This week Hill House got ready to welcome four legged friends into our first ever Hill House Dog show on Friday. The weeks’ theme was Dogs, and everyone loved spending time reading famous dog stories, playing doggy bingo and baking special Natural Dog friends pup cakes. These themed activities are all on top of our jam packed activity timetable on offer every week.
Monday morning, we took on a A-Z dog breed name quiz followed by sharing stories of pets and dogs we have owned over the years. Others spent the morning playing skittles or filling in weekly scrapbook photographs.
After lunch in the lounge wewere offered a mixture of activities to enagge in some of us chose to play gaint snakes and ladders and others opted for a game of floor darts. The benefits of social activity for residnets far surpass the feeling you get when you realise you have a “full” social calendar. From an improved and optimistic outlook on life to a continued sense of worthiness and purposefulness, socially active residents experience many benefits.
Others engaged in a quieter afternoon with sensory puzzles and garden walks.
Tuesday morning, we sat together and completed dog themed word searches and crosswords, linking our brain training activities to the weeks theme helps spark conversations about our pets and dogs.
That afternoon, our cooking club this week was inspired by the upcoming dog show as we picked out a suitable Pup cake recipe for the dogs, all ingrediency were dog safe and all natural ingrediency, we loved whipping up the oat-based treats.
Wednesday morning, we played a group game of Doggy bingo in the lounge, others spent time reading their daily papers or chatting with friends over a slice of freshly baked cake.
Wednesday afternoon our garden view lounge completed an ankle loosening exercise programme from the NHS website, while singing along to music from the 1960’s. This was followed by table games like dominoes and snakes and ladders.
An afternoon with friends completing a jigsaw puzzle is the perfect way to spend an afternoon, the conversation was following as we shared stories of gardening and the current weather.
Thursday morning was time for pampering and relaxation as we spent the morning visiting the in-house hairdresser.
Our activities coordinators here at hill house love to find new ways we can maintain our hobbies and interests in a safe manageable way and will always help us to maintain these hobbies.
Others spent the morning, crafting paw print decorations for the afternoons dog show, or arranging flowers as part of our floristry club.
A group game of Doggy bingo was enjoyed just before lunch, with the winner picking a prize out of the prize box.
It was a four-legged frenzy at Hill House on Thursday afternoon as we welcomed dogs of different breeds and sizes, brought along by staff and volunteers of the home to compete in our first ever DOG SHOW.
Residents loved having all the dogs around them taking turns for cuddles and finding out which dogs have hidden talents while feeding them up on pup cakes and treats.
Each dog took their turn to strut their stuff down the ‘Dog walk’ to try and impress the resident judging panel. Each dog had pulled out all the stops to impress the judges as they came dressed up in tutus, themed jumpers and even wore their finest bow ties.
There were prizes for the best in show, the coolest Pup, best dressed, golden oldie, doggies got talent and friendliest dog. The home was filled with love and laughter and was a massive hit with the residents who can’t wait for another dog show.
Friday, we started our day with an energetic game of balloon tennis, a fun game used as part of our daily exercise programme.
After a tea break from tennis, we couldn’t wait to start our musical sing along with instruments. The sound of the music enticed residents into the lounge, the group grew and the home was filled with music.
A small group of ladies joined the garden view lounge to arrange floral displays for their bedrooms. Research has proven that there are many benefits of flower arranging for older people. As well as enabling residents to be creative and use their imagination, it also encourages use of the fingers and hands and is a great stress reliever, promoting a calm atmosphere. Others also enjoyed daily exercise to music.
Friday afternoon the lounge joined together for this week’s giant crossword puzzle. Completing a weekly crossword puzzle is a game-changer. The benefits of solving puzzles for the elderly are innumerable, including enhanced memory, better cognitive skills, improved concentration, and much more.
Our garden view lounge enjoyed an afternoon of games like dominoes and cards.
The weekend was filled with a wide variety of activities from a floor bowls competition to Daily crossword puzzles.
Our Church service were streamed in 3 different location this weekend offering a CofE, Methodist and Catholic service.
The weekly movie was very popular as we enjoyed snacks while watching Sense and Sensibility.
