Celebrating life at Barchester

Last week saw the introduction of Barchester’s ‘Fall Fighter’ campaign in association with RoSPA and Elgar Court Care Home are on a mission to fight falls within our local community!

Falls are the single biggest cause of accidental injuries in the home, and sadly the largest cause of accidental death among over-65s in the UK.  Falls have a huge impact on people’s lives – from physical injuries, poor mental health, loss of mobility, loneliness, social isolation and loss of independence. Unfortunately, falls also have a huge impact on our society, costing the NHS and wider healthcare systems over £4billion every year.

The Fall Fighter movement has been developed with the aim of creating a global fall fighting community and we want YOU to join us!

Home Services Advisor Naomi has been out and about in the local community today delivering the awareness session to Community Action Malvern and District’s Chief Officer Kate Walton and her team.    Kate said ‘Thank you Naomi - I’ve taken away some really useful tips that I can pass on to those that use our services’

The team at Elgar Court will be visiting local groups and organisations over the coming weeks to continue delivering the importance of this campaign and how we can all make a real difference.  Please contact us if you would like us to visit your organisation.

Our Spooky event was a howling success!  Residents, staff and visiting guests got into the ghoulish spirit, and joined in the party games and dancing with live singing entertainment.  Residents commented, 'We are so lucky to have amazing support and we are already really looking forward to the next party!'

We had a lovely time joining Angela Cobbin for a theatre-inspired virtual talk about her book ‘My Name is Not Wigs’.               ‘My Name Is Not Wigs’ is the ultimate read for fans of witty behind-the-curtains memoirs, especially those with a penchant for the bright lights of stage and screen: tears and accolades aplenty                                                                                        

Angela shared interesting facts with our residents about her book, her life and her experiences as a wig creator in London’s West End in celebration of World Theatre Day.

We couldn't have wished for a better day to celebrate the opening of our new home at our Summer Garden Party! The sun was shining, the "sparkly" flowing and with stalls and entertainment on offer and all safely held, a great time was had by all!

An exciting new scheme is being rolled at Ashchurch View to try and keep residents engaged in active and meaningful activities during lockdown.

Children from Japan who are studying English have been sharing information in their letters about their hobbies, how they are finding studying English in school, their favourite foods, places, what they like to eat, and asking residents lots of questions.

We have received the first bundle of letters & gifts from the school children, and we’ve been very excited to show these to residents.

It’s a really special way for residents at the home to stay connected with their Pen pals, and we are looking forward to sitting down and helping to write letters back to the children.

Before COVID-19 came along, we had weekly visits by children from the nearby St Catherine’s Primary School. They cannot visit at the moment, so we have established a pen pal scheme with them.

The children have sent us cards, drawings and letters. We have watched their nativity play on our tablets and enjoyed both seeing and hearing the children.

At the moment, class 4 is learning about farming in Cornwall, and they have written letters with lots of questions for us. We write back to them while we spend time chatting and reminiscing about farming or wherever our thoughts and memories take us.

Moors Manor has been lending a helping hand to NHS staff at St Leonards Hospital as they start their COVID-19 vaccination programme.

It’s been great to be able to offer our car park to the hard working staff from the hospital to allow more space for those attending their vaccine appointment. The team have been out in all weathers making sure that the traffic marshals have hot drinks and helping out however they can.

The team have also put together treat bags for the NHS staff to say thank you, which were left on their cars for when they finished their shift, the home has had great feedback from the hospital team, with several nurses visiting Moors Manor to say thank you and comment on how appreciated they feel.

This week’s Virtual Classroom session was a Christmas-themed Winter Wonderland. The students at Coopersale Theydon Garnon School created a fun Christmas quiz for our residents, which lead to reminiscing about Christmas past, as well as a wider discussion on seasonal holidays, including Hunukkah. It was a fun and informative exploration of the season!

Although our residents have been keeping in touch with their families with garden visits, zoom calls, Facetime and telephone calls, they have also been writing to their families in 'the old fashioned way'. 

With pictures and news, we are sure their families will treasure these letters. Keeping in touch with loved ones is so important in these unprecedented times.

Birthdays may be celebrated a little differently at the moment, but with plenty of banners, balloons and cake, we have been able to make magical memories during resident garden visits.

Despite the restrictions of lockdown, music lives on and our residents had a wonderful time listening and singing along to music performed by Philippa Mo, a professional violinist, and Jennifer Begley, a professional opera singer.

I just wanted to say how truly professional and caring the staff at Lucerne House in Exeter have been during this ongoing crisis.

We have received many cards of thanks and kindness during this time. It is lovely to receive positive feedback from families and friends. 

So a big thank you to you all!

Thank you for your wonderful care for my husband... All the staff have been so caring especially when he was in quarantine.

Our family would like to say a big thank you to all the carers and nurses who have looked after Mum.

Team members and residents at Queens Court were thrilled to receive colorful and positive letters from Dundonald Primary School pupils. The staff and residents appreciate the continued support and kindness shown by the community. Thank you!

Recently, we have been able to allow residents to have visits from their family and loved ones. After the COVID-19 lockdown, it has been a huge relief for everyone to be reunited and able to speak to each other face-to-face.

Since the beginning of March, Hunters has done everything possible for residents to be able to stay in contact with family and friends, including via Skype and Facetime, but there is no substitute for face-to-face contact, and with the recent relaxing of lockdown rules, it has been to safe to start family visits, albeit under strict criteria to maintain safety.

Visits have taken place outside and at a distance of three metres, but when the weather has been unsettled, the resident has remained inside and is able to speak to their visitor, who remains outside under shelter. There have been lots of happy smiling faces and a sense of relief that families have been reunited.

Christy and Hayley, who love to crochet, came up with an idea of crocheting hearts for all residents and their families. 

During the coronavirus pandemic, all our residents are missing their loved ones; we do have Skype and FaceTime, but it’s not the same as giving your loved one an extra special hug. 

We attached a poem to the hearts and sent along a postcard to let all our families know we are well. It’s such a wonderful gesture; a big thanks to the girls for crocheting over 100 hearts!