Activities at Challoner House Care Home

Every Monday Morning, the residents look forward to the Move it or Lose it exercise classes. Each week our classes have been getting busier. We are now holding classes twice a week, we have even started to get more family members joining us, which is so lovely. Our Move it or Lose it classes are seated exercises with a range of gentle stretches', weights and relaxation along with some gentle, calming classical music.      

Exercise is such an important activity for our residents as it aids mobility and fall prevention as well as being great to keep us socialising, reducing isolation.  

Today we welcomed back the singing sensation Sarah Hobbs. Sarah started off our singing along with some old-time musical classics before getting us all moving with some Hand Jiving Rock and Roll Songs. Our residents love to see Sarah. She is always so upbeat and interactive, singing and dancing with them. 

One resident, Ken, especially loved to see Sarah as the both belonged to the same local choir. Sarah comes along to sing with the residents at Challoner House every few months, and we look forward to seeing her again very soon.     

The residents, relatives, friends and staff at Challoner House got together this afternoon for a country and western-themed tea party. Our party was already organised a few weeks back, but we all decided to use the afternoon to honour country music queen Dolly Parton. We had a special picture board on display, and we sang and danced along to her country classics. 

We raised a glass as we all listened to Dolly singing I will Always Love You Dolly may be gone, but she will always live on through her music and many lives she touched throughout her career. Thank you to everyone who joined us this afternoon. You all helped to make it a special time to remember.     

This Week Challoner House welcomed back Laura from RISE sports, Laura was joined by her fellow colleague Tamsin. RISE sports offer a variety of seated sports sessions suited for group and individual sessions. Today we enjoyed some Olympic Game activities including shot put, netball, hockey and boxing all of which are adapted to suit our residents needs.
Sports sessions like RISE are so important for our residents they help with dexterity and mobility, cognition as well as being really great fun.

At Challoner House Nursing Home, the room comes alive with energy and focused concentration during the one of residents favourite card game Hoi. Hoi is a traditional card game which is great for exercising cognitive sharpness and memory retention. This card game sparks lively conversations, shared laughter, and a healthy dose of competitive spirit, For many residents, holding a familiar hand of cards provides a comforting sense of routine and nostalgic connection to pastimes enjoyed throughout their lives.

We have been running our Friendship club for the last three months, falling on the third Thursday of each month in the afternoons. 

These sessions are for our residents to have the chance of meeting local members of the community over some favourite games, crafts or just a cup of tea and a chat. Each session we hold will have a different variety of interests for everyone to enjoy.        

The residents, relatives and staff at Challoner House all had great fun celebrating this fun-themed day, dressing up and decorating the dining room ready for the amazing performance by The Steam Town Shanty Crew who sang us through some tow-tapping thigh-slapping shanty classics.           

At Challoner House, we love to celebrate every possible themed day as well as our traditional celebrations, it brings cheer and laughter around the home brightening up everyone's day.  

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Bauer and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon, who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate (that is, in English with a stereotypical West Country accent). The holiday resulted from a sports injury. During a racquetball game between Summers and Baur, one of them, in pain, said, "Aaarrr!" and the idea was born. The game took place on June 6, 1995, but out of respect for the observance of the Normandy landings, they chose Summers's ex-wife's birthday, as it would be easy for him to remember. At first, an inside joke between two friends, the holiday gained exposure when Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to the American syndicated humour columnist Dave Barry in 2002. Barry liked the idea and promoted the day and later appeared in a cameo in their "Drunken Sailor" Sing Along A-Go-Go video. Michigan filk musician Tom Smith wrote the original "Talk Like a Pirate Day" song in 2003.

The residents, families, friends and local community had a lovely afternoon hosting our very first Dog Show in our beautiful gardens. We had such a great turn out with many very well-behaved dogs of different sizes and breeds all entering our 10 categories to win a prize to take home. We had categories varying from Prettiest Bitch to the Judges' Favourite of the day. 

We were also lucky to be joined by the Deputy Mayor of Eastleigh and her assistant to help us judge the categories along with our Resident Ambassadors. We were joined by two local Pet Charities, the Blue Cross Southampton and St Francis Animal Welfare, both raising funds for their deserving charities, and a few other pet-based accessory stalls. 

All the residents had a lovely time and all said how they are now looking forward to next year's show.    

