However, The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) is now home to two very special ‘Paro’ seals. Paro seals are therapeutic robots designed for people living with dementia. This week Paro paid a special visit to the residents at Langford View Care Home in Bicester.

Paro is a robot that looks and behaves like a baby harp seal and is intended to have a calming effect on residents living with dementia by provoking emotional responses. Paro’s coat is a pure white synthetic fur and his sensors allow him to react to the person who is holding him, stroking him and talking to him.

Paro first visited the Trust during a pilot study conducted by The Oxford Institute of Population Aging. The study endeavored to understand how older people and people with dementia benefit from interacting with therapeutic robots. The study found that Paro made residents feel less lonely, more loved and some residents who tended to be isolated started to enjoy more social interaction.

OSJCT’s Admiral Nurse, Angie Williams, said: “We are very fortunate to be given the opportunity to use Paro, the newest technology in dementia care, as part of the therapeutic interventions available to residents living with dementia. Paro is amazing as he responds to residents’ engagement with him and this appears to be what residents like most. Seeing Paro in action can melt your heart; residents who would not normally engage seem to really respond to him. When we go into the care homes, they no longer greet us, they ask ‘have you brought Paro with you?’”

Paro’s charm was certainly appreciated by residents at Langford View, who spent time stroking him and talking to him and were fascinated by his responsive movements. Residents were unanimous: come back again soon, Paro!

Around the same time Steph joined the Trust, she began feeling unwell. Sadly, she was eventually diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

“When I found out I was initially shocked and was a bit emotional,” Steph said.

Shortly after her diagnosis, Steph underwent surgery.

“It took four and a half hours, as they found the tumour had spread to some of the lymph nodes, and more small tumours in my neck and upper chest area. I’ve had a total thyroidectomy and neck dissection – hence my Frankenstein scar. The biggest of the tumours was 78mm in diameter.”

Steph is a fighter, and she was born to be a carer.

“I went back to work three weeks after my operation and I was going stir crazy at home. I even made beds for the nurses when I was in hospital as I needed something to do. Thankfully, I am now able to perform all my duties.”

Steph is a keen footballer; her teammates from Dursley Town Ladies joined up with her colleagues at Henlow Court and hosted a football fundraising match, where they raised a £1,000 for CLIC Sargent’s Young Lives vs Cancer campaign, as well as to Steph for lost wages when she was recovering from surgery.

“I was so touched by the sentiment and that so many people turned to watch, help and play. I knew nothing about until the day. It was an amazing day – sunny, fun and I lost my voice through chatting so much!

“We wanted to do something for Steph here at Henlow Court. She’s a loved member of the team and we wish her all the best in her recovery,” Henlow Court’s Activities Co-ordinator, Rebekah Storey-Young, said.

Steph will continue to be on medication for the rest of her life, as well as weekly check-ups and monitoring, but she has faith her colleagues at Henlow Court will support her through this.

“Everyone at Henlow have been amazing during this time.”

Visitors feasted on giant scotch eggs, cream teas and ice lollies, while the entertainment was provided by Bob Charles. The home had a range of visiting stalls which included a bric-a-brac, raffle, greetings cards, books, hand-made jewellery and homeware accessories. The Guide Dogs also came along to support the event by featuring an information stand. The finale of the event was a dog show where a herd of dogs put on their best behaviour to be judged in the following categories: Best in show, most like owner, best at agility, and best behaved.

“We are so happy with the turnout at our first community event; the residents loved the singalong, and it was great to see everyone relaxing in the sunshine,” The Lakes’ Activities Co-ordinator, Beky Miles, said.

An astounding £505 was raised from stalls and donations during in the event, which will be used to book a range of exciting and meaningful events for the residents.

The fete was such a success, it has become an annual event.

Everyone at The Lakes Care Centre would like to thank the community for their help and support – we all had a fabulous time and we have a lot to live up to next year!

However, before Mary joined Athelstan House she spent 35 years working as a midwife for the NHS in the north east of the country. At the young age of 27, Mary made the decision to become a midwife as she wanted to work in a role that made a difference to people.

In 1947, Mary began her training in a nursing home in her home city of Dublin, where she also went on to do her midwifery training.

She then went on to working for the NHS when they first started in 1948. “I saw the advert and I rang up, and I said I’m phoning about the vacancy, and they said come at once! So, I did!” Mary said, as this was post war and they were desperate times. During her career, Mary delivered hundreds of babies, which usually took place at the home of the family. Mary recalls one time where she had to walk across fields in the Northumberland countryside to deliver a baby. She retired at the age of 63.

Mary describes her time with the NHS as positive but felt that the NHS was taken for granted in its early days by her local community. However, Mary is incredibly grateful for the NHS and the services she can access now she has retired.

With support from their local Tesco superstore, the team hosted a stall selling homemade cupcakes and raised £70 for the charity.

Cupcake Day was launched by the Alzheimer’s Society in 2016 and has since raised £1.6million to support their research and community support services.

Cupcake Day was the first of many events hosted by Patchett Lodge to engage the local community as part of a new programme of activities including a weekly coffee morning (every Tuesday from 10.30am), a Strawberry Fair (30th June) and a Summer Fete (11th August).

