Activities at Woodhorn Park Care Home
Activities make up the most important part of all our days at Woodhorn park, so we ensure a variety of social events are available that reflect the interests of all the people we support. In our Memory Lane community, we have group conversations and regularly reminiscence about past experiences, which is something that people living with dementia really enjoy. Many residents love gardening, baking, outings, pet care and gentle exercise, which we provide, along with many other wholesome activities, as it is essential that life at Woodhorn Park is fun and active.
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
Activities and Events Partnerships
As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies
Life at Woodhorn Park Care Home
Long awaited reunions
For some residents at Woodhorn Park care home in Ashington, the long awaited reunion with family and friends became a reality recently, as garden visits have now been allowed to commence at the home.
There has been much careful planning and preparation for this moment behind the scenes at Barchester Healthcare, who run Woodhorn Park care home. Social distancing was still in place, and homes that are able to take part must have a large accessible garden.
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 loved ones got together in the home garden and the garden was fully of joy and chatter.
National Carers Week
Woodhorn Park held a day of celebrations to thank care staff at the home, who make a real difference to the lives of those in their care. Residents also gave thanks by creating their very own banner to share their thanks to the care team.
Julie Bond, Senior General Manager said: “I am very proud of the carers at Woodhorn Park. In light of the current situation our carers have continued to work tirelessly to provide high quality, personalised care to the people living in our homes, and often go above and beyond the call of duty, which has a huge impact on people’s lives. They offer friendship and comfort to residents and their relatives, during what can be a very emotional time. We appreciate the work they do all year round, and especially in these unprecedented times”.
Father's Day celebrations
Residents at Woodhorn enjoyed a fun-filled day of activities in celebration of Father’s Day. This year, due to the current situation, family and friends joined in the celebrations virtually via video call and social distanced visits in the homes garden. Residents weren’t phased by this however, as they have become quite tech savvy at Skype calls, FaceTime, and online events. These platforms are an invaluable way to keep people connected with loved ones and friends, as well as with the local communities, during these unprecedented times.
Staff and residents enjoyed a day of catching up with families, an array of activities and a delicious freshly prepared roast dinner prepared by the homes chef.
Kindness is key at Woodhorn
Staff and residents at Woodhorn Park showed support of Mental Health Awareness week 2020, spreading some positivity and joy, as the theme this year was ‘Kindness’ and treated Residents to a day of pampering. Mental Health Awareness Week encourages us to start conversations around mental health, sharing our experiences and stories, promoting an overall healthier understanding of mental health issues, especially at this uncertain time.
Julie Bond, Senior General Manager at the home, said: “Ensuring residents feel engaged and connected within our local community, and with family and friends is extremely important to their mental health, especially in these unprecedented times. Residents are really enjoying our pampering sessions, life enrichment programme and receiving kind gifts from our community. We are continually adapting, and finding new ways to make sure every effort is focused on creating an enjoyable environment for all of our residents, adhering to social distancing advice.”
Fun in the sun
Residents at Woodhorn Park had a great afternoon freelance dancing around the may pole and taking advantage of the glorious sunshine. Residents regularly enjoy gentle therapeutic armchair exercises to music, which everyone really enjoys and took the fun outdoors to the homes garden for an afternoon of fun.
Everyone joined in to create different sequences, which were really easy to follow and the Residents had a great time participating, they especially loved the props, commenting: “That was so much fun! I used to go to dance school and this activity reminded me of that.”
Just a note to say...
As residents embrace new technology and keeping in touch with their loved ones via Skype, they also been busying with traditional methods and sharing messages with postcards to send to their family and friends, who doesn’t love to receive a postcard! Residents have also been making use of Skype and FaceTime so that they can video call their relatives – although some still aren’t too sure about the new technology!
