Activities at The Spires Care Home

Lighting up time got a whole new meaning at The Spires Care Home as the community came together to see the home’s Christmas lights switched on for the very first time this Christmas.  Staff and residents at Barchester’s The Spires care home, in Lichfield, got in the Christmas spirit by inviting the mayor and mayoress to come and join in with staff and residents who all gathered in the home’s garden for the occasion.

Zorba the Golden Retriever has begun visiting the residents at The Spires as part of the care home's dog therapy sessions. The idea is that the sessions help improve health and wellbeing for those living in the home.

The team at The Spires decided to employ pet therapy as it has been seen to help people combat loneliness, boost activity levels, and reduce stress and depression. A visit with a dog can even sometimes help people to unlock memories they may have lost.

Pet therapy is just one of the ways we promote people’s health and wellbeing at The Spires. It forms part of a wider programme of meaningful activities and therapies that support people to live their best lives. Not only does dog therapy encourage physical activity, but it also encourages conversations and social interaction between residents and colleagues, who will laugh together and engage with each other when the dog is around.

Zorba has been visiting residents in their bedrooms and communal areas and will continue to visit residents regularly.

Local documentary film maker Simon Watts has visited the Spires Care Home, in Lichfield to share with residents stories about his work and his latest film

Simon Watts joined residents of the home to show them more about the wildlife in their local area that he has filmed on the 7th of November.

General Manager at The Spires, Amy Doyle said: “It was lovely to have Simon here for the day. The residents were delighted that he was able to visit us and share his knowledge and fantastic filmography. We all had a wonderful day”

The Spires in Lichfield commemorated Remembrance Day on Sunday 13 November.  They joined the rest of the United Kingdom in holding a two-minute silence at 11am.

As well as marking Remembrance Day by wearing poppies and watching the televised service from The Cenotaph and sharing the two minutes silence, residents took part in therapeutic activities, crocheting poppies and creating a beautiful Remembrance Day display.

Resident Winnie shared her fond memories of spending time in the WAAFS during the war, she initially trained to work in the barrage balloons before retraining as a driver.

Staff and residents across our services were treated to a virtual tour of The Donkey Sanctuary Manchester, hosted by Centre Manager, Melanie McComb. Residents joined Melanie live from Manchester to get an inside look into the daily care for the herd of donkeys that live at the Sanctuary and meet some of the fantastic characters there; namely Henry and his friend Tiny Tim. They learned how the Donkey Sanctuary was first created by Dr Elisabeth Svendsen MBE back in 1969 and the first donkey that started off all of her important work and how her legacy continues today.

Melanie says: “It was wonderful to be able to show the Barchester residents around the Donkey Sanctuary here in Manchester and to share the work we do.  We were so happy to be able to show the residents our wonderful donkeys and talk about how we rescue and care for them.”

Helen Turner was joined by relatives, friends and staff at The Spires to mark her centenary. She received a telegram from the King and enjoyed a champagne reception as well as a cake baked for the occasion by our chef Polly Holmes.

Helen said: “I’m very pleased – I’m very lucky and have had a lovely day.”

Amy Doyle, general manager of The Spires Care Home said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating a truly remarkable woman as she reaches this amazing milestone. Helen is such a popular resident who always has an interesting tale to tell, and we look forward to hearing many more as she breaks into her next century.”