Jan 2023
Emily especially enjoys, “bringing high spirits to residents, making sure they are smiling and happy throughout their days”.
Catching up with Emily, Activities Coordinator at Isis House, Oxford, for National Activity Providers and Professionals Week 2023.
Emily joined Isis House as an Activities Coordinator in August 2020. She works alongside her colleague, Rachel to deliver an assortment of enriching activities to residents in the home.
Many things inspired Emily to become an Activities Coordinator, but the main reason to see the other side of care. Spending quality time with each resident and ensuring they are happy and having fun is what makes the job so meaningful to her. Emily explained that she enjoys, “bringing high spirits to residents, making sure they are smiling and happy throughout their days”.
A great deal of thought and preparation that goes into the role and for Emily, ensuring her activities are stimulating and inclusive of residents is very important. She always finds a way for everyone to join in, whether it is running one-to-one sessions for residents who tend to stay in their bedrooms or adapting activities for those who require extra assistance. Emily said: “Some days we run smaller, quieter activities for those who do not like big groups or find it difficult to join. For residents who like to stay in bed, we run one-to-one activities, which suit them best.”
Connecting Communities
At Isis House, community links are important as most residents are from the surrounding areas. Emily believes it is essential to stay connected so residents can continue to enjoy local events in the area. She said: “We run projects with the local farm from May to October, receive visits from the church for in-house communion services. We are also expecting to have local nurseries come in to run sessions with the residents soon.”
A recent activity – Linda reunited with farm life
Emily’s favourite story is a trip she organised for resident, Linda who used to run a farm. She said: “Linda ran a farm for years until she was no longer able too. We took her to our local farm and as soon as she saw the sheep, her face lit up. She recounted so many lovely memories which came flooding back to her, and she wanted to return the following week! We were all so glad we could make this happen.”