Activities at Elm Bank Care Home

The residents and staff were treated to a truly unique experience as they invited Rebecca from ‘Sweet Memories of Hadleigh’ to their home with her pop-up sweet shop.

Rebecca transported the residents back in time with the authentic sights, smells and the old classic tastes of confectionary from the past. It was a magical journey as she weighed out the sweets meticulously with her traditional scales, selling them by the quarter for the residents. There was jar after jar of beautifully coloured old-time favourites all set out so that residents could browse.

Resident, Pam, said: “My husband and I owned a shop, this was many years ago and this has really brought back some lovely memories for me. It is the weighing out of the sweets that I remember the most and all my favourites I want are here.”

Tina, Activities Co-ordinator said, “The residents had a truly wonderful time browsing through the extensive selection of sweets and it was beautiful to see the faces of our residents as they saw their old-time favourites. One particular sweet that caught the resident’s eyes was the “Sherbet Fountain”, all the residents had a story to tell about the sweet.”

Larisa Bledea, General Manager at Elm Bank said: “It was lovely to see everyone together, and enjoying this wonderful experience that Rebecca created for our residents. It really was a journey down memory lane and it was beautiful to hear our residents reminisce about when they were younger and how they remembered all the sweets that were on display.”

We are super delighted to announce that Care assistant Emmanuel has been nominated by residents and staff for his continued support and commitment to his role, and always willing to go the next step.

General Manager, Larisa Bledea said “Well done Emmanuel we are very proud of you on this nomination, and proud that you are always looking to improve your skills and knowledge, striving to make the residents in the home feel confident and cared for at all times”. 

Emmanuel was presented with flowers, wine and chocolates by Larisa to celebrate along with a voucher.

Staff and residents had a fantastic time celebrating ‘Real Bread Week’, surely one of the best weeks of the year!

We all understand the importance of life enriching activities for all our residents here at the home. Many of the residents would have created delicious homemade bread back in the day, for some it was a first. It was an afternoon of mixing and kneading, with simple ingredients, flour, water, and some aromatics. The homes chefs were delighted to bake up the creations for all to enjoy for tea.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina, said: “Many of our residents used to make their own bread and this wonderful activity allowed a lot of reminiscing of days gone by, the residents appreciated the chance to make bread once again. It allowed for them to connect to their past and share some wonderful stories.”

General Manager, Larisa Bledea, said: “The home was filled with the smell of freshly baked bread and the residents certainly enjoyed the fresh baked loaves warm out of the oven with butter on for with their tea. It was a wonderful activity that got so many residents involved and brought many together so that they were able to share the stories of their pasts.”

Residents and staff enjoyed an unforgettable Valentine’s Day with music, memories and sweet treats.

Residents and staff were treated to a heart-warming celebration filled with music, nostalgia, and delicious treats. The day was made perfect and made even more special with a live performance from local singer Gavin Spencer who delivered a trip down memory lane. Gavin performed classic songs from the resident’s pasts, songs that had residents unlocking their fond memories of times gone by. Residents sang and danced the afternoon away, with some even crying a few happy tears whilst sharing stories of their younger days and first loves.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina said: “Gavin created such a magical afternoon for all our residents, and one thing we cannot thank him enough for, is he also delivered songs to our residents who reside in their rooms. Gavin delivered the bedside concerts as a kind gesture, which truly was a touching experience for our residents. Gavin made it a very all-inclusive afternoon spreading love and joy to all.”

General Manager, Larisa Bledea, said: “What a wonderful afternoon of celebrations was had here at the home. As a home we are truly grateful to Gavin for offering to perform to our residents in their rooms, it really made for a magical afternoon.”
 

Residents and staff celebrated the life and music of the legend Buddy Holly. Steve Carmel created an afternoon of nostalgia that had all singing and tapping their feet.

Steve Carmel delivered a fantastic performance with not only the one and only number one hit that Buddy Holly had, “That’ll Be the Day” he also shared many interesting facts about the man himself.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina said: “Steve was brilliant he really took the residents back in time with all the old time Rock ‘n’ Roll favourites. It was great to see how the residents all sang along and reminisced on the 1950’s era. It was such an uplifting afternoon for all.

General Manager, Larisa Bledea, said: “Lots of our residents are big Buddy Holly fans and loved his music.  We’ve had a fantastic day here at the home listening to all his hits performed by Steve, the residents truly enjoyed the engaging afternoon.”

