On Monday 4th March The Lakes Care Centre in South Cerney hosted ‘time for a cuppa’ with animal friends in conjunction with Dementia UK.  The day consisted of an informative talk from our admiral nurse Nikki Rowe and our activity co-ordinator Chloe Gibbins, they talked about the positive effects animal therapy can have on those living with dementia.

Amongst those who came along to hear Nikki and Chloe talk were our resident’s family members, local professionals, volunteers plus members of the local community who are interested in dementia or animal therapy.

We also welcomed a variety of animals including - dogs, chickens, tortoises, rabbits, guinea pigs and of course the stars of the show were the gorgeous alpacas, they even came with some baby alpacas who had never been inside before, and they were adorable! Everyone was delighted to see the animals and to stroke the alpacas; their fur was very soft and thick and the change in atmosphere when the animals arrived put into practice all that Nikki and Choe had been saying.

We also held a cake sale ran by our fantastic volunteers along with a raffle which included tickets to Highgrove gardens. The raffle was drawn by some student paramedics who came along to learn more about animal therapy and we managed to raise £174.

After the talks everyone had an opportunity to see the animals and speak to our local professionals while enjoying a cup of tea and slice of cake.

Edwardstow received a visit last week from Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown the Conservative Member of Parliament for The Cotswolds. Sir Geoffrey had a tour of the care home but also had the opportunity to speak with many of our residents. Many of our residents have met Sir Geoffrey in the community before they moved into a care home.

Sir Geoffrey was impressed with the modern surroundings and the facilities available. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said, “Having spoken to residents, and hearing their excellent reviews, as well as seeing the vast range of activities on offer, I am very impressed by Edwardstow Court Care Centre.”  

Edwardstow Court’s deputy manager Sian Howse showed Sir Geoffrey around and introduced him to Gemma our Activities Co-ordinator, Gemma was painting rocks with our residents which are then hid around the local community for people to find and then re-hide. We gave Sir Geoffrey a rock to take away and hide, we look forward to this popping up somewhere soon.

It was great for our local MP to visit and to see the facilities available at one of the newest care homes in his constituency. Sian Howse said “We were delighted that Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP was able to visit Edwardstow Court and thankful to him for taking the time. Our residents and staff greatly enjoyed his visit. Interaction with the local community is very important to the home and to the Trust and we look forward to continuing this mutually supportive association.”

Residents at The Elms have been welcoming year one children from Stonehouse Park Infants since October as part of a project with Gloucestershire Academy of Music. This project has been an opportunity for children to interact with older people, they have been able to teach each other new songs and learn from one another.

Becky Chevis from Gloucestershire Academy of Music said “The residents light up when the children walk in and it is wonderful seeing them singing and doing the actions to songs along with the children!

Most of the songs we have been singing have been suggested by the residents and I hope they feel a sense of ownership over the sessions – they have so much they can offer these children!

As is to be expected, I think the children were nervous when they started to visit The Elms but they now seem a lot more comfortable here and they are a lot more keen to meet the residents! The children love seeing the residents joining in and knowing that they have made the residents happy!

Both the children and the residents have so much to offer one another. They have enjoyed having fun together over the past few months, as well as growing musically and learning more about one another.”

Some of the children have had very little interaction with older people as they are only 5 and 6 years old and this project has broken down those barriers.

Lauren Katt class teacher at Stonehouse Park Infants said “The experience has been good for the children and they’ve loved it. They’ve learnt new songs and practised songs they knew, and they’ve really built their confidence”.

One of the residents gave a heart-warming speech to the children as they have enjoyed the children visiting weekly so much. We hope our residents and the year one children will be reunited again soon.

The fayre had many very kindly donated prizes for the raffle which included wine, toys, gift vouchers and even an MOT from Warners Citroen. There was also a car for the day which we filled with balloons for our ‘guess the number of balloons in the car’ competition.

The team in our kitchen baked and beautifully decorated a Christmas cake for our ‘guess the weight’ competition. The cake was full of fruit and booze and weighed a staggered 13lbs!

Monkscroft café was a hive of activity with people congregating for tea and cake while eagerly anticipating if they had winning raffle tickets!

Thank you to everyone who attended on the day, volunteered and kindly donated items. The funds raised will go towards an intergenerational project with Live Music Now and our local nursery which our residents are hugely looking forward to.

