Celebrating life at Barchester

Residents and guests enjoyed a heartfelt afternoon of smiles. A live acoustic performance filled the room with an atmospheric vibe that left us lost for words. Local duo, Joel and Lauren, a guitarist and cellist respectively, performed a beautifully lyrical and immersive set.

It was incredible to see and feel how the classical pieces affected everyone, from