The residents were delighted to have live bedside room concerts performed just for them in their own rooms by the talented singer Gavin Spencer.

We all know the impact music can have on a person’s mental wellbeing, not only can it transport us to a different place, it provides a feeling of warmth. The residents were thrilled to have experienced the live bedside concerts, from the exceptional singer Gavin Spencer. Gavin went from room to room, delivering beautiful songs creating a truly memorable experience for each resident. The delight on the faces of the residents was just clear to see. Residents were lost in the moment, listening intently to each note, transported for a moment in to complete happiness.

Activities Lead Tina, said: “All of us here at the home would like to thank Gavin for adapting his lounge concerts, it has allowed for full inclusion and has given joy to our residents across the home. We are all looking forward to Gavin returning and doing this again for us.”

General Manager Larisa Bledea said: "It was lovely of Gavin to come to the home and perform his bedside concerts to our residents within their own rooms. Gavin has been to us and sang for all our residents in the main lounge, but to go the extra mile and adapt his performance for individual rooms was just amazing.”

Staff and residents have successfully hatched 10 beautiful fluffy chicks from incubated eggs.

A lovely delivery of 10 incubated eggs from the company called ‘Living Eggs’ was delivered to the residents and staff at Elm Bank care home to take care of and hatch. All ten little eggs hatched in to beautifully fluffy chicks. It was a wonderful experience for all as residents and staff learnt about the process of hatching eggs from incubation. After hatching the little fluffy chicks were named and transferred in to the broad box where they have been enjoying lots of Easter cuddles.

Activities Lead, Tina said: “Living Eggs provided us all here at the home the chance to hatch our own fluffy chicks for Easter, we received 10 eggs and successfully we hatched all. It has taught us all here so much about the whole process and at the same time provided so much fun.”

General Manager Larisa Bledea said: “What a wonderful Experience here at the home for our residents and staff, something different and now they are all happy receiving wonderful cuddles from all here in the home and also those from the local experience. Many of our residents recall having kept chicken themselves and this was truly a lovely experience for them.”
 

The residents and staff  were treated to a truly unique and glamorous experience as they hosted their very own London Fashion Week pop-up shop.

Residents welcomed Anne and Julie from ‘Count down Cares’, who have been bringing fashion to care homes and surrounding communities for over 12 years. Anne and Julie’s passion for style and their devoted commitment to reaching diverse communities shone through as they transformed a section of Elm Bank care home in to a treasure trove of delightful clothes.

Tina, Activities Co-ordinator said, “The residents had a truly wonderful time browsing through the racks of colourful clothes, all within the comfort of their home surroundings. It was lovely to see residents discussing colours, patterns and reminiscing about their own fashion choices throughout their lives. It was not just about the clothes, it was about the joy and the fun residents had, the chance for them to indulge in some personal pampering and self-expression.”

Larisa Bledea, General Manager said: “It is lovely to see everyone together, and celebrating London Fashion Week was important here at the home, and to have Anne and Julie bring the whole shopping experience to Elm Bank was brilliant. The residents had the opportunity to try clothes on and it was great to have family come in to join in.”
 

January Employee of the Month Big Congratulations to Kye! 

We are absolutely delighted announce that Kye, one of our youngest team members and a fantastic Host here at Elm Bank, has been nominated our Employee of the Month! Kye was presented with a voucher and certificate from Head Chef Sophie.

Kye was nominated by both our residents and his colleagues, which truly shows the impact he has on everyone in the home. Those who nominated him described him as caring & kind and always going the extra mile with a smile. Nothing is ever too much trouble for him with a calm & professional disposition, Kye remains remarkably composed in a stressful situation, showing maturity beyond his years.

Larisa Bledea General Manager said "Kye is a ray of sunshine in our home, always happy to help and always on hand when someone needs him. We are so lucky to have such dedicated young talent on our team".
 

The residents and staff enjoyed a spectacular educational presentation from Simon Watts to celebrate the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.

The afternoon mood was set as the residents settled down to welcome the return of Simon Watts, a wildlife presenter. Simon came with a wealth of knowledge that had the residents captivated and fully engaged. Simon explored garden birds in Winter and looked at the important role that gardens play for our countryside birds at this time of year.  

Residents, said: “It was such an informative and educational presentation and we loved the questions, really got us thinking and we have learnt so much. It makes you realise we really need to be looking after the birds!”

