Activities at Denmead Grange Care Home
We understand that the people we support have passions and interests that could be difficult to pursue after moving into a care home – but that doesn’t mean we won’t encourage them to try! Some hobbies can define a person, so our activities team is dedicated to ensuring that everyone we support is able to do what makes them happy to the best of their abilities. Social events are organised with individual tastes in mind and with the idea that residents have the opportunity to try new and exciting things.
Lisa Harris
Being Head of life Enrichment isn’t just a job, it’s a passion.
My time with the residents has and will always be an honour and pleasure.
Finding out their interests and hobbies, so I can tailor the weekly planner is such a great thing to do, as this means lots of chats over a good cuppa! But it also means that I can get to know them personally and get to understand a part of their past, so I can continue to help them experience their interests in this next phase of their lives.
A truly rewarding role, where I can be part of and contribute to something meaningful. All I hope for, is to make this journey for both the residents and their families, as restful, easy and enjoyable as possible. Then I know I’ve done my part.
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 Denmead Grange Care Home
Local Charity presented with funds from summer fete
During the summer we held a summer fete in aid of local charities and last week we were proud to finally present Cowplain Age Concern with £350 raised from our own stalls.
The fete was well supported with members of the local community plus family and friends came along and we even had an entertainer to sing for us. The fete was the first one that we had put on and we were overwhelmed with the response and support from everyone involved, Bea one of our residents said “it was such a lovely day everyone had fun, there was lots of laughter and it was great to see how much the local community came together to support Age Concern”
Cowplain Age Concern was chosen by the residents to be the main beneficiary of funds raised as they are a local charity that does a lot of work in the local community, they host a range of activities including keep fit classes, short mat bowls, table tennis, and lunch for the local elderly population as well as providing access to podiatrists and other professionals.
Abbie Johnston our General Manager said “Everyone worked really hard to make the fete work, we had some wonderful stall holders and I am so proud of what we achieved”
A bit of Ukulele fun
Music and entertainment are very important to us here at Denmead Grange and yesterday we were delighted to have the Ukulele band - Strings and Singers back with us to entertain the residents, they are a firm favourite and always go down well.
All of our residents got together to hear them and Margaret said “I’ve never heard them before and they were absolutely brilliant, I can’t wait for the next time they come and play for us.” Sheila agreed saying "I didn’t think it would be my type of music but they are so good I want to hear more”
A trip to the Bistro and Church
At Denmead Grange we love trips out in our minibus and last week some of our residents decided they would like to go to a local bistro for tea and cake.
While we were out they decided they would like to pay their respects to Her Majesty the queen and wanted to sign the memorial book at our local Church, as a way of giving thanks for her many years of service.
So after we finished our wonderful tea we continued on to All Saints Church where they were able to pay their respects and signed the memorial book which is being sent to Buckingham Palace.
What a wonderful afternoon in support of Alzheimer’s UK.
Our residents, their visitors, and local friends joined us for tea and cake and our hairdressers Charlene and Sue came in to support us and help with handing out the refreshments.
People very generously brought in some magnificent homemade cakes and everyone agreed unanimously that the best cakes were the Red Velvet Cake and the home made Fruit Cake.
It was lovely to see such great support for such an important charity, and we are excited to find out how much we raised. The British charity works with individuals and organisations across the UK to encourage people to ‘act on dementia’. The theme this year is diagnosis.
Research from the Alzheimer’s Society shows that the misconception around memory loss being a sign of normal ageing is the biggest barrier to people seeking a dementia diagnosis. With diagnosis rates falling to a five-year low, they want to encourage those who might be living with undiagnosed dementia, to contact them for guidance and support and feel empowered to take the next step
Paying our respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Yesterday we paid our respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her funeral, 19 September 2022.
The whole home came together to honour the Queen, her extraordinary life and service to the nation and the Commonwealth over 70 years of reign, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
We all watched the televised service of the State Funeral that took place in Westminster Abbey, followed by the Committal Service in St George’s Chapel, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
After the official ceremony, we had a discussion about our much loved and respected Queen, her early life and numerous milestones. We all shared our memories of her and reminisced about her extraordinary reign and contribution to our country.
Having fun indoors
We love to have fun and exercise in any way we can and indoor bowling is a great way to do just that, it doesn't matter if you need a frame where there is a will there is a way! The residents love a bit of competition and Norman was determined to win but Joan took the lead early on and was the winner - well done Joan
