Activities at Sutton Valence Care Home

Residents are overjoyed at Sutton Valence has implemented a visiting suite for residents to continue to spend time with their loved ones for the autumn and winter seasons, in addition to the outdoor visiting that has been on offer for those able for many months.

Balancing resident well-being and safety is at the forefront of Barchester's thinking, and we understand how important it is for residents and their family and friends to be able to spend time together in the safest way possible.

There has been much careful planning and preparation for this moment. It was welcome news for their residents and family and friends as we enter the colder season, meaning catch-ups can continue to take place, instead of, or in addition to, outdoor visiting already offered for those able.

The visiting suite has been designed with both comfort and safety in mind, and has been recently adapted from a room which is accessible internally by residents and externally by visitors. The room is similar to a living room with comfortable furnishings and heated to create a welcoming and warm environment for residents to continue to spend time with their loved ones in the upcoming months. The room has an intercom system fitted so residents can clearly communicate, and engage in conversation, whilst being able to see their friends and family through a Perspex glass divider fitted for safety to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Infection control protocols and safe social distancing are in place for every visit, including a hand sanitizer station before entry. Cleaning at Sutton Valence Care Home will take place after each visit to ensure chairs, seats, hard surfaces including windowsills, and the Perspex glass divider are wiped down appropriately.

The feedback from families to date has meant that the majority of people would accept unusual arrangements if it meant being able to see their loved ones while also keeping themselves safe, as a temporary measure. Barchester Healthcare hope to allow visits again as normal once it is safe to do so following government guidance.

Residents at Sutton Valence recently enjoyed a poetry reading class with a local private school. Both residents and pupils read aloud a selection of poems to each other via Zoom. Residents prepared their own poems and the Children prepared their's at school.

This wonderful event linked the community with local community ideas. It has been a wonderful opportunity for residents and local school children to connect with each other and share some of the best and most well-known poetry of their own age groups.

Residents at Sutton Valence paid their respects on Remembrance Sunday. One of our residents, Adele, wrote a speech that marked respect for all the services on Remembrance Sunday and for all the key workers during the pandemic.

Residents have been busy carving pumpkins, which were kindly donated by a member of our community. Residents made spooky face designs and displayed the pumpkins in our courtyard and entrance, ready for the big day.

The activities staff dressed for the occasion and the kitchen team whipped up a storm in the kitchen with a Halloween-inspired buffet and desserts.

In the afternoon, we had a disco and delivered goodie bags to all residents in the home.

Sutton Valence Care Home residents have been busy creating their very own book of short stories to honour and celebrate the life and works of Roald Dahl day on the 13th September.

Several of our residents at our creative writing group have put their heads together and came up with a selection of short stories which we have compiled into a book to showcase their talents and individuality.

The Activity Team  have been very impressed with the ideas, imagination and dedication our residents have shown these last few weeks meeting to discuss ideas, plot and character choices as a group and also working on an individual basis to produce some very different and interesting stories for the book.

One resident said about her ideas for her story: I have wanted to write short stories professionally for many years and once before I very nearly had a story published so this was right up my street!

  The residents at Sutton Valence enjoyed a day of glamourous fun and specially named cocktails to celebrate all that is great about Hollywood with themed music and quizzes about the good old days when Hollywood was great!

Our residents dressed for the part at our cocktail social with some specially prepared luxury nibbles created by our chef and had some lovely photos taken in all their finery in front of our home made Hollywood Boulevard walk of fame with a hand crafted golden star for each resident bearing their own unique stage name