Melly. Keep reading to discover more about our paw-some pals:
Introducing our Pet Therapy Dogs, Connie and Melly
At our Mountside Care Home, we regularly arrange heartwarming visits from two of our furry friends — who happen to be Pets as Therapy (PAT) dogs!
Our beloved companions, Connie and Melly, bring immense joy and happiness to our Laton Road home, and greatly lift our residents' spirits.
What’s more, our residents aren’t the only ones who adore the dogs — our amazing staff members love interacting with them, too!
Our four-legged friends have become a treasured part of our care home, bringing comfort to those around them with their calm and soothing presence.
The Benefits of Pet Therapy Dogs
There are various emotional and physical benefits of pet therapy for seniors. These include increased self-esteem and confidence, improved social skills, and reduced feelings of loneliness.
Pet therapy dogs, in particular, have an incredible ability to connect with people on an emotional level. Renowned for being ‘man’s best friend’, dogs offer unconditional love and affection that brightens our residents’ days.
It’s fair to say our PAT dogs, Connie and Melly, bring joy and happiness to everyone around them!
Our Residents’ Thoughts on Pet Therapy Dogs
As part of National Pet Month, we decided to get our residents’ thoughts on our favourite furry duo.
One of our residents, Vera, said: “I love it when the dogs come to visit — they’re so friendly and really make me smile. I wish I could give them cuddles all day, but I have to remember that they have lots of people to see as they are working hard.”
Former dog owner, Pat, and a resident at our Mountside Care Home, added: “I’m always pleased to see Connie and Melly as they are such lovely dogs. I used to own a dog, and when it was a puppy, it chewed the arms off our garden bench! These dogs are very well behaved, though.”
Comments From Our Activities Coordinators
Discussing the benefits of having pet therapy dogs, our activities coordinator, Shelagh Hazleton, said: “I organise for the PAT dogs to visit the care home as it’s greatly beneficial to the residents.
“They very much look forward to the dogs’ visits and I’ve noticed it significantly boosts their mood and overall wellbeing.
“Due to the success of Connie and Melly’s visits, we will continue to look into the benefits of animal therapy. Moving forward, we may introduce more animals into the care home, such as cats or rabbits, to see if this continues to have a positive impact on our residents’ mental and physical wellbeing.”
Kimberley Mann, our fellow activities coordinator at Mountside Care Home, added: “The dogs definitely make a difference, as they improve the mood of the residents, reduce the risk of developing depression, and decrease feelings of anxiety.
“In particular, we’ve seen that our residents living with dementia greatly benefit from the PAT dog visits. It helps improve their emotional wellbeing and self-esteem whilst encouraging interaction with others.”
If you’re interested in finding out more about our pet therapy dogs, or the care we provide at ACI Mountside, please contact a member of our team.
Alternatively, why not read our previous blog to discover our compilation of fun activities in Hastings?
Exceptional Care in Kent: We’ve Been Listed in the Top 20 Care Homes!
How can we define ‘exceptional care’?
At the Old Rectory, we consider this to be a level of care that goes above and beyond what’s expected, delivered with genuine warmth and kindness.
Our aim is to provide tailored services that cater to individual needs. Recently, we received recognition from the top care home review website in the UK for our efforts.
Keep reading to discover more about our latest incredible achievement:
Exceptional Care at The Old Rectory
Set in the picturesque village of Dymchurch, The Old Rectory offers residential, respite and dementia care in Kent.
At our care home, we ensure that we maintain our residents’ privacy, dignity and comfort at all times. We also enable them to lead independent and fulfilling lives by offering engaging activities, such as singing, fitness sessions and regular games evenings.
We’re proud to announce that our dedication to exceptional care has been acknowledged by carehome.co.uk, which has included us in their 2023 Top 20 Care Home Awards as one of the best care homes in the South East of England.
Crediting Exceptional Care: Care Home Awards
So, how did we receive the shortlisting?
Carehome.co.uk is the leading UK care home review website, comprising 16,846 care homes. Every year, the site recognises 20 of the top-rated care homes in each region of the UK.
Its annual ‘Care Home Awards’ showcases the full list of highly ranked care homes, based on reviews provided by residents/service users, alongside their family and friends.
The site gives the chance for reviewers to leave their feedback on the following:
- The home’s facilities
- Care/support
- Cleanliness
- Dignity given to residents
- Food & drink
- Staff
- Activities
- Management
- Safety/security
- Rooms
- Value for money.
Old Rectory: An Insight into Our Exceptional Care
We feature amongst some brilliant names, including The Shelley, Dungate Manor and Knellwood.
