Care homes and elderly care from Barchester Healthcare

Meet our Activities Coordinator, Lynne Loughlin

I started my career with Barchester as a Carer, with 5 years experience in the care sector previously. I have also achieved an NVQ in Hospitality and, in April of 2014, I assumed the role of Senior Activities Coordinator at this home.

We all know that keeping active is important and that's why my team and I are here – to ensure that residents experience an environment that is both stimulating and socially active. The home has its own minibus for our numerous trips out to various local places of interest.

My aim is to make sure there is something for everyone here; I create a monthly schedule that is packed with many different types of activities, from musical entertainment to sensory stimulation and much more.

I am focused on building up our volunteer base, including family members and students from the local school. Each volunteer will receive a warm welcome to our Barchester family. We are building relationships with our local communities and integrating them into our home as well.

We are trying to educate people about dementia by raising awareness within the community. We already have relationships with the local Beaver Scout Group and primary schools, in addition to other organisations.

I am proud to work for Barchester and to be a part of a very important service.

Activities at Iddenshall Hall

Activities here at Iddenshall Hall are an integral part of every day life for each of our residents. We strive to include as many of our residents as possible with the activities schedule. Our Schedule is released monthly and includes activities such as poetry afternoons, indoor games, Bingo, flower arranging, pamper days, quizzes, exercises, various musicians and entertainers, Pat Dog Visits, Music Therapy, discussion groups and trips out in our minibus to local places of interest and further afield to see the Blackpool Lights or to Knowsley Safari Park.

We are constantly asking the people who live in our home which events they would like to see taking place and we endeavor to fulfill these requests. Our aim is to provide a varied and packed schedule which allows for a vast array of skill bases and capabilities. We are in constant contact with local groups and businesses, the local Beaver Scout group are always happy to pay a visit to our home, helping with the garden or coming at Christmas to sing carols for us. We also have a small group of volunteers to help us, including pupils from our local 6th form College who visit once a week.

All the above helps ensure the lives of our Residents are fun and fulfilled.

Life at our home

Grandparents Day

To celebrate Grandparents Day, we held a cheese and wine evening at Iddenshall Hall. Residents joined together in the main lounge to enjoy music and to sample some lovely cheeses. They also enjoyed a glass or 3 of red and white wine. It was a lovely social occasion and a chance for everyone to interact and converse together before retiring for the evening.

Tarporley Trip

We took another trip in to Tarporley Village recently. Residents love getting involved with the local community and meeting new people whilst we are out and about.

Ride Exercises

We have started having monthly exercise sessions from Andy, who runs a company called 'Ride'. He stops by to see residents at both Beeston View and Iddenshall Hall during his visit, and does a 40 minute session with each.

Residents really enjoy his sessions; he has them doing many different types of exercises, but their favourite seems to be the boxing, which always goes down a treat.

Andy has a way of engaging lots of residents at one time and encouraging them all to join in with both humour and compassion.

Pet Therapy

We are delighted to have a new pet therapy dog at Iddenshall Hall. Anya and her mum, Bonnie, visited us for their first time recently and everyone loved meeting them. They will be visiting once a week on a Friday afternoon moving forward.

Walk & Talk Club

We are continuing our Walk and Talk Club each week. Luckily, the weather has been on our side and we have been able to have a good walk around the home's grounds in the sunshine.

We recently met up with another resident and her family in the gardens, and we all sat together for a while, watching the world go by and enjoying conversation.

Pen Pal Club

We have recently started our own Pen Pal Club and are exchanging letters with Laurel Bank, another Barchester home. We wrote to some of their residents and recently received our first replies. Residents were overjoyed to get letters of their very own and took great pleasure and time to read them.

We are going to continue corresponding with them and will be sending them some pictures of us, and maybe even arrange to meet up with their new friends soon. This is a lovely way to help residents to socialise.