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.

In Banbury, residents of Larkrise Care Centre enjoyed an afternoon of glamour, awards and fun at a special Oscars ceremony. After a pamper morning with make-up and hair styling residents got dressed up in their finest frocks and suits before making their way down the red carpet to the awards ceremony. They were entertained by a singer and then enjoyed some delicious canapes cooked by their talented chef. They enjoyed a sumptuous feast followed by dancing and a casino.

Langford View Care Centre in Bicester had a silent disco! Residents had so much fun dancing to the music and the room was completely quiet apart from people singing along. Everyone got dressed up and had glow sticks and disco lights to complete their look.

Residents from Madley Park in Witney took to the ice with some accessible ice skating at Oxford Ice Rink, while Westgate’s residents in Wallingford admired their talented friends’ work in their very own art exhibition and Henry Cornish Care Centre in Chipping Norton welcomed squirrel monkeys through their doors.

Much more went on besides and it was vibrant, fun week that truly broke the mould of what activities people might expect to see in a care home.

As part of OSJCT’s Trust-wide ‘I Can’t Believe It’s a Care Home’ competition, residents at Langford View were keen to challenge perceptions by showcasing the unexpected activities they like to do, such as this disco with a twist.

The room was lit up with glowsticks and disco lights and, after dressing up in wigs and colourful clothing, residents were each given a set of wireless headphones. Residents danced the morning away to tunes that came through their headphones which included some disco classics.

Some people sang along, but listening to the music through the headphones rather than through speakers gave the peculiar effect of a room full of people dancing to nothing!

It was a great chance to show off dance moves and party with fellow residents. The vibrant, fun activity was enjoyed by all and shows that life begins at Langford View!

Care Home Open Day this year is on Friday the 28th of June and the theme is ‘Celebrating Arts in Care’. The day allows care homes across the country to open their doors to the public for a fun-filled event promoting interaction, experiences and memories for the residents in the homes.

Carehome.co.uk has noted that care homes are “incredibly creative communities”. The Care Home Open Day gives residents the opportunity to be part of a national event showcasing their hobbies, talents and enjoyment through painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, movement, drama and music. Any art form can be portrayed.

At OSJCT our county homes are busy preparing for the day. Here is a snapshot of Wiltshire’s plans.

Ashwood – An arts and crafts exhibition will be held displaying resident and employees’ creations. Also showcased will be photography from The Warminster school and winning creations from an art competition entered by pupils from St Johns school.

Athelstan House – Is making a giant mural of Malmesbury in tapestry which will involve residents, relatives, staff and the larger community in this art project.

Avonbourne Care Centre – Is holding a day filled with art. The local school will be attending to create paintings and crafts of residents lives and their past. These will then be gifted to the residents. There will also be a competition for residents and carers to create pieces of work.

Buckland Court – Will be ‘Celebrating our Creative Arts’ during the week leading up to the 28th of June. Residents along with children from local schools will be present to help assist. Entertainers will also be visiting the home to promote music and an open day/community café will be held with cream teas.

Coombe End – Photos are being created for a calendar entitled “growing old disgracefully”. These will be printed onto canvas to exhibit on the open day.

Fives Court – Is celebrating ‘Arts in Care’ with residents painting individual canvases and a larger canvas will be on display for family and visitors to contribute to. There will be an exhibition of all at the end of the day. A Greek dancer has been invited to share music and dance as well as a local quilters group and literacy group. A photography session will be held in the garden for residents and all to learn and enjoy.

Goodson Lodge – White Horse Pottery is coming to the home to give a talk, demonstration and practical experience to the residents on the pottery wheel. Throughout the day all will be doing hand prints which will be varnished and placed on the home’s art wall in the garden.

A community choir will be visiting the home on this day to entertain and interact with the residents.

Hayward House – Is doing a coffee morning and art exhibition with residents which will include the use of salt dough made by children from the local school. There will be a poetry corner done by residents and photographs they have taken will also be displayed. Also, on show will be mosaic tiles made by scouts and residents.

Hungerford House – Residents will be painting on large blank canvases which once complete will be placed on the walls of the home. A barbeque will be at lunchtime and then a session of marble art through the use of polystyrene balls and sticks to create garden ornaments to place in flower beds and pots. A tropical/Hawaiian theme will be part of the whole day with a magician entertaining everyone in the afternoon.

Seymour House – Sainsbury’s Chippenham will be coming along on the day to help support the home with painting on glass and fabric. All under a Caribbean theme which they have also been helping to create in the garden.

St Wilfrid’s Priory – An ‘rockabilly’ entertainer will be coming into the home to talk to residents about theatre life. This will be followed by a picnic lunch and then the entertainer will do a performance of old classics.