Some of our favourite comments about our home include: “I have total confidence in the excellent care and surroundings, with top priority given to health and well-being’, ‘The Old Rectory is a caring, friendly community that you can trust’ and ‘a loving and safe environment.”
Another highlight is the following 5/5 review: “Moving my mother into a care home was an extremely difficult decision. With advancing dementia, it became impossible and too risky to care for her at home. She’s now been at The Old Rectory for over a year. I have total confidence in the excellent care and surroundings, with top priority given to her health and well-being.
“The carers are all superb, without exception. It’s so reassuring that the vast majority stay at The Old Rectory for many years, meaning that residents get to know their carers well, and they, in turn, understand residents’ individual needs.”
A Message from our Director
Discussing our recent shortlisting, our director, Ravi Sodha, said: “We’re proud to see our care home listed as one of the top 20 care homes in the South East of England.
“As the recognition is based solely on reviews, we couldn’t be more pleased that those in our care and their family members are satisfied with the exceptional care we provide.
“Taking time out of your day to highlight the work we do means the world to us, and we cannot thank those who have supported us enough. Without you, this recognition wouldn’t have been possible.”
If you’re interested in finding out more about the exceptional care we provide at The Old Rectory, please contact a member of our team.
Hastings residents enjoy visit from dogs, cats, and chameleons
Mountside Care Home, a branch of ACI Care that specialises in residential, respite and dementia care, organised a special afternoon for its residents to mark National Love Your Pet Day, which involved staff bringing their beloved pets into the Laton Road home.
The afternoon was hailed a success, with residents having the chance to meet several of the staff’s pets, including Tanner the house dog, Tabitha the cat and Pascal the chameleon – who was particularly popular amongst the residents, with several expressing that they wanted to keep him.
The fun-filled afternoon was finished off with a pet-themed quiz, a cup of tea and some homemade cupcakes, whilst residents reminisced about the furry friends they had once had.
Discussing the afternoon’s fun, Mountside’s activity coordinator, Shelagh Hazleton, said: “National Love Your Pet Day was a huge success within the care home, with residents particularly taking a liking to Pascal the chameleon!
“It was lovely overhearing residents discussing the pets they once had and it was such an uplifting atmosphere. Here at Mountside, we heavily focus on promoting the wellbeing of our residents, so having staff bring in their furry friends was the perfect way to do this.”
Mountside Care Home regularly hosts activities for its residents to promote wellbeing and keep them active both physically and mentally, in and outside of the home, which included regular visits from Pets as Therapy (PAT) dogs. Organising pets to visit care homes is a great way to promote residents’ wellbeing as there are huge benefits to being around animals – with them being proven to improve cognitive functions, increase moods and enhance people's socialisation.
National Love Your Pet Day is an annual event dedicated to encouraging pet owners to express their love and appreciation for their furry, scaly, or feathery friends, and celebrate the joy that owning a pet brings.
Celebrating Women in Care
Why is celebrating women in care instrumental to care home success?
In the UK, women make up almost 82% of the adult social care workforce. At ACI Care, we believe our dedicated female team members are an asset to our company. To show our gratitude, we’re paying homage to our inspirational activities coordinator, Shelagh Hazleton.
Read on to learn about Shelagh and her career in healthcare:
Celebrating Women: Introducing Shelagh
Shelagh Hazleton started working at our Mountside Care Home in 1992.
She began her journey in the healthcare sector by assisting residents with their hair, before later opting to volunteer with afternoon activities. Seeing her patience, kindness and empathy with the residents during her voluntary work, we offered Shelagh a full-time position as activities coordinator.
Faced with childcare struggles whilst caring for her newborn daughter, Louise, Shelagh initially turned down the offer. In response, we offered Shelagh the option to bring Louise to work with her, so she could continue her duties whilst keeping an eye on her daughter.
Shelagh accepted — and has since spent 3 decades providing exceptional care to our residents!
Celebrating Women: Shelagh’s Role
At ACI Care, we’re dedicated to celebrating women in care — not just for International Women’s Day, but every day.
Women are the foundation of our care home operations, with Shelagh being an integral part of our Mountside team. Working as our home’s activities coordinator, Shelagh’s predominant aim is to ensure each resident is happy, engaged, and fulfilled.
She achieves this by leading various activities throughout the week, trying to make each day different and engaging. Some of the most popular resident activities include board games, card games, magnetic darts and bingo on a Friday.
Striving to offer person-centred care, Shelagh acknowledges that some individuals are more introverted. For those who don’t wish to leave their rooms, Shelagh sits with them one-to-one and encourages them to play cribbage and cards, or just engages in conversation.
