What types of care does Hickathrift House Care Home offer?

Hickathrift House Care Home offers Residential care, Dementia care, Respite / Short stay.

Activities at Hickathrift House Care Home

We have two Activities Coordinators here at Hickathrift House. We have a wide range of activities within the home, including musical entertainment, arts & crafts, clubs for like-minded people, such as flower arranging and gardening, board games, baking (where the best bit is the eating afterwards!), and we celebrate special events throughout the year. We also have trips out on a regular basis using our own minibus, where we find out places of interest each person would like to visit.

It is important to us that each individual who we support can get as much from these activities as possible, so we try our best to arrange activities that reflect their interests and capabilities, and encourage them to participate in any way they can. We also encourage relatives to join in with activities and events as often as they can.

For the less mobile residents, we unique one-to-one session, such as simple chats over a cup of tea, reading or listening to music. Activities are some of the most important aspects of a care home, so it is essential that our team are dedicated to ensuring that residents are entertained, and that life at Hickathrift House is fun and active.

Watch our video on life enrichment in our homes.

Kat Colangelo

Activities Lead

Hello, my name is Kat and I am the Activities Lead here at Hickathrift House.

Since 2017 I have been working in the field of well-being and I am passionate and enthusiastic about enriching all our of residents' quality of life.

As the Activities Lead at Hickathrift House, my focus is learning about each of our resident's likes and dislikes and supporting them to remain receptive and active in addition to supporting them to engage with our local community friends.

I organise activities to stimulate the mind, body and soul in an enjoyable, comfortable way. My aim is to diversify and increase activities ensuring that there is something for everyone - from Wine and Cheese events, excursions on our home Mini Bus as well as individual bespoke person-centered activities.

Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure

Activities and Events Partnerships

As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies

Life at Hickathrift House Care Home

Lifelong race fan realises dream

Richard, a resident at the home was the owner of a racehorse and a lifelong supporter of the sport. Before coming to Hickathrift House, Richard was a racehorse owner and spent his time looking after his horse, Sleepy Blue Ocean. He has always wanted to return to the racecourse and be part of the atmosphere again, so the Hickathrift team made his wish a reality on the 7th of May 2024.

Since joining Hickathrift House, Richard often reminisces about his many days at the racecourse and training grounds with Sleepy Blue Ocean, winning and losing races and the best jockeys he worked with. He last raced his horse in 2009 but to Richard, those are some of his most vivid happiest memories, so our team worked on preparing a beautiful day at the races for him and his friends.

Celebrating Cadbury's

Residents across our services had a wonderful time joining Cadbury for an interactive virtual talk on their fascinating 200-year history.

Residents joining learnt interesting facts about the chocolate giant, shared memories, and reminisced about their favourite sweet treats.

It was a heartwarming experience filled with laughter, nostalgia, and plenty of chocolatey goodness!

Ambassadors join home team

Staff and residents welcomed their first Relative Ambassador and re-elected Resident Ambassador to the team. Firstly, the daughter of a care home resident has been given a new role at the home to help support the families of other residents. Viv's Mother, Joan, joined Hickathrift House in 2023 and ever since, Viv has become part of the Hickathrift House family, helping residents, relatives, and staff. This new role is to help other families considering care options as well as those whose loved ones are living there.

Viv, Relative’s Ambassador said "I'm a very passionate, caring person and I am always happy to help anyone. I like joining in the activities with mum and the other residents and chatting to new relatives about my experience at Hickathrift. I couldn't ask for a better home for mum".

Tiptoe through the Norfolk Tulips

Residents were thrilled to be able to visit the most colourful event of the year, the Norfolk Tulips fields, that raise funds for The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House! The vibrant colours of Norfolk's famous tulip fields were just awe-inspiring and magical.

Residents and staff were laughing as we frolicked through the tulips, shared our favourite types and loved seeing all the children playing. We also are so pleased to have helped raise funds for this meaningful cause.
Resident Rosemary said, "What did I do to deserve this lovely treat to the tulip fields. You're all so kind to have taken us. One of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. Even with the wind, I've enjoyed every minute".

National Pet Day

To celebrate National Pet Day we had a spectacular visit from Michelle's Animal Therapy & Petting Party! Residents and staff loved meeting all the different, beautiful animals, especially Doris the chicken. Simon the Persian cat and Boots the Ragdoll went to visit residents in their rooms and Kim loved brushing Boots’ soft fur. Joan was extra brave and had a cuddle with Ed the bearded dragon! Brenda adored the beautiful hamster and Elsie gave Diego one last cuddle before they left.

It’s amazing to see the fantastic impact animals can have on us all, particularly those living with Dementia. Everyone enjoyed learning about these fabulous animals, reminiscing about their pets and experiencing a variety of sensory stimulations.

Easter celebrations

We've had a wonderful fun-packed week celebrating Easter at Hickathrift House. From Easter bonnet crafts to welcoming the Pilgrim Cross for coffee morning with handmade hot cross buns and of course our fabulous Easter Bunny Meet and Greet. Our week has included Easter chocolate games, themed picture bingo, a themed namaste sensory trolley, and making an incredible Simnel cake in Baking Club with the help of our amazing Head Chef, Andy.

Joy, a new resident at Hickathrift House said, "I haven't made a Simnel cake in such a long time. I adored the bonnet making with our volunteer Caitlin. What wonderful experiences we’ve had together. It is a traditional Easter celebration".