This morning, some of our residents got together and headed out into our sunny courtyard to join in with the Big Butterfly Count. We downloaded the Butterfly spotting sheets from the website so we knew which butterflies to look out for. We got settled at a sunny table, set a 15-minute timer and watched and waited to see what we could find.

Together we spotted only three butterflies, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Large white and 1 Small White. We were also lucky enough to spot a lovely large blue dragonfly buzzing around the garden. 

We are so lucky to have such lovely maintained flower-packed grounds at Challoner House. We try and get out in the garden as much as we can and this survey gave us a good reason to spend more time soaking up the sunshine whilst helping towards the conservation in our local area.

The residents, relatives and staff had a fantastic afternoon celebrating His Royal Highness King Charles' official Birthday. We held a amazing Garden Party with live entertainment from Sarah Hobbs, a selection of beverages from our hydration trolley (the Pimm’s went down a treat) and a vast selection of cakes and nibbles. 

We had dancing, singing and a lot of giggles. It was not the sunniest of afternoons, but we made the most of the warm weather. We finished the afternoon off with a group sing along to God Save our King.      

At Challoner House Nursing Home, the Dining Room filled with energy as Mike, our Resident Ambassador, and David's fellow resident, and self-appointed grandmasters of the tiles, took the lead in a lively afternoon game of dominoes. Sitting proudly at the table, they expertly shuffled the facedown pieces with warm smiles. Mike called out the first double, instantly sparking a sense of friendly competition and camaraderie among his fellow residents. 

The rhythmic, satisfying click of matching tiles filled the room, punctuated by bursts of laughter and light-hearted banter as Mike and David coached a few neighbours on their strategies. More than just a simple pastime, Mike and David's impromptu tournament brought everyone together, filling the afternoon with sharp focus, shared nostalgia, and the vibrant sense of community that makes life at Challoner House so special.         

Today we were so pleased to welcome Dorothy back in for a visit to Challoner. Dorothy came for a short respite break whilst her family went on holiday. For the whole stay, Dorothy sat quietly in the lounge with her needlework on the go. Everyone looking on took great interest in what Dorothy was creating and today, after being home for a week, she came back with the most precious gift. Dorothy's needlework was for a beautiful home that she had created just for Challoner House, so we can always remember her time with us. 

As with all our respite residents, Dorothy is welcome back anytime, whether it is for a stay or just for a coffee and cake. Dorothy's Needlework will be going on display over the next few days once we have found the perfect spot.       

Every Monday morning at Challoner the residents love the Move it or Lose it Classes led by Activity Coordinator Vicky Davison, Vicky has been holding her weekly exercise classes for around 10 years at Challoner House and the residents love the calming relaxing background music along with the easy to follow routine. Move it or Lose it exercise classes are so important for our Mind, Body and Soul, it is not only good for our dexterity, it helps reduce falls risks and helps reduce isolation by keeping us social.

Gathering on the sunny patio, the residents at Challoner House find joy and vitality by playing classic garden games like Hoopla, Bean Bag Toss and other Target Games.

These gentle outdoor activities offer a perfect blend of friendly competition and social interaction, helping older adults build meaningful friendships while combating the risks of isolation. Because many lawn activities such as ring toss can be easily adapted for sitting or standing, they remain fully accessible to individuals with varying cognitive abilities and physical mobility levels. Beyond the laughter and shared stories, reminiscing about going to the fairground in our younger days, stepping out into the garden provides a healthy dose of vitamin D and fresh air, which naturally elevates mood and reduces stress.

Engaging in these rhythmic, playful movements also serves as a subtle form of physical therapy, effectively preserving fine motor skills, core balance, and joint flexibility in a setting that feels like pure fun rather than a daily chore.

The residents at Challoner enjoyed talking about different fruits whilst watching a demonstration on smoothie making by Vicky. Using some of our favourite fruits and a touch of cream and whole milk, we made some lovely blends of rich creamy.

We had the Berry Blast, which had a combination of strawberries and blueberries, The Mango Madness, which was pure mango and the Monkey Mocka, which was banana and chocolate. With some forward planning, we were able to make some dairy-free options using oat milk. On a hot day like today, hydration is of upmost importance and little treats like this go a long way to increase hydration and nutrition.