General Manager, Larisa Bledea, said: “Many of our residents enjoy nature and spending time in nature, our residents also love to learn about nature. Simon offered a very good presentation that really had our residents engaged in conversation and certainly got them all thinking about the importance of looking after our birds.”
 

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Elm Bank care home, in Kettering, have been enjoying Staff and residents have been enjoying beautiful fluffy chick cuddles.

A lovely delivery of incubated eggs successfully hatched at the home, 10 eggs in total were delivered in an incubator from the company ‘Living Eggs’ and all 10 eggs hatched, and it has been cuddles galore for staff and residents. The delightful little chicks have provided so much fun and joy for all throughout the home.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina said: “Living Eggs provided us all here at the home the chance to hatch our own fluffy chicks for Easter, we received 10 eggs and successfully we hatched all. These little chicks have given us so much fun and joy with all our residents having a chance to spend quality time enjoying moments of pure fluffy fun.”

General Manager Larisa Bledea said: “It has been so much fun to have these beautiful little fluffy chicks here in the home. Our residents and staff have all enjoyed quality time with the chicks and the joy they have given to us all has ensured that we will be doing this again next year.”
 

The residents and staff were thrilled to receive a very generous donation of Easter Eggs and Flowers from Jeremy and business partner Antonia.

Jeremy and his partner run the business ‘Treasure Hunting Brothers’, the business also has a YouTube channel that explains how the business buys abandoned storage units and the contents of which are sold off to keep the business running. Jeremy and his partner decided they would make the kind donation of flowers and Easter eggs for the residents to spread some Easter joy. Jeremy has a great community link with the home and the activities team and gestures of kindness like this donation really has a lovely impact on the residents of the home.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina said: “The wonderful donation of gifts from Jeremy and Antonia mean so much to us and they certainly put smiles of joy on our residents faces. We truly are so grateful for everything they do to support the home”

General Manager Larisa Bledea said: “We cannot thank Jeremy and Antonia enough for their generous donation. The gifts they have donated were greatly appreciated by our residents and it is wonderful to see a community that is wanting to be so involved in the home and all we do.”

Residents and staff celebrated Pancake Day in a true competitive fun filled afternoon.

The residents enjoyed the traditional sweet treat with toppings of their choice, lemon and sugar being a firm favourite, as well as spending an afternoon perfecting the art of flipping pancakes. The chefs prepared a stack of pancakes for the fun filled activity, and everyone was involved as a whole home approach, it certainly was an all-inclusive event, from the residents to staff.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina said: “It was such a fun afternoon for our residents and staff, everyone had so much fun, it really allowed for our residents and staff to get competitive and what a work out they had.”

General Manager, Larisa Bledea, said: “It was a fantastic fun filled afternoon for all, as well as delicious pancakes to eat, there was a lot of fun to be had. It was a lovely activity that allowed for everyone to get involved”

Residents and staff celebrated National Pizza Day in true style with creating their very own pizza’s.

The chef’s prepared the dough and the residents on the Blossom Trail Community rolled up their sleeves and began the tactile task of stretching and shaping their pizza bases. With an array of toppings to choose from their perfect pizzas were soon created. For some of the residents it was the first time they had created a pizza, and even shaping the dough created a lot of laughter.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina said: “It was such a fun afternoon for our residents and it was also lovely to have family in to help. The residents were really pleased with their creations and after they had been baked, they enjoyed them for their tea.”

General Manager, Larisa Bledea, said: “It was a fantastic afternoon for all, all of the creations were delicious and everyone got to enjoy a slice after all their hard work
 

The residents and staff took part in a fun and sensory afternoon of creating bird feeders to celebrate the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.

The afternoon mood was set with the relaxing sounds of birds playing in the background as the residents settled down to get creative. Aprons and gloves on, Fat Balls and Peanut Butter and various bird seeds at the ready, the creativity commenced. Gathered in the lounge the afternoon was a hive of activity as the residents spent the afternoon coating fat balls in peanut butter then in various bird seeds ready to hang in the home’s beautiful gardens.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina said: “It was such a fun filled afternoon, it allowed the residents to relax with the bird sounds in the background and also it was great for hand and eye co-ordination. It also allowed for the residents to reminisce of their own gardens that used to fill with birds!”

General Manager, Larisa Bledea, said: “Many of our residents enjoy listening to the lovely sounds of birds and this simple activity was a perfect way to celebrate the RSPB week. It was also wonderful to have family members join us for the afternoon.”