Sharon joined Paternoster House in 2015, originally as a Carer but after a year she became an Activities Coordinator. Sharon jumped at the opportunity to apply for the role as she was already fundraising and organising entertainment for her local cricket club so was familiar with these responsibilities. Sharon also thought it was a great opportunity to use many of her ideas to bring happiness and fulfilment into the home.

The role of Activities Coordinator is one that never fails to be rewarding. Sharon finds great gratification in striving to promote an active lifestyle in the home, with the mental and physical wellbeing of the residents at the forefront of her activities. She said: “Not only do we get to spend so much of our day interacting with the residents but encouraging them to be as active as they can contributes to their overall wellbeing. Seeing the joy written on residents’ faces is priceless!”

Sharon works with residents of differing abilities, so she ensures her activities always take an inclusive approach. She said: “Not every activity will be suitable for every person, and there may be times when some may need to be adapted to suit an individual. Some residents do not respond well when faced with a large group of people and for these residents a one-to-one session or an activity that can be done in a quiet room may be more appropriate.”

Much of Sharon’s inspiration comes from talking to residents and family members about their favourite hobbies and interests. These help her to form ideas for activities. She said: “I can then include them in my weekly activity sheets and organise activities that are tailored to meet the needs of individuals and to bring people together.” Sharon also attends monthly virtual Activities Coordinators meetings where everyone shares ideas. Websites and social media are also a great source of suggestions too.

Connecting Communities

Ensuring that Paternoster House is part of the community is important to Sharon as it has a positive effect on the mental health and wellbeing of residents. She said: “Maintaining involvement provides a sense of belonging and social connectedness. It can also offer extra meaning and purpose in everyday life.”

Paternoster House is very well connected with the community of Cirencester and Sharon organises an array of events within the home which strive to involve the community. These range from visits to the local library, joining local coffee mornings and hosting quiz nights to raise funds. The home receives lots of generous donations from large and small businesses in the community, such as banks, building societies, a local finance company, Cirencester Knitters, superstores and many more.

Another way the home remains connected is through regular visits from community groups. These include volunteers in from schools, colleges, the Churn Project, as well as the local Baptist church and St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church coming in every other week to do a service.  Paternoster House has visits from a charity group called Mindsong, who give up their time every other week to host an afternoon of singing for residents. A gentleman who has a radio show called Limelight often visits and hosts talks on all kinds of topics for the residents.

The home has seven regular volunteers; three of which do the gardening with residents, the rest help out in the home. Some assist with activities, read to residents, call bingo numbers, host interesting talks, or accompany the team on trips and provide companionship to residents.

A recent activity – Resident writing cards

Whilst Sharon has countless stories from events and residents, there is one story that stood out to her and highlights the rewarding nature of her role.  She said: “A resident decided she would like to start writing cards to her family and friends, but she struggled retaining letter form and remembering words. So together we started practicing by writing a line every day and copying text out of magazines and books. She finally managed to send cards with quite a few sentences in them.”