Celebrating Women: Shelagh’s Mountside Highlights
Working at a care home has an array of different benefits.
These include guaranteed and flexible hours, excellent broader benefits packages and the opportunity to make lifelong, impactful relationships.
Discussing her personal highlights whilst working at Mountside, Shelagh said: “I have too many! We used to do a summer fayre, which was always great. I also used to do a BBQ with a cake stall and a tombola, with some help from residents’ families.
“Christmas parties have always been lovely, too. Last year, we did a pantomime, which was really funny. Another highlight is the Elvis tribute act that we’ve always had for 10 years or more.”
Recalling her fondest memory, Shelagh added: “We had one lady who thought our Elvis performer was the real Elvis. Her heart would melt the minute he came in and her family always paid for him to come and sing for us all. Even when her dementia got quite bad she could always recognise Elvis, and it was lovely to see!”
Shelagh’s Closing Comments
Social care roles provide you with experiences that no other sector can offer.
After working in the industry for 30 decades, we asked Shelagh what it means to work in a social care setting. She said: “It means a lot to me, and I feel very lucky. I love my job every single day — it really is very special to me.
“When I was in hospital, the girls said ‘stop worrying’, but I wanted to keep ringing the home to let them know where the bingo and chocolates were! The residents are on your mind all the time. It must be hard for them when people are away, you just want to make it feel as much like home as you possibly can.”
Finally, Shelagh had some advice for those considering a career in care: “It’s amazing. It’s hard work but very rewarding, and I believe the rewards you get from it far outweigh the hard work.”
March is a month dedicated to celebrating women across all sectors. At our Mountside Care Home, we’d like to say a big thank you to all of our wonderful female workers, who consistently go above and beyond in caring for our residents.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the care we provide at ACI Mountside, please contact a member of our team.
Care operator responsible for Hastings care home named as finalist in HealthInvestor Awards
ACI Care, a group of care services that operates four homes, including Mountside on Laton Road in Hastings, has been named as one of six finalists up for the prestigious industry accolade – which celebrates the very best health and social care providers that manage under 10 settings.
The dedicated Mountside team, and that of the wider ACI Care group, provide residential, respite and dementia care, with their core focus being to enable residents to live independent and fulfilling lives.
Lisa Wilde, Registered Manager of Mountside, said: “I’m delighted for the ACI group, and proud that Mountside is a part of it. The wider group has supported us whilst we looked to improve on our CQC rating, and because of their help we are now rated as ‘Good’.”
Ravi Sodha, Director of ACI Care, said: “We’re honoured to be recognised alongside some other incredible care providers. This is a great achievement for us, and showcases the hard work and commitment we’ve put into ensuring we continually improve upon and provide the best level of care in each of our homes.”
The awards are the culmination of information submitted by companies operating, investing or advising in healthcare. Organisations are asked to complete an online form and to submit a 2,000-word supporting document that is put forward to the relevant judging panel, which consists of high profile, independent judges from across the sector.
The winners will be announced on June 7 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London, as part of a prestigious ceremony that attracts more than 1,200 guests.
Care in Kent | Relationships at The Old Rectory
How do we provide exceptional person-centred care in Kent?
At The Old Rectory, our dedicated team of staff are keen to establish and nurture relationships with those in our care. Recently, one of our carers reconnected with her former headteacher, Miss Latham, who is using our services.
Keep reading to discover more about this heartwarming story:
Care in Kent | About The Old Rectory
Committed to providing top-quality services, The Old Rectory offers residential, dementia and nursing care in Kent.
Our dedicated team of staff consistently go above and beyond to provide exceptional care to residents. We’re keen to offer personalised support, helping those in our care to blossom and grow during their time with us.
In a fascinating twist of fate, one of our care workers, Kayleigh, is now caring for her former headteacher, Miss Dorothy Latham. As well as this, Miss Latham is showcasing her amazing teaching skills by helping another one of our caregivers with their Open University studies.
Care in Kent | Introducing Our Resident, Miss Latham
Our resident, Miss Latham, originally started her career in 1955, when she joined Baldwins Hill as a primary school teacher.
She later moved to Kent County Council to teach at Dymchurch County Primary School. Here, she met Kayleigh, who now cares for her at our residential home The Old Rectory.
During her expansive career, Miss Latham worked as the headteacher of Dymchurch Infant School, a senior lecturer at Christchurch College of Higher Education (now known as Canterbury Christchurch University), and later became headteacher of Dymchurch County Primary School, once the two local schools amalgamated again.
Care in Kent | The Importance of Helping Others
Alongside providing high-quality care in Kent, our staff at The Old Rectory consistently nurture our residents’ talents.
