Creative Caring

As always, carers have been demonstrating their creativity through fun and innovative events for their residents…

Leicester were all a flutter when some friendly feathered visitors came to visit. Elvis, a Eurasion eagle owl and Fletcher, a tawny owl, were brought to the RMBI home by local organisation Bird on the Hand. Home activities coordinator, Fiona Collins, said: “It was a fantastic way of bringing nature and the outdoors into the home on a cold winter’s day.”

Dancing queen

When resident Nalini Bhagwat asked staff at Colten Care’s St Catherine’s View dementia care home if she could revisit some Bollywood dance moves, companionship team leader Laura Sheldrake reached out on social media. Dance teacher Vaishnavi Singh responded and danced with Nalini for nearly an hour. Nalini learned classical Indian dancing as a child.

Longest scarf

Residents and staff at Liverpool’s Oak Springs Care Home, part of Sandstone Care Group, teamed up with members of the community to knit the city’s longest scarf. The 104-metre woolly creation, as long as ten double-decker buses, was knitted to celebrate Dignity Action Day, an annual opportunity to uphold people’s rights to dignity.

has launched a nutritional scheme based on popular TV show Come Dine with Me. Residents rate their dishes with scorecards, giving chef Barry Moorcroft a better understanding of likes and dislikes. The ‘Care Dine with Me’ scheme aims to promote independence and a sense of control among residents.

Sea life

Residents at the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society’s specialist maritime care home welcomed a group of sea cadets to share stories and learn about how life at sea has changed over the years. During the visit, the first in an ongoing partnership, many of the residents wore their uniforms and medals and shared stories about each award.

Chinese banquet

The Year of the Rabbit kicked off with a celebration at Sandstone Care Group’s St Helens Hall Care Home. Activity coordinator Jackie Smith and her team worked with residents to create colourful Chinese lantern decorations, and the home’s chef prepared a Chinese banquet with everything from prawn toast to a selection of curries and noodle dishes.

Armchair tourists

Knutsford-based care home MHA The Willows took residents to China from their armchairs as part of its Chinese New Year celebrations. Residents’ names were printed in Chinese and put on the walls along with decorations prepared during the craft club. The day included traditional Chinese food, activities and a ‘tour of China’ with videos of famous landmarks.

Bird in the hand

Residents at Devonshire Court in

Fine dining

Priesty Fields Care Home in Cheshire

Flower power

Residents at Barchester Healthcare’s Meadowbeck Care Home celebrated International Flower Day with activities