For more information about any of the upcoming events at Patchett Lodge, contact the home on 01406 422012.

Brian Henry is Coombe End Courts Resident Jockey. As a young man, Brian enjoyed a game of football and was a keen swimmer. He also kept racing pigeons. Born in November 1939, Brian had served his apprentiship with P.M.Taylor at Northlands, Walkington in Beverly.

“I’ve always liked horses, I wasn’t brought up with them as a child, but I always enjoyed watching western movies such as Rainbow Jacket. I’ve just always had a bug for it” Brain said.

Brian rode his first winner when partnering Jack’s Choice (100/9) for Taylor at Catterick on Saturday, 12 April 1958.

As 1958 came to an end, Brian had secured 28 winners. He did even better the following season - his win on Sayajirao Star in Carlisle’s Cumberland Plate was his fortieth against senior riders. That year he was just pipped at the post for the apprentice championship by R.P.Elliott.

Brian won the 1962 Ayr Gold Cup on Janeat, and in September 1964, the freelance northern jockey, then 34 years of age and with just 13 winners on the board that season, made plans to ride in India and Pakistan that winter.

Brian retired in his 40s, but continued to indulge in his love of horses by helping in the stables and training apprentices. He married but did not have any children.

Brian is well travelled, both for riding and for pleasure. He has been to Kenya and Denmark, which are his two favourite places to visit, alongside Germany, Holland and Pakistan, to name a few. Karaoke was another keen hobby of his.

Brian moved to Coombe End Court in the summer of 2017, he has enjoyed his time here. He says he is “well looked after”. He is a pleasure to have at the home and the team love to listen to his stories about when he rode horses for a living.

Two squirrel monkeys scurried into the home during an animal therapy session at the home in April. Animal therapy is proven to be a beneficial for the mind, especially for those with dementia, raising morale and lowering blood pressure. It is more common through cats, dogs and even horses but this time, the 17-year-old black-capped monkeys from South America, Malcom and Mitch were welcomed by residents with open arms!

The monkeys were playful and cute, and donned bright yellow coats. Barbara, who is one of Coombe End Court’s newest residents was thrilled with their visit. “Aren’t they such a delight, this has really made my day. I hope they can come back again soon,” she said.

Another resident explained how they usually have regular animal visits, which included “donkeys, llamas, creepy crawlies, snakes – but the bigger they are, the better.”

“The monkeys coming to Coombs End Court brought joy and happiness to the residents and colleagues, and was a good example of the benefits associated with pet therapy in care homes, and especially for those living with dementia,” OSJCT Admiral Nurse, Tori Bendall, who specialises in dementia care, said.

Evidence suggests that pet therapy can be beneficial for both physical and mental health. People living with dementia retain their emotional memories longer than their functional memories, and therefore time with animals will, for most people, tap into positive emotions and memories.

A quarter of the residents at Coombe End Court are formally diagnosed with dementia. The benefits of animal therapy include reducing anxiety, promoting a calmness and sense of wellbeing.

“We are always on the lookout for different ideas, any animal that comes in is good for our residents,” Coombe End Court’s Activities Coordinator, Clare Gore, said.

The residents spent much of the day visiting, petting and feeding the various animals who live at the centre including pigs, parrots, owls, goats, sheep, tortoises, donkeys and horses. Residents Robin and Eileen both had horses in their pasts; Robin had owned them and Eileen had worked on a farm. They were so pleased to be able reconnect with the mysterious beasts again. As they both took turns to stroke the horse’s muzzle and offer cooing sounds of affection you could see they had travelled back in time, to revisit those days gone by, with a fond and wistful grin on each of their faces.

Residents also enjoyed a stroll down the fairy trail. Looking for clues of the fairy inhabitants, they crept around the wooded area taking in the plants and trees with a lung full of fresh air to drive them forward.

They stopped for a moment to sit beside the duck pond and watched the dragonflies swooping, hovering and zooming away into the trees. Residents recounted childhood memories of feeding ducks with their families. As they took in the tranquil scene and looked out onto the water, just for a moment, residents stopped being residents and the team stopped being carers. In that moment, they were simply a group of people, wondering about the mysteries of life, contemplating their pasts and lapping up the unparalleled sense of peace and serenity which only the countryside can offer.

All that fresh air gave the residents and team members a hankering for something sweet, so they stopped for coffee and a cake at the on-site café before a walk around the gift shop. Many residents bought small mementoes for themselves and their loved ones. The shop has a lovely selection of small trinkets, mostly handmade. More than one resident fell in love with a small, wooden, hand carved rabbit with multiple purchases being made.

As the day drew to an end and residents travelled home they felt a sense of contentment having had a full and satisfying day.

Brookside Care Centre aims to take its residents out into the community as often as possible. They recognise that staying connected with the world around them is not only crucial for their wellbeing but also represents an opportunity for residents to really bond with the care team outside of the typical setting. It allows them to celebrate the fact that in the end, carers and residents alike are all simply people, travelling down a fairy path and to remember that residents can often offer the team just as much as the team can offer them.