Residents at Hill House do like to be beside the seaside … as we hosted seaside Week here at Hill House!
We brought the thrill of a trip to the seaside to the home, complete with a variety of seaside themed activities such as beach volleyball, sensory sand trays , mini golf, fish & chips, ice-cream and holiday postcards.
Monday morning at Hill house was full of fun and laughter as we made pin wheels, bringing back memories when we would make them and stick them on top of our sandcastles on family holidays to the sea side.
The afternoon was a fruity affair as we tried exotic fruits from round the world inspired by tropical holiday abroad. We enjoyed trying Mango, Kiwi and Persimmons and discussing the textures and tastes as well as hearing facts about them. With the sun shining we took long walks in the garden and spent time getting pampered with manicures and hand massages.
Tuesday morning, we explored the textures found at the beach with a sensory activity, Sand therapy. We spend a few minutes just experiencing the cool, smooth sand on our fingers before digging around to find hidden shells and pebbles, it was a relaxing experience with the sound of waves being played through the stereo it took us back to the seaside and evoked many conversations about summer holidays and trips to the local beaches.
Our morning exercise class was well attended as we used noodles, beach balls and summer themed music as part of an energetic programme.
The afternoon we had lots of amusing activities to choose from we took on a giant cross word outside in the garden, others arranged flowers in vases as part of our floristry club, and we explored digital flowers on the interactive activity centre.
Wednesday morning, we reminisced on summer holidays and the trips to the beach we took with family and friends. We spent time exploring the sand therapy trays, feeling the sand on our skin and between our fingers took us straight back. In the Garden View lounge, we had an energetic game of beach volley ball using a giant beach ball, this brought on a lot of amusement as the ball flew around the room with no real sense of direction.
That afternoon we hosted a resident’s trivia quiz, we took it in turns to ask the group question on general knowledge trivia, we loved it. We spent time outside in the sunshine exploring the gardens and checking out the changing plants as we leave spring behind and see the wonderful summer colours in the flowers and trees. Garden view lounge we played a variety of games, we took on the target ball game building up our scores and trying to get high scores each time and building a cog puzzle.
Thursday morning we enjoyed a game of ‘What am I’ as we explored the sand trays and tried to name as many object from the tray as we could, we recalled that you can hear the sound of the waves if you hold a shell up to your ear, we looked through postcards and holiday pictures from a summer holiday rummage box.
Thursday afternoon we played beach ball games using our feet and hands to try and keep the beach ball off the floor for along as possible, this was a fun way to keep activate and exercise, we also took time to enjoy person centred activities like colouring and fidget boards. With the sun shining and it being the hottest day of the year we took a walk to the fish pound to feed the fish, sit in the shade and enjoy an ice-cream.
Friday morning, we enjoyed a game of dominoes under the gazebo in the court yard garden, all our senses are engaged when we’re outside, from smelling the grass and trees to hearing birdsong to feeling the fresh air on our faces it is calming and relaxing. The main lounge was full of joyous song as we took party in a summer sing along, dancing with staff and playing music instruments.
With it being a hot and sticky afternoon, we enjoyed a range of person-centred activities, flower arranging, exercises, knitting, scrapbooks, sitting in the shade in the garden and a small group game of balloon bounce.
Saturday morning, he enjoyed balloon bounce to get us going for the day, we explored the display table and found object of interest that sparked conversations about holidays abroad and all the lovely placed we have visited over the years. In the garden view lounge, we enjoyed getting out nails painted and a group game of quoits.
We had a busy afternoon with skype calls with our families as well as window visits, we watched ‘My left foot’ Movie as part of movie club. Others took on the challenge of a new jigsaw puzzle, they can exercise our fingers and minds, we have fun, and feel a great sense of accomplishment when they’re completed.
During the week we have had many discussions about trips to the seaside and the traditions we have when we visit and we agree that no trip to the seaside is complete without a game of mini golf or trip to the arcades with the grandchildren. So, on Sunday morning we played mini golf in the lounge taking time to line up our shots. In the garden view lounge, we completed summer holiday word searches and completed a map of the world puzzles and pointed out the places we have visited around the world.
Sunday afternoon film club was showing ‘Young Victoria’ The film portrays the early childhood, teen and the following turbulent years of a young princess who came to be known as Queen Victoria. It also follows her enduring romance with Prince Albert. Under the Gazebo in the court yard garden we came together for a singalong session, in the lounge we read articles together from magazines and books.
