Activities at Hafan-Y-Coed Care Home

We welcomed back pupils from our local Welsh school, Ysgol Y Strade, this month, with whom we have had a valued partnership for the past three years. As part of our intergenerational project, the older and younger generations came together to learn from one another through shared activities.

Today’s activity involved making Cornish pasties and cheese and onion pasties, with pupils and residents working side by side. Intergenerational projects like this help reduce isolation, build confidence, share skills and experiences, benefiting everyone involved. We have asked both residents and pupils about activities they would like to share together and have developed a program to ensure everyone is involved in activities of interest. Pupils also spend time going to visit residents in their rooms on a one-to-one basis to ensure those residents who don’t enjoy the larger group activities still feel included and benefit from these sessions.

Celebrations have been in full swing at Hafan Y Coed as one of our residents becomes a Great-Great Grandmother at the age of 89. Mrs Marjorie Jones, from Dafen, Llanelli marked the remarkable milestone of five generations of her family coming together as she proudly held her Great-Great Grandson Alfie Paul. She was joined by our staff, family members and friends to celebrate the special occasion. Before moving into our home, Marjorie lived in Dafen and was well known in the community as a much loved dinner lady at Dafen primary school, where she spent many years caring for generations of local children.

Adding to the significance of the celebration, Marie, who works as the Lead activities Coordinator in our home, shared her thoughts on the emotional milestone saying “I can’t believe we now have five generations. We achieved this many years ago on my Mother’s side of the family and I never thought we would achieve this years later on my Father’s side. It’s a moment I will cherish forever witnessing my own Grandmother hold my first Grandchild. It is incredibly special to us as a family. Despite my Grandmother living with Dementia, children have always meant much to her and holding him brought her visible joy.”

One of our eldest residents in Hafan Y Coed went viral on social media after a recent outing to Brangwyn Hall. The event was a tea dance in a beautiful venue which the residents were thrilled to be invited to. In particular, one of our residents, Dennis, was the first on the dance floor as he reminisced moments of dancing with his wife. He said, “I like to imagine I’m dancing with her”. 

The moment was captured on video and shared on our Facebook platform. The post has been viewed by over 20k people. Dennis was thrilled when he was made aware of how many people had been touched by the video and became emotional as he mentioned his late life. He said: “we have always loved to dance."

Our residents had a fantastic time celebrating Oktoberfest while raising money for Parkinson’s during our lively bingo and tombola evening. The room was beautifully decorated with a German twist by our wonderful Activities Team, from colourful bunting and flags to themed table settings that really set the scene. Many of our residents and team members got into the spirit of the evening by dressing up in fun German-style costumes, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Everyone enjoyed a few pints of beer (or “steins,” as the Germans would say!) and plenty of laughter throughout the night. It was a brilliant evening. We always love hosting events like these that bring together residents, their families, and friends to share special moments and make wonderful memories. We were thrilled to raise money for such an important charity.    

Residents took full advantage of our pamper day this month by our in-house beauty therapist for activities. Our ladies enjoyed choosing their own nail colour for their manicure, whilst the gents enjoyed a clip and shape. During the one-to-one session, residents took time to chat whilst sipping on bucks fizz or a drink of their choice.  

One of our residents, Tom, said, “I have to say this is the best manicure I have ever had, and I especially liked the relaxing hand massage too. I will ask for your expertise in the future and look forward to the next one.”     

Our New Year’s Eve celebrations were a huge success, with our gold themed event proving very popular among residents. The Queen tribute act entertained everyone with an array of well known hits, which got everyone singing along. The room looked stunning, beautifully decorated with twinkling lights and elegant gold decorations and New years banners. Residents certainly embraced the theme by dressing in gold or wearing a gold accessory alongside our beautifully dressed staff who also got involved. One family member commented that they had “never seen such a fantastic activity schedule throughout the Christmas period”, and our New Year’s celebrations truly ended a wonderful month with a bang.

There have been far too many wonderful moments to capture and share all the wonderful moments the residents have shared.

From local school choirs, to Christmas days out, to Elvis entertaining us for our residents party and Father Christmas visiting on Christmas eve, there has been something for everyone to enjoy.

Family members have commented on just how much their loved ones have enjoyed the wide range of activities throughout December.

It has been a full month of music, laughter, togetherness and so many special memories to treasure.