The Cedars – A Dementia Friends session will start the morning followed by Alzheimer’s Support visiting and providing talks to the community. Alongside this will be a ceramic pottery class. A Hawaiian picnic will follow and in the afternoon a keyboard entertainer and pets as therapy session.

Willowcroft – A travelling farm will visit in the morning on the day. Local schools have been invited and to join a picnic and in the afternoon the residents will be doing an art show.

Care Home Open Day this year is on Friday the 28th of June and the theme is ‘Celebrating Arts in Care’. The day allows care homes across the country to open their doors to the public for a fun-filled event promoting interaction, experiences and memories for the residents in the homes.

Carehome.co.uk has noted that care homes are “incredibly creative communities”. The Care Home Open Day gives residents the opportunity to be part of a national event showcasing their hobbies, talents and enjoyment through painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, movement, drama and music. Any art form can be portrayed.

At OSJCT our county homes are busy preparing for the day. Here is a snapshot of Oxfordshire’s plans.

Chilterns Court – A local playgroup will be visiting the home for a sing-a-long and helping to support an arts and crafts project day.

Glebe House – Will be holding an art session in the morning to create a summer themed collage. The rest of the day will be all about music with karaoke, a volunteer guitarist coming to play in the afternoon and a taster musical instrument session.

Henry Cornish – The residents artwork will be display on the day and RAF Brize Norton will be joining on the day.

Isis House – Is holding a special ‘arty coffee morning’ for the Nippers & Slippers intergenerational playgroup and will also have the local school visit. Residents and the children will partake in arts and crafts throughout the day.

Lake House – Has invited the local school to come in and visit the residents for an art day.

Langford View – Is creating a big piece of art which the local community is invited to contribute to. There will be a fete at the home with refreshments, activities and stalls.

Larkrise – Will have an art exhibition by both residents and carers hopefully being opened by a member of the local town council. An afternoon tea party will be held and a ‘create your own masterpiece’ in the garden area.

Longlands is planning an arts and crafts day which includes painting plant pots and canvasses. Residents, families and the local community are invited to join and there will also be a cake sale and raffle.

Madley Park – Will be having a ‘rock and roll’ performance on the day.

Marston Court – Will be holding an art exhibition of residents’ work and will have a visit from a local music group and falconry to entertain all.

MeadowCroft – Has organised a local singer/guitarist and pianist to come into the home for a sing song. This will be followed by a display of art projects, poetry and knitting pieces. Also open to the community is a wander around the newly planted garden area which will be created in the month of June with the Rotary Club and local businesses.

The Meadows – Will be outdoors in their garden redesigning and painting their potting shed and cladding. They are hoping to have musicians to also come into the home on the day.

Old Station House – Will be holding a karaoke event alongside an art exhibition by the residents on the day.

Spencer Court – The residents will be creating a range of artwork in different mediums which will be hopefully displayed in a pop-up gallery in the local town of Woodstock. Further artwork will be shown in the home alongside refreshments for the local community.

Stirlings – Is creating a big mosaic with support from The Ray Collins Charitable Trust.

Townsend House – Has already started work with Creative Mojo as part of their national Tree of Life project. The home is painting colourful butterflies to go on their Tree of Celebration in the home. On the day there will be a BBQ, games and an entertainer performing.

Westgate – Is holding a barbecue and an expo of artwork by residents will be displayed.

Care Home Open Day this year is on Friday the 28th of June and the theme is ‘Celebrating Arts in Care’. The day allows care homes across the country to open their doors to the public for a fun-filled event promoting interaction, experiences and memories for the residents in the homes.

Carehome.co.uk has noted that care homes are “incredibly creative communities”. The Care Home Open Day gives residents the opportunity to be part of a national event showcasing their hobbies, talents and enjoyment through painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, movement, drama and music. Any art form can be portrayed.

At OSJCT our county homes are busy preparing for the day. Here is a snapshot of Lincolnshire’s plans.

Apple Trees – The theme will be ‘Celebration of Summer’ which will include Wimbledon with strawberries and cream. Music will be accompanied alongside a holiday on the beach dressing up event.

Beckside – Will be holding arts and crafts with the residents on the day including an exhibition of all the work with refreshments, includes cakes baked by the residents, for all to enjoy.

Boultham Park House – Is hosting an old time musical themed event with an afternoon tea party alongside the opening of the home’s newly refurbished café.

Digby Court – Will be displaying art work created by residents relating to the refurbishment of the lounge area. Relatives, families and the local community is invited to come along.

Ermine House – Local artists will be coming to the home to give art lessons in the garden and to help residents create their own pieces of work.

Gregory House – The residents will be engaging in several art and craft workshops including glass making, art classes, photography and the continuation of the Elder Tree writing project. On the actual day there will be a ‘big’ unveiling for everyone to see.

