Residents revel in experience

A TRIP to see the Eden Project’s immersive winter music and light experience put a twinkle in the eyes of residents living with dementia in a Plymouth care home.

On two separate occasions, staff at Butterfly Lodge in St Budeaux helped those they care for to wrap up warm and headed west in the home’s mini-bus for an out-of-the-ordinary sensory treat.

Sarah McCaffrey, deputy manager at Butterfly Lodge, said: “The smiles on the faces of our residents said it all. “They adored the music and were also totally absorbed by the incredible illuminations in the Rainforest Biome.

“A sensory experience like this offers an immediate reward to people living with dementia, and can also remind them of happy times in their past.

“It was totally worth the effort, just to be with them while they were so enjoying themselves. Thanks to my colleagues Paul Hutt, Kelly Tennant, Su Fuller and Kirsten Bradbury for helping to make this possible.”

The installations they went to see featured an 11-piece orchestra and vocalists dotted around multiple stages in the Mediterranean Biome, and an ethereal light show.

Leigh said the support from Wellington Grange would be used in the charity’s Chichester hub which last year served 3,379 hot meals to 225 people.

She added: “It’s a really important place, open seven days a week throughout the year, where clients can come and receive hot food, do their laundry, have a hot shower or a haircut, and arrange healthcare and GP appointments.

“The help from Wellington Grange will contribute to our ongoing running costs. We thank all the staff and residents at the home for their kindness in making us their chosen charity for the year.”

Companionship team leader Heather Pearce was one of the staff members on the sleepout along with Flo Dudley-Barritt who has since joined the Stonepillow team.

Heather said: “It was so lovely to be able to hand over a cheque to Stonepillow, knowing all the hard work for the year has gone to such a worthy cause. It made sleeping in the garden very much worth it.” Wellington Grange’s chosen charity for 2023 is Chichester District Foodbank.

Residents at RMBI Care Co. Home Devonshire Court in Oadby were all of a flutter when some friendly feathered visitors came to visit. Elvis, a Eurasian eagle owl and Fletcher, a tawny owl, delighted residents who were only too happy to give them a stroke. Activities coordinator Fiona Collins said: “We wanted to do something new and fun for our residents to ward off the winter blues, so we invited these beautiful creatures to our home. It was a fantastic way of bringing nature and the outdoors into the home on a cold winter’s day.”

Violet Lee, a resident at CHD Living’s King’s Lodge care home in West Byfleet, recently celebrated her 101st birthday with fellow residents and staff while being serenaded by a local entertainer. A special delivery of flowers and cake from Morrisons supermarket made for a lovely afternoon tea for all arranged by wellbeing coordinator Michelle Woodyat, while more than 101 handcrafted birthday cards from children at Byfleet Primary School decorated the home. As her birthday fell on a weekday, a second celebration was planned for the weekend in the home’s ‘pub room’ so that she could mark the occasion with her two daughters, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Children have played a huge part in Violet’s life as she was a dinner lady at a local school as well as working in the canteen at Brooklands College for many years.