Activities at Austen House Care Home
Here at Austen House, we like to get to know those we support, and from the day of moving in, our activities team will spend time on an individual basis learning about interests, likes and dislikes, life history and favourite hobbies.
We provide a wide range of activities, from one-to-one time, manicures and board games, through to live entertainment, prize bingo and our ever-popular cheese & wine events. Our activities team will also tailor individual activities to ensure residents can have as much or as little involvement as they choose.
In the summer months, greater focus is given to outdoor activities, such as barbecues and garden parties. In conjunction with our Chef, themed events are planned throughout the year, bringing activities and food together.
In their pink polo shirts, our activities team are easily identifiable and embrace ideas and suggestions from residents and their relatives to ensure that the activities provided keep those we support engaged, stimulated and entertained.
Iuliana Buican
Hi my name is Iuliana, I was a history teacher for 12 years before I joined Barchester in 2017. I am passionate about my job and love working with people. I enjoy planning and delivering meaningful activities which make a difference to our residents lives.
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
Activities and Events Partnerships
As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies
Life at Austen House Care Home
Summer BBQ Party!
Staff, residents, relatives and the local community came together at Austen House to enjoy our annual Summer Fete on 12th August.
Even though the weather wasn't perfect, it couldn't stop us from enjoying delicious BBQ and cakes prepared by our head chef and his team, refreshments, cocktails and live entertainment from the amazing Gary.
It was a really special day with lots of laughter and fun!
Out and About
Residents at Austen House enjoyed a minibus trip to Henry Street Garden Centre.
We had a great time admiring and smelling the beautiful flowers and were delighted to see and feed the colourful fish.
Austen House organise regular minibus trips and our residents really enjoy finding new places to visit.
Brian’s wish came true!
Brian, a resident at Austen House , had always wanted to go fishing again, so staff at the home set about making his wish a reality.
Brian has lived at Austen House since January 2023 and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making his dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to him, and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on Brian’s face when his dream was realised.
Chris Rees, Head of Maintenance, first found out about Brian’s dream in March when Brian was reminiscing about past fishing trips and, ever since then, he has been dedicated to helping Brian achieve his goal.
Chris and Daniel from the homes Maintenance team made arrangements for Brian to get out and fish at Ashmoore Lakes, near Old Basing and the hospitality team arranged for a packed lunch for them. Realising they had a good day for it and keen to head out for their fishing trip, Brian, Chris and Daniel got ready early on a Friday morning and set off with their bag full of fishing gear. Brian caught and hooked several different fish such as common and mirror carp during the day out. Brian had a great time, he loved being back by the water with his fishing rod in hand.
In response to this wonderful surprise, Brian said: It is such an amazing feeling to know that such a lovely group of people care so much about me that they helped me to live out a dream and go fishing again. I absolutely loved it, nothing beats a day spent fishing it reminded me of so many other fantastic days I have spent by the water over the years. It is good for the soul. I am so grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.
National Ice Cream Day
To celebrate National Ice Cream Day, staff and residents at Austen House were treated to a virtual talk, interactive quiz and delicious ice cream tasting session from Walls Marketing Manager, Sue Carruthers Sue works in Unilever’s Away from Home team, which supports the care sector.
Sue took residents on a fantastic journey through history, sharing fascinating details about the Walls brand since its launch back in 1922. Staff and residents learned about major innovations such as the introduction of game-changing products throughout the years with the likes of Mr Whippy, Cornetto, Viennetta, Twister and Carte d'Or.
Residents reminisced about their favourite ice creams and were treated to a singalong to Cornetto classic ads, an interactive quiz about fun Walls facts and best-of-all, an ice-cream tasting session.
Wimbledon at Austen House!
Our tennis fans had a wonderful afternoon watching Wimbledon final in the lounge or from the comfort of their rooms, along with delicious strawberries & cream treats and a glass of Pimm’s.
A lovely time was had by all.
World Chocolate Day
On 7th of July, we celebrated World Chocolate Day with a range of chocolatey activities.
Our residents and team members enjoyed an exciting tasting experience, where they had the chance to try different chocolate bars from all over the world. In the afternoon, we took part in themed quiz, tasted our delicious treats and had a discussion about our favourite chocolate.
We all had a wonderful and yummy day!