Fosse House – Children from Lincoln Minster school will be coming to sing for the residents in the morning. In the afternoon, the dining area will be turned into an art studio from colouring to finger painting to clay mounting. Family, friends and the community are invited to explore their creative side with the residents.

Hartsholme House –  Is displaying pottery and crafts created by the residents and the volunteers. During the day there will be a sing-a-long with the local ukulele band.

Skirbeck Court – Is having a picnic in the garden on the day.

Whitfrairs – Will be visited by the Rocking Horse nursery for a community painting session which will show residents hand prints and children images displayed on a canvas. Carers will also be dressing up in a 1960’s theme with an entertainer performing the decade.

Daniel ‘Danny’ Thomas joined the Army when he was 18 years old to complete his National Service. His first placement was in Wiltshire before, being sent out to be stationed in Cyprus.  Danny worked his way up and was promoted to the rank of Corporal. His colleagues felt he was Sergeant material, but he left his service at age 21 to get maries and enjoy a family life.

With the support of his daughter, Danny completed his application to receive his Veteran’s badge. Once the badge was received the Activities Team at Monkscroft invited Roy Roberts, Chairman of the Royal British legion Cheltenham Branch, to present Danny with his Veteran’s Badge. The day was made very special and a ceremony was put on especially for Danny.

Danny was joined by his family, other residents and the team for the presentation. Roy spoke with Danny and his daughter Sharon about his service experiences and they shared photographs with Roy. It was a lovely afternoon which was followed by tea and cake.

The memory café welcomed members of the local community, volunteers and people from local organisations. There was plenty of information and leaflets available, along with the support of our Head of Dementia Care.

It was a great opportunity for the local community to get together and be able to speak to other local people in the same situation whilst having a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

A board was set up with what people would like from the next memory café, so this will continue to evolve and grow.

The next memory café at Monkscroft Care Centre is Wednesday 6th March 2-4pm, the event is free, informal and everyone is welcome.

This annual competition sees each of the homes go head to head in a quest to break down negative perceptions of living in a care home, by showcasing some of the most unique and unexpected activities which are organised for our residents.

Goodson opted to have a jam-packed day full of quirky activities. They kicked off at 11:00am with a yoga warm up followed by a drumming lesson. Residents lined the perimeter of the garden lounge and were treated to some slow and relaxing movements to loosen their joints before the drums came out.

African Djembe drums were handed around the group and residents began to make sounds by tapping different parts of the drum. The volume gradually increased as their confidence grew which drew in a few more of the shyer residents to sneak a peek at what was happening. As carers recognised the arrival of the new participants they were each passed their own drums. The intensity of the drumming continued to grow until a final chorus of vigorous drumming filled the air, to the rhythm of ‘nice-cup-of-tea’! Residents laughed and gave themselves a round of applause before they gradually departed, having burned off enough calories for a particularly hearty lunch.

Residents reconvened in the garden at 2:00pm for a ‘paint splat session’. Whilst the residents were tucking into their lunch, a few enthusiastic young men on work experience had been busy preparing the arena. Balloons were filled with brightly coloured poster paint and pinned to a large backdrop of lining paper.

With darts in hand, the team invited the parade of residents up the path, one by one residents stepped up to the mark, took aim and fired their darts in the balloons direction. Cheers erupted throughout the garden as each balloon was burst, revealing the brightly coloured paint inside which splattered dramatically onto the canvas. Some balloons were rather more explosive than the team had expected, and a few rouge splats made their way back towards the crowd, demonstrating the value of planning and the wise purchase of the water-based paint!

Resident Mary sported a rather fetching blue streak through her hair, but Mary didn’t let this bother her, nor did the few residents whose frames, and walkers that were redecorated. The residents were having so much fun that a little spray would not dampen the mood. As the darts continued to fly and more balloons met their end it became obvious that certain residents had some previous experience in throwing. With a particular degree of finesse one residents popped three balloons in a row, one after another.

Later that afternoon residents took part in a Zumba class, this proved challenging but very exciting and many departed from the prescribed moves to a more familiar dancing with partners. Whilst many entertainers will automatically default to the songs of old, the residents delighted in bopping around to modern day music.

The music got the residents dancing, clapping and laughed their way through the hour, swapping partners and spinning around the floor. Some of the residents were keen to show the young carers how it was done and the instructor herself was stolen for a dance on several occasions! Carers wrapped feather bowers around a few seated residents and performed their best shimmies to the delight of those watching. At the end of the hour both carers and residents were thoroughly worn out and as they left the lounge, they were cheerfully encouraged that a big cup of tea was needed to replenish their fluid levels.

Residents continued to recount the highlights of the day long into the evening and confirmed that they would like to see a repeat of each of the activities in the near future. A great day was had by all, a sign that the team did a truly marvellous job in ensuring the day was a success.