Ashley House provides a wide range of activities for
residents from golf to building an artificial beach for a day's
entertainment. Anabel Unity Sale reports
When
Ashley House resident Ivy became very ill during the
residential care home's week of special activities it did not stop
her taking part. Staff knew she loved honeysuckle and had grown it
over the front door of her cottage so they filled her room with
honeysuckle and roses, picked from the home's garden. Her windows
were opened to let the sunshine in and staff played her a CD of
birdsong. On the morning Ivy died her son was at her bedside in her
room full of flowers.
For Margaret Powell, manager of Ashley House in Bordon,
Hampshire, this epitomises how the care home strives to involve all
of its residents in activities in a sensitive manner. "It was
wonderful to think we were able to bring Ivy a breath of fresh air
vital for their health and well-being. Earlier this year Ashley
House was rewarded for its efforts by coming second in the
National Association
for Providers of Activities for Older People (Napa) Breath of
Fresh Air competition, which encouraged care providers to come up
with creative ways for older people to enjoy the outdoors.
Enthusiasm
Ashley House is a purpose-built, two-floored building that
accommodates 36 frail older people, 22 of whom have dementia.
Powell has managed the home for five years and works closely with
its activity co-ordinator to ensure that all staff - and residents
- are engaged in the drive to keep them active. "You cannot just
have an activities co-ordinator who takes people off into a room to
do things, the enthusiasm has to come from the home manager and all
the staff as well as the residents," she says.
Powell believes that as well as more formal structured events,
daily activities should also be spontaneous. "Activity is sometimes
seen as a standalone task people think it has to be all planned out
but an activity can be as simple as looking out of the window,
stroking pets, seeing children or grandchildren, or just going
outside."
Such simple activities gives meaning to people's lives because
"they feel occupied and useful", she says.
Bingo and coffee mornings are the activities generally
associated with older people living in care homes. While these have
their place in Ashley House - one resident takes great pride in
being the bingo caller - the care home sometimes likes to do things
a little bit differently.
Inspired by Napa's desire to see evidence of older people taking
part in rewarding activities, Ashley House struck on the idea of a
day at the seaside. Powell says that getting 36 older people and
associated staff to the beach was a logistical problem "so we
decided to bring the beach to residents". A local builder donated
two tonnes of sand and Ashley House's gardener helped Powell and
the staff create a beach in the home's back garden, complete with a
painted seaside backdrop featuring real seaweed stuck on. Local
school children came to the "beach" and interacted with residents,
as well as two donkeys from a local sanctuary. Powell says the
residents, who relished the opportunity to do something completely
out of their routine, really enjoyed the day.
Ashley House also organises activities with residents such as
golf, films, supervised cooking, and exploring how the garden
changes during the seasons.
Interests and hobbies
The home's activity co-ordinator and Powell visit all residents
before they move in and talk to them about their interests and
hobbies. Powell says it is important for older people to maintain
an active lifestyle especially when they move into a care home.
Emma Smith is a team leader at Ashley House and regularly takes
parts in activities with residents - including starring in the
yearly staff pantomime. She says it is important not to force older
people to take part in an activity - be it a group or individual
one with a care worker - but to respect what the resident wants to
do.
Staff also benefit from taking part in different activities with
residents as she herself found out when she helped one client, who
used to grow his own vegetables, in the home's vegetables patch. "I
know nothing about gardening and there we were digging up
potatoes," she says.
Next year Ashley House plans to build on its good practice by
putting the £500 of garden furniture and £250 cash it was awarded
by Napa to use in a new sensory garden.
Click for more on Ashley
House
National Association for
Providers of Activities for Older People
Top tips
● Get to know residents' likes and
dislikes by conducting a home visit before they move into a care
home.
● All activities should be geared to what
individuals want to do and should not be forced.
● Ask residents what activities they do
and don't enjoy.
This article is published in the 4 December edition
of Community Care magazine under the headline How to
keep residents active