Each day Avonbourne had a mini make over. Residents in the previous week had worked hard on decorations to match the eras, that was set to culminate in a 40s celebration. To make the day more authentic the kitchen made the daily menu match popular foods of the decade. Avonbourne’s cinema also showed blockbuster movies of the era for residents to reminisce about.

For the 1970s Avonbourne residents made the ever-popular bread and butter pudding, which filled the home with a wonderful smell. There wasn’t even a morsel left after it had cooled down. The 1960s seemed to be everyone’s favourite era. We celebrated with psychedelic music and a craft session where residents painted and coloured in Beatles LP covers, staff donned afro wigs and groovy glasses which provided the residents with much entertainment.

The 1950s rolled round and it was time for a long time Avonbourne entertainer lovingly known as ‘Ukele Piddle’ or Paul for short to entertain the residents with famous 50s hits. Including hits such as Jail House rock by Elvis and a number of Buddy Holly songs. Many of which had the residents on their feet dancing away.

The 1940s was set to be Avonbourne’s big party. The Compass café was transformed into a 1940s theme that was truly striking. Camo nets and old war time posters were hung to support the 1940s theme. Residents were presented with ration books that contained their menu for the morning. War time tunes played in the background and residents enjoyed some popular foods from the 1940s. Residents loved ones and the local community joined in to hear stories of how many lived through the 1940s and what life was really like then.  It was truly a party to remember.

If you’d like to get involved at Avonbourne to help enrich the lives of its residents, the home is always on the lookout for people who share their passion for care. There are many ways you can get involved:

• Our Jobs Page
• Volunteering
• Entertainment and Activities

The home’s ‘Time for a Cuppa’ afternoon tea was part of an annual event promoted by Dementia UK with an aim of raising money for Admiral Nurses. These specialist dementia nurses work alongside people with dementia and their families, providing them with the support they need.

OSJCT works closely with Dementia UK and was among the first care providers to employ its own specialist Admiral Nurses, two of whom attended the afternoon tea. Angie Williams and Rose Elliot entered to cheers and applause. “It was the best welcome we have ever had,” says Angie. “It is so great to raise awareness of Admiral Nurses and how they benefit the families who need support.” Rose adds: “It is fantastic to see everyone coming together and enjoying themselves.”

Home Manager Anna Odeyemi says: “We are privileged to care for some residents who are at different stages of their journey with dementia here at Spencer Court. Living with dementia is a different experience for everyone and OSJCT’s Admiral Nurses do such important work in supporting families. We felt we wanted to show our support to them and get involved.”

Spencer Court welcomed local organisations, the local community and residents’ family members to its afternoon tea and raised over £230. This amount will fund the training of two Admiral Nurses which ensures they stay at the forefront of excellence in dementia care.

Steve Pomfret, whose mother is a resident at Spencer Court says of the event: “There is such a friendly atmosphere at the home and it’s been a lovely way to raise money for such a good cause.” Ms Odeyemi added: “We were so pleased with the amount we raised and will definitely be doing a similar event next year.”

OSJCT Development Director Tim Hurdiss’ daughter was admitted to PICU at 18 months of age with a severe asthma attack resulting in respiratory failure. Tim says: “The Unit took such wonderful care of Abbie and we are to this day immensely thankful. It is clearly apparent how hard the doctors and nurses work in PICU and the challenges they themselves face dealing with such sensitive situations daily. The intensity of the environment and ethos of trying to help in any way possible is a testament to us all.”

Abbie Hurdiss is now 16 years old and an energetic teenager who will be joining on the day of the charity run alongside her father, his colleagues from OSJCT and members of the PICU.

Dr Avishay Sarfatti, Consultant in Paediatric Intensive Care medicine at PICU, comments: "We are delighted to have found this common thread with OSJCT and very much looking forward to associating with the Trust and running together in the OX5 Run. Their support and understanding of our Unit and the care we provide has been much welcomed."

Tim Hurdiss concludes: “We are really pleased about the collaboration between two organisations on either end of the intergenerational spectrum. Dr Sarfatti and I wish the best of luck to all the runners and in raising awareness and funds for the Oxford Children’s Hospital Charity which is such a worthy cause.”

The Oxford Children’s Hospital Charity run sponsored by the Oxford Mail is on Sunday 24th March at 10am. For more information visit:

www.hospitalcharity.co.uk/ox5run

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/ox_5/

Edwardstow Court in Stow-on-the-Wold and Grace Care Centre in Thornbury were recognised across the board with a ‘Good’ for services of safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness, and being well-led.

