Activities at Ottley House Care Home

We took a trip to Cardingmill Valley in the south Shropshire hills with some of the residents. The weather was very kind to us and everyone enjoyed a picnic lunch whilst taking in the beautiful surroundings.

Congratulations to Donna Binnersley and our Housekeeping Team, who have been named as Divisional Winners in the Home Trainer of the Year and Team of the Year categories at this year's Barchester Care Awards.

We were the first home in Barchester to be awarded the 10-60-6 accreditation. 

The 10-60-6 is a whole programme approach to help develop both the environment and the staff understanding of dementia care in practice. The programme has been put together following the latest evidence and research-based practice in dementia care. There are four levels of training, underpinned by Dr. Al Power’s 'Seven Domains of Well-being' and the environmental considerations are based upon the work of the King's Fund, with elements of guidance from Stirling University. Each home within the pilot project has undertaken a specific intervention that is new to the company, with Ottley House trialing the Oomph programme with considerable success.

We have been accredited recently and have 91% good or excellent scores against the 76 criteria identified, but we will not stop there, as we will ensure that all of our good scores will soon become excellent.

At the moment, we are still awaiting the new designated signage to arrive, but this will be with us and placed within the unit as soon as it's here.

Early statistical analysis is showing that we have achieved a 100% reduction in anxiolytic medication, a 75% reduction in hypnotic medication and a 35% increase in weight amongst the residents, initially identified in September 2015.

Sunday was a triple event for Ottley House. We held Armed forces day in the dining room. This was a tribute to both veterans from the past and present. Celebrating our day we had a past veteran who stormed the beaches at Normandy. This gentleman dropped in for a visit with medals present and one of the residents, who was a hurricane pilot and fought in the Battle of Britain, was with us to celebrate the day as well. I myself am a veteran and our kitchen assistant Millen is a veteran who served in the Bulgarian army. Millen has seen front line service in Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia. Millen provided a full write up of his career with photos of his time serving on the front line. Our Receptionist's husband had served in the British Army and again provided photos of his experiences. The dining room was laid up with historical artifacts from World War 2 and current military artifacts from our collective experiences and service.

One of our residents Mrs Olive Banbury wrote a very detailed account of her experience in World War 2. This was titled 'Olives War' and was on display for all to read. The Armed Forces day celebration kicked off at 11:30am with a 40 minute performance by Lula May. Lula was a 1940s period singer who dressed authentically for the occasion. She was fantastic and enjoyed by all the residents.

Throughout the day, we had a tombola, face painting and hook-a-duck running. A buffet lunch was served for dinner time and enjoyed by all our guests and residents. The afternoon’s events kicked off with an Oomph physical training session for residents, relatives and staff. This high-energy exercise performance is run by the Activities Coordinator. Following the Oomph session, we then progressed into Irish bingo and the winner managed to bag £30.

Following the bingo, we drew the raffle. There was an excellent range of prizes, with the top being a DAB audio stereo system. Other prizes included a Laura Ashley handbag and purse, whiskey, wine and numerous other delicacies!

The afternoon saw the arrival of the Shrewsbury Air Training Corps military band. The five piece band played for all the residents in the home. They were enjoyed by all and really added to the military theme of the day. A Queen’s 90th birthday cake was also baked and served to all. The afternoon concluded with singer, Mr. John Edward, undertaking a performance on the Memory Lane unit. Again, this was enjoyed by all.

Ottley House was packed on Sunday, so we managed to conduct two tours; I have never seen Ottley House with so many visitors. The whole home was buzzing with excitement and activity. The day's fundraising events allowed us to raise over £400 in donations, from which a contribution has been made to the Barchester Foundation and the remainder has been put into the resident comfort fund.

The last two days have seen many residents and relatives congratulate the home on the triumph that was achieved. I am exceptionally proud of this home and all the staff and relatives who worked so hard to make the day the success that it was. Roll on the Summer Beach Party!