Activities at West Abbey Care Home

Residents at West Abbey virtually travelled to a location of their choice on Wednesday 12th August.

Residents were asked where they would like to visit this summer for a cruise, and they chose the Caribbean because of the warm weather, the tropical drinks and the music.

Residents enjoyed touring and learning about the Caribbean using the internet on their tablets as well as talking about their previous visits there.

The lounge at West Abbey was decorated by staff with bunting, summer decorations, inflatable flamingos and parrots to further transport the residents to their cruise location.

Residents and staff got together for mid afternoon drinks out in the sun prepared by the homes talented chef. He served a selection of cocktails as well as a number of beautifully laid out fruit platters which included mangoes, watermelon and swans carved out of apples.

The fun didn’t stop there, residents enjoyed entertainment associated with the Caribbean and staff and residents participated in dressing up in bright tropical attire, and enjoying the music of Harry Belafonte while enjoying the sunshine that was so warm it really felt like the Caribbean!

Residents and staff were recently overjoyed to be able to give back to the local community by doing a scone delivery to the local community.

Working with a local church, St James’ in Yeovil, West Abbey delivered homemade scones, complete with jam and cream to a selection of local people, all of whom were extremely happy with their surprise.

The kind gestures were a wonderful surprse, and a great boost for the hard working staff who wanted to give back to the local community for all the support they had received.

We are all truly thankful and feel very humbled to have received support like this from the local community, and that is why we want to do as much as we can to support all the people around us as well. The team work tirelessly, continuing to ensure residents are happy, engaged and connected, which is more important now than ever. We hope that these new friendships will continue beyond the current situation, and we just want to say a huge thank you!

Residents at West Abbey celebrated Independence Day in true American style by hosting a day of all things American, with traditional American foods, reminiscence about past holidays and plenty of rock’n’roll on 4th July.

There are a few people within the home that remember their visits to America fondly and a lot of people that love American movies and singers. Films from the Golden Age of Hollywood were lined up as well as playlists including Buddy Holly, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra.

A baseball, baseball mitt and American football were passed around to inspire some hand-eye coordination games. The hospitality team enjoyed cooking up a feast of hotdogs, corndogs, hamburgers and thick malt milkshakes. Residents were also able to enjoy a homemade Mississippi mud pie, which went down a storm!

 

For some residents at West Abbey, the long awaited reunion with family and friends became a reality recently, as limited garden visits have now been allowed to commence at the home.

It was welcome news to so many residents, family, and friends, who were kept apart for so long following strict government guidance. Residents and their relatives enjoyed getting together in the home’s garden, and the garden was fully of joy and chatter.

Patricia was joined by staff and other residents as she received a telegram from the Queen in recognition of her landmark 100th birthday. A celebration was held at the home and guests enjoyed a special birthday cake made by the home’s Head Chef, Andrew Pippard.

Patsy was born in Grimsby and spent many years working as a secretary before coming to West Abbey, where she is enjoying a new chapter of her life and bringing smiles to all she meets. Patsy brings joy to all those around her and staff were more than happy to do all they could to try and make sure it was an unforgettable day.

We’re delighted to be celebrating a truly remarkable woman as she reached this amazing milestone. Patsy 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.

Residents at West Abbey recently enjoyed an afternoon celebrating one of the nation's favourite traditions: National Fish and Chips Day! Residents got to feel like they were having a day down by the beach with fish and chips in newspaper, a bit of Cliff Richard playing and even a little sunshine!

Activities Coordinators supported the residents at the home by making sure as many as possible got to relive their memories of being by the beach, with conversations about seaside trips and holidays aplenty.

In these unprecedented times, providing a range of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities for our residents is more important than ever. Our residents really enjoyed being able to relive these memories with fish and chips the way they used to do. Our varied life enrichment programme for residents includes ways to stay in contact with relatives digitally, such as Skype, and we have new ways to keep residents active, whilst ensuring that the group activities are smaller and adhere to social distancing advice.