As a Trust we are delighted by this recognition and thankful for all the hard work delivered by our colleagues to ensure this independently endorsed success. Equally importantly the knowledge that our residents are happy and receiving the best possible care with tailored needs being met along with a happy and fulfilling life met in the home.

Deputy Home Manager at Edwardstow, Sian Howse, says: “I would like to say what a fantastic outcome for our home and I am very proud of the whole team.  Everyone has worked very hard to achieve this all-round ‘Good’ rating and from the report it clearly shows that our residents love to live here and our staff love to work here.” 

Peter Moore, Home Manager at Grace Care Centre, comments: “We are delighted with the result of our CQC inspection. Every member of the team has worked so hard to achieve this and it is fantastic to see their passion and dedication being acknowledged in this report. Grace Care Centre is a wonderful place to work and to live and I am very thankful to the whole team for making this so.”

Some quotes from the CQC report:

Grace Care Centre, Thornbury:

‘We were introduced to people throughout our visit and they welcomed us. They were relaxed, comfortable and confident in their home. The feedback we received from people and relatives was good. Staff we met and spoke with were happy and proud; they were loyal and fully committed and this was reflected in their attitudes and integrity during the inspection. All staff on duty were excited about the inspection and wanted to be part of it.’

"The carers here are very good and I feel very well looked after. There is plenty of staff to look after you here", "There is always plenty of staff around and I believe my wife is very safe here" and "I feel that all the staff here are great with my father and I feel he is very safe here".

Edwardstow Court Care Centre, Stow-On-the-Wold:

People and relatives commented on how knowledgeable and skilled staff were. One relative said, "I know that lots of staff have had dementia training; diversion and distraction training. I have watched them, they usually find a way." Another relative told us how well staff had looked after their relative following an operation. They said, "They were brilliant in their use of the hoist, they dealt with it very well."

We observed staff exhibiting genuine kindness, concern and friendship towards people. People and their visitors were keen to praise the staff. They spoke highly of them without exception. One person said, "They've all got lots of halos here." People were keen to comment about staff individually."

For further information, please contact Lak Siriwardene (PR & Communications Manager) on 07342 069807 or l.siriwardene@osjct.co.uk

The Lakes Care Centre in South Cerney kicked off the week by inviting members of the local community to a coffee morning to help their local school, the Ann Edwards school with their fundraising efforts for a double decker bus library! The following day we were thrilled to welcome in Charlotte Docking, who gave us a masterclass in Tai Chi! It was a great opportunity to wind down and enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

After such a chilled-out time The Lakes welcomed in the Wild Woolly Women – a wonderful local group who deliver workshops on how to spin wool. Our residents were fascinated to see fleeces in their raw form and understand the steps the wool must go through before it can be ready for us to knit with.

Our next activity was circus skills with a local circus skills expert. Our residents were delighted to see him balancing umbrellas on his chin, juggling with skittles and throwing the diablo! We had a super afternoon turning our hands to the circus skills, our residents were to spinning plates and juggling scarves.

As ‘I can’t believe it’s a care home’ week drew to a close, we were happy to welcome in our friend Paul, of Ukulele Piddle. Paul has the ability to fill a room with energy, smiles and laughter. We sang plenty of our old favourite songs, danced around the room and even had a go at playing Paul’s ‘disco uke’! 

The Lakes Care Centre had such a fantastic range of visitors this week; they are lucky to live in a community filled with such creativity, talent and energy.

Paternoster House in Cirencester celebrated ‘I can’t believe it’s a care home’ by hosting a cocktail party. Paternoster residents were keen to take part in cocktail making in memory of Nancy, one of their fellow residents who recently passed away as she was partial to a cocktail or two! Paternoster welcomed Trent from ‘Go Bartender’ to teach them a variety of cocktails. Residents were up at the bar shaking and stirring to make a range of delicious cocktails. Trent said, “It’s great to see the residents having so much fun and to be doing something different, it’s a memorable event for me too”.

The room was decorated in a tropical theme with inflatable flamingos and flower garlands and the residents were all dressed for the occasion. Nancy’s daughter Pauline said, “it’s lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves and tasting the cocktails, mum would have been very pleased” Cocktail making is certainly not something you expect from a care home, but our residents loved it and no doubt there were a few sore heads in the morning!