Our residence marked Remembrance Sunday in a very special way.

We were honoured to welcome the wonderful Scarlett’s Choir, who performed a beautiful selection of songs in both Welsh and English. Their performance was phenomenal, and soon everyone was singing along, wearing their poppies with pride.

We were also privileged to host members of the local Veterans Society, who played The Last Post during our two minutes’ silence. One of our residents, a veteran of the war and one of the last remaining veterans in Wales, said it was a pleasure to be invited to sit at the front during the ceremony.

In the afternoon, we continued to mark the day with an uplifting wartime concert, filled with songs that sparked many fond memories and reminiscences among our residents.

Lest we forget.     

This month, we’ve truly embraced autumn with a range of fun and engaging activities. From baking delicious pumpkin pies in our weekly cookery sessions to creating beautiful pumpkin-themed floral arrangements and autumn-inspired arts and crafts, there has been something for everyone to enjoy and take part in. 

One of our residents said ‘a particular favourite of mine this month was the pumpkin bread making and pumpkin pie. The home had a beautiful smell and the results tasted wonderful. Autumn always reminds me we are getting close to the excitement of Christmas. 

This month residents were entertained by the fabulous ‘Kelly’ who performed an array of songs from earlier decades. The songs were so uplifting and had everyone up on their dancing or tapping their feet to the well-known songs. Whilst the music was playing, residents indulged in a fantastic afternoon cream prepared by our kitchen team. 

A selection of sandwiches were enjoyed with other savoury delights, followed by scones with cream and jam and washed down with a glass of prosecco or cup of tea. Val said “I love to sing and dance, and I especially love sweet treats. I am very grateful for all the staff have done to make the afternoon memorable. When is the next one!?”

This month we were joined by none other than Elvis himself. To mark what would have been the King of Pop’s birthday, we pulled out all the stops with a Blue Hawaiian theme. Residents, especially the ladies, thoroughly enjoyed watching Elvis shake his hips and dance across the dancefloor, interacting with the audience throughout the performance. Residents and staff dressed up in garlands and grass skirts and had a whale of a time. Music plays an important role in our residents’ lives, lifting their spirits and enhancing their overall wellbeing. Even those residents who are unable to get up and dance were still able to join in, dancing in their chairs, tapping their feet and clapping along, while others who love to get up and dance enjoyed every moment. Val one of our regular dancers said “What a great time I had dancing with everyone, especially Elvis”. 

We kicked off our countdown to Christmas with a wonderful visit from the Salvation Army band, who joined us for canapé’s and refreshments from our bar. It was lovely to see the residents soak up the festive atmosphere. 

One resident said, “I always love listening to the Christmas Salvation Army band. It brings back memories of going to town with my Mother when I was a child listening to them play.” Another resident said, “It was such a lovely event that I was glad to share with my family. The canapés were delicious and so was the mulled wine!”           

To celebrate BBC Children in Need, we were delighted to be entertained by local primary school children from Stebonheath Primary School. It is always such a pleasure welcoming the children, and our residents thoroughly enjoyed a singalong and watching the children arrive dressed in their pyjamas.

As part of the fun, children at the school also took part in a Children in Need colouring competition, creating their own pictures of Pudsey Bear. Our residents had the tough job of choosing three winners, and we then visited the school to present the children with their prizes.

Pat clapped and smiled throughout and said, “the children were lovely.”   

This month we have introduced a new musical drumming session. We tried the session on one of our memory lane communities, and it went down a treat. Residents got to experience using the unique drums and other musical instruments from around the world by making their own sounds. 

It had everyone up dancing or smiling and lifted everyone’s spirits. This incentive has been brought to us by volunteers from ‘Burry Port Drummin Fun’ and we are all very grateful for this uplifting experience for our residents.   

To mark Mexican Independence Day, residents enjoyed a fun week of preparations leading up to a themed Mexican dining experience. Our wonderful kitchen team pulled out all the stops to create a feast of chilli and enchiladas, tasty nachos and tortillas and, to finish off, the most amazing churros. 

We did hold off with the tequila despite the fun pictures. During the week, we invited the local ‘Tuesday Friends’ community group to help with making themed decorations and Mexican hats. Margaret, one of our residents who lives in our general community, said, “It was a lovely afternoon. I enjoy trying foods from different countries and the team put on a real treat of music and décor to match the day”.