It has been a green-fingered week at Hill House. Promoting exercise, independence and positive wellbeing as the gardening clubs provided residents the perfect opportunity to plant, grow and maintain their own pots and planters as well as restoring and redecorating much loved garden ornaments as we roll into spring.
Monday morning our first gardeners club met for our fun themed week ahead. We spent the morning planting up herbs in our miniature garden pots, with the hope that when they have grown and in addition, we will be able to taste what we grow. Our fresh herbs will look and smell great.
In our garden view lounges we took on flower themed word searches as part of our brain training activities.
That afternoon we played a sunflower themed floor game, a game that combined our aiming skills and a fun form of exercise.
Tuesday morning, our Digital quiz was hosted in the day lounge. The themed flower and garden quiz had many rounds with multiple choice questions, picture rounds as well as a ‘songs with a flower in its name quiz’ this sparked many impromptu singalongs.
We spent the afternoon reading poetry and tending to the house plants in our garden view lounges, along with catching up on the daily news in our papers.
Tuesday also marked International Women’s Day and hosted across the home were fabulous themed events all afternoon. International Women’s Day is a globally recognised day dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements whilst raising awareness about equality and empowerment. In its honour, as our activities team hosted an afternoon tea in our day lounge. The tables adorned the finest China and scrumptious cakes where served.
We chatted about what it was like working through the 50’s and 60’s and how things are changing nowadays for our children and grandchildren. How home life and the women’s roles at home have changed, with the welcomed opinions of our gentleman it was a fascinating discussion.
Following on from the tea Party all ladies across the home were given an International Women’s Day card with an inspiring woman on the front and a kind message in each card. Our interactive cart went room to room visiting everyone and many discussions where had, inspired by the ladies on the front of the cards.
Wednesday morning, we were delighted to welcome back Vicar Tara for a morning of reflection, hymns and for those of us who wished she hosted mass.
Wednesday afternoon we completed an assortment of brain training activities, flower word searches. Tree crosswords and word ladder games. Others chose to watch a repeat of strictly come dancing.
Thursday morning, we attended this month’s residents meeting with the Directors to talk all things about our home. With a glass of wine, guinness or hot drink.
Residents and Staff have been honoured with Sunflower awards at Hill House for going above and beyond their job roles and going that extra mile for each other. A special nomination for Dorothy who won an award for helping settle a fellow resident into our home with such kind words, advice and offer of support and friendship.
Alongside our residents meeting, our in-house hairdresser was in and we just love her weekly visits. Research has found that a salon visit could provide sensory cues linked to appearance (scents and perfume) which could also re-ignite memories for people living with dementia of people and places. Hairdressers often have close relationships with dementia clients and acted as ‘keepers of stories’ and reminded them of forgotten details and offered emotional support.
That afternoon, our very keen gardeners worked hard as we made up our spring beddings pots. We really relished getting our hands dirty and forming stunning pot plants arrangements, ready to be displayed outside the front of our home. Be sure to look out for them when you next visit.
Gardening is beneficial for our residents because it: Is an enjoyable form of exercise; increases levels of physical activity and helps mobility and flexibility. It also encourages use of all motor skills; improves endurance and strength. Further, it helps prevent diseases like osteoporosis and reduces stress levels and promotes relaxation.
It was a team effort to clean the mud and dead headed flower tops off the floor. We love to get involved with setting up and tiding up for activities. By helping it provides a positive mental wellbeing and promotes our independence.
Our garden view lounges arranged this week’s stunning floral arrangements into vases while reminiscing and sharing photos of their gardens at home. With tea in-hand we continued to chat for hours.
Friday morning, we engaged in therapeutic colouring inspired by the gardener theme this week we used colours, chalks and water colours.
In our day lounge with love, hard graft and lots of TLC, we cleaned, sanded and polished some of our old garden ornaments that will be hung round the home’s gardens over the winter and restored them to their former glory with a lick of paint.
After lunch a hymn inspired singalong took place in our garden view lounge, with songs that we all recognised we joined in singing and playing along with handheld instruments.
Our day lounge spent the afternoon playing board games like connect 4 and engaged in garden bug therapeutic colouring with water colours and pencils. The act of colouring can increase eye and hand coordination. It also improves dexterity, grip control and focus. It is important for our residents to strengthen motor skills as much as possible and colouring is a beneficial way to do so.
Saturday morning, started with a group jigsaw puzzle in the day lounge, as the morning went on more joined in.
Our Omi interactive magic table saw us play with the swipe and wipe activities, revealing a fabulous baby lamb under a scattering of daffodils.
With lots of fun and excitement on Saturday morning we listened to frank Sinatra while playing cards, completed word puzzles or engaging in therapeutic colouring of plants and flowers in our garden view lounge.
After our Saturday lunch instead of our traditional movie afternoon we opted to watch Crufts with so many animal lovers amongst us we were hooked when we saw the sweet Chihuahua dog perform a ballet routine.
Others spent their afternoon painting and decorating bird houses, flowerpots and bug hotels ready for spring time, in our garden view lounge as part of our painting club.
Painting classes enable seniors to make new friends and use their social skills in a very relaxed, no pressure atmosphere. Painting forces people to use both sides of their brain simultaneously. This helps creativity and increases cognitive function. Learning a new skill increases brain activity without struggle.
Sunday morning our weekly service was streamed through he Tv across the home for those who wished to attend the 2 different types of service on offer, other services are available via our iPads. Or we took walks around the gardens enjoying the breaks between rain showers.
Throughout the day we celebrated 2 very special birthday with our loved ones.
We finished our Sunday with a tasty cooking club, as we whisked up light and fluffy cupcakes before cooking them and decorating them ready to enjoy with a hot drink.
