Activities at Milford House Care Home

Residents at Milford House have been enjoying a series of movement sessions with Jenny from Harnham Physiotherapy.  These sessions are proving very popular and the sessions in our conservatory are always packed. Everyone clearly enjoyed the session with a programme designed to help maintain movement and motor skills as well as an emphasis on having fun! We are looking forward to having the team running a series of workshops for us and we are loving having them working alongside our regular activity team.

Residents at Milford, like so many across the country on the 11th at 11am observed the traditional 2 minutes silence and on Remembrance Sunday had a service led by members Vineyard Church who helped residents to mark the day. The ceremonies at the Cenotaph in London were also featured on our TVs around the home.

In the run up to the day, residents created some beautiful poppy wreaths that were displayed around the home. This is such an important time for so many people. Our activities team also supported residents with reminiscence sessions about the meaning of the day for them personally and helped individual residents to mark the occasion in whatever way felt most appropriate to them.

Following on from a fabulous drawing masterclass with The Wallace Collection focusing on flower painting, Milford residents entered the follow-up competition the theme of which was ‘Impossible Bouquet’ and all winners were judged and carefully selected by members of the Wallace Collection: Milford residents were thrilled to be announced as the winners for the South Division and the feedback from the judges was that they loved the use of finger painting and paint to create the different flowers and the fact that the artwork was framed. The 'Bouquet' will shortly go on display in our newly refurbished 'art gallery'. Well done to everyone involved!

Residents at Milford are really enjoying their visits from the Mobile Library where they can climb aboard the van and choose their own books in addition to being able to browse a stock left for everyone at the home between visits. This is a brilliant regular monthly service and our thanks go to the team who come around and are so helpful. Not only can residents make their choices from a wide range of books covering all topics, with large print and audio books as well but are also able to order books if there is something particular that they are after. Now that the evenings are drawing is what could be better than settling down with a cup of tea for a good read!

The most recent in our series of 'Making Memories Lunches' took place today with art as the theme in celebration of Milford's recent participation in The Salisbury Art Trail. All the residents who attended enjoy their art and some even brought some of their work along to show to the other residents and talk about. The table and associated decorations were as gorgeous and creative as ever and each resident's place name was painted on a small canvas and propped up on a mini easel for them to take away as a memento of the day. Thank you everyone who made the event happen: from those who organised the event, the chef, hostesses and carers who supported the lunch. We are already looking forward to the next one and can't wait to find out what the theme will be.

Residents at Milford focused on flowers this week as they joined the The Wallace Collection for a live virtual event themed around the world of Dutch flower painting.  There was a tutorial on how to draw flowers and the various techniques that help can bring their beauty to the canvas. In preparation for the afternoon residents created their very own flower arrangement masterpieces with an emphasis on flowers and greenery of different textures and shapes and then tried out their drawing skills so that everyone had their eye in before joining the Wallace Collection presenters. We are now inspired to create further flower masterpieces of our own.