Miss Latham, for example, thrives off the passion of teaching and education, despite having retired from the profession almost 30 years ago.
Keen to facilitate this, we encouraged Miss Latham to mentor our registered manager, Kelly Parker. Miss Latham was more than up for the opportunity, and now assists Kelly with her history degree at the Open University.
Honouring Our Residents’ Life Achievements
Despite working full-time in her younger years, Miss Latham continued to delve into academia.
She spent a year at the Cambridge Institute of Education to study Advanced Primary Education, before studying at university. Here, she gained a first-class BA in psychology – specialising in children’s memory and learning – and later graduated with a Master’s degree.
After retiring, Miss Latham kept herself busy and went on to lecture at Canterbury Christchurch University for a year. She later worked as a school inspector, before getting a position with the Ministry of Education, assessing classroom assistants who had completed a special diploma at university.
Following years of hard work and dedication, Miss Latham finally retired at the age of 77.
A Message from Miss Latham
Miss Latham is now receiving care in Kent at the Old Rectory. In her spare time, she likes to read history magazines, work on her laptop and write letters to friends. She’s also currently working on her biography, so be sure to keep an eye out!
Speaking of her fulfilling career, Miss Latham said: “I can’t think of one single best moment in my career – I had many happy and jolly occasions.
“Teaching is very rewarding, it gives you a good feeling when you know you have helped children to achieve, but now being cared for by a former pupil is lovely, and it has a proper family feeling about it.”
A Message from Our Registered Manager, Kelly
Kelly, our registered manager here at The Old Rectory, expressed delight in receiving support from the former headteacher.
She said: “It’s lovely to see Miss Latham so passionate about her career, even now after all this time. She’s devoted her whole life to education and continues to offer a helping hand, and I’m lucky that I get to experience it first-hand. It’s something we both look forward to, and find really rewarding.”
At ACI Care, we offer residential, respite and dementia care to help transform the lives of others.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our care in Kent, please contact a member of our team.
Meaningful Activities in Care Homes | What We Offer at Mountside
How can meaningful activities in care homes improve resident wellbeing?
Our Mountside Care Home offers the very best care for our elderly residents in Hastings. We strive to promote independence, ensuring those in our care can continue doing the things they love.
Read on to find out more about the activities we offer:
Meaningful Activities in Care Homes | Mountside Care Home
At our Mountside Care Home, we don’t believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Our team takes the time to get to know our residents to provide personalised, bespoke care. Alongside maintaining our residents’ previous interests, we offer various opportunities and activities.
Noting the importance of meaningful activities in care homes, we adjust our offering on a regular basis. At the start of the season, we create a brand-new calendar comprising fun activities and excursions. This encourages our residents to pursue new endeavours and develop new interests.
Meaningful Activities in Care Homes | Improving Mental Wellbeing
Meaningful activities in care homes can greatly improve residents’ mental wellbeing.
At our Mountside Care Home, we host regular, engaging trivia nights. Playing trivia games is not only great fun, but can also improve our residents’ mental health and boost memory.
We also recently organised a special afternoon for our male residents to mark International Men’s Day. We wanted to celebrate the positive value men bring to our home and the local community.
Organised activities and events can help to promote resident wellbeing, enabling them to form connections with staff whilst keeping them mentally and physically active.
Meaningful Activities in Care Homes | Improving Physical Wellbeing
Meaningful activities in care homes can boost your residents’ physical wellbeing.
Activities involving exercise have an array of benefits for older adults. Undertaking regular exercise can improve flexibility and strength, alongside assisting with balance and coordination.
At our Mountside Care Home, we collaborate with a UK-led fitness provider, Gfitness. The team specialise in professional, inclusive exercise classes for all, catering for those living in care, older adults and people with disabilities.
Comprising light movement, music, and a lot of laughter, Gfitness’ classes never fail to cheer up our residents. They also improve physical wellbeing, showcasing the importance of meaningful activities in care homes.
What’s Coming Up?
2023 will be a very exciting year for our Mountside Care Home. Over the next few months, we have various fun activities lined up. These are created and overseen by our wonderful activities coordinators, Shelagh Hazleton and Kim Mann.
Upcoming events include a return visit from an Elvis impersonator, a popcorn day and a cinema night. On the 25th January, we’ve also arranged for a ‘Burns Night’, where residents and staff alike will celebrate the Scottish tradition with haggis and an evening of dancing to Ceilidh music.
If you’re interested in finding out more about meaningful activities in care homes, or the exceptional care we provide at ACI Mountside, please contact a member of our team.