Monkscroft Care Centre in Cheltenham certainly thought outside of the box for ‘I can’t believe it’s a care home’ by celebrating Chinese New Year and welcomed a wonderful visit from Kui De Tang. First the God of Wealth visited residents on each household offering them a Chinese sweet treat and wishing them good health for the year ahead. This was followed by a mesmerizing Chinese dragon performance which was an exciting and colourful demonstration featuring loud and incredible drumming. The applause at the end was huge, and one resident even gave them a standing ovation. After the performance the Chinese dragon also visited residents in their rooms, and everyone had the opportunity to take lots of photos. It was a great afternoon, and some residents spoke of fond memories of working, or family working and holidaying in China over the years.

Grace Care Centre in Thornbury were happy when the sun decided it would appear to get the week started off with a trip to Brunel’s SS Great Britain in Bristol. A wonderful exhibition was on show demonstrating the life span of the ship and its history. Residents then took the opportunity to board the ship and explore from top to bottom.

This was followed by a visit from ‘Charlie the friendly donkey’, who we must say was a very friendly donkey indeed! The response not from residents, family members and staff was quite brilliant. Charlie was able to meet our residents in the garden of the home whilst they were taking in the sun over an afternoon tea. One resident even took it upon herself to lead Charlie towards the garden, “Come on Charlie – lets go outside and say hi to everyone!”

If a friendly donkey was not enough, how about a visit from a farm!‘Chloe’s Mobile Farm’ spent the afternoon with our residents when they brought a whole array of animals to the home. From Guinea pigs, Goats, Rabbits, Chickens and not forgetting Alpacas, how wonderful it was to see the interaction between our residents and these lovely animals.

Our week was wrapped up with a visit from The New Siblands School students where they have been working with residents to create bird feeders, ‘bulbs’ and other features ready for Spring. We continue to enjoy these weekly visits from the school especially as relationships between residents and students grow.

Chestnut Court in Gloucester enjoyed the campaign in Olympic style with residents from each respected household making up each team. A great turn out for each event was the result of a little friendly competition with residents taking part in various events from ‘slipper slinging’, ‘horse racing’, ‘bowls’ and ‘seated archery’.

The activity team at Chestnut Court worked hard in preparation for these events; bringing the Olympic style and logos to transform the ‘Arena’. Staff of Chestnut Court were happy to see a few good natured rivalries emerge during the competition but mainly happy to see the many smiles of residents faces as well as from the supporting family members.

After the breaking of a few in-house records and some interesting jockey dress ups for the horse racing events, the final day of the closing ceremony saw the presentation of certificates to some delighted household team members.

“What a fantastic idea! Awesome Job!” Said one visiting family member all the way from Canada.

Millbrook Lodge in Gloucester had quite the varied week for the campaign.  Starting the week off feeling good with a pamper afternoon including a chocolate fountain, strawberries and some bubbly!  Residents then chose to take orders and serve their own breakfast and a lunching invitation was sent out and accepted by a local nursery school. The nursery children were a brilliant bunch to come into the home and spend time with residents over lunch, you can only imagine the conversations!

Residents continued the week with some flower arranging and balloon making whilst the sun had come out of hiding which really started to get everyone talking about Spring. One resident decided he wanted to head out and enjoy a meal at his local pub over a nice pint.

The weeks antics were finalised with a Magic show for all residents, family members and staff to enjoy. An amazing week had by all with some strong relationships continuing to blossom.

Residents across Gloucestershire enjoyed every bit of ‘I can’t believe it’s a care home’ week. Well done to all the homes involved.

Two student paramedics from the University of Gloucestershire are spending two weeks at Edwardstow Court to experience life in a care home. Over these two weeks they are shadowing our team as well as spending time with our residents.

One of the main purposes of the training with Edwardstow is to build upon communication skills. Seeing our team members interacting with residents in sometimes difficult situations plus their own experiences in the home will help the students to develop.

One of the student paramedics Laura Draper said, “I really like Edwardstow, I’m really interested in dementia care and I’m always kept on my toes, never knowing what to expect”.

When the placement at Edwardstow has ended the students will move on to a special needs school before returning to university.  The students are in their first year of a 3-year course.

In July, Laura and her fellow students will have their first experiences with the ambulance crew and will be out with South West ambulances working long shifts with them.

Our residents have loved seeing some new faces and we wish all the students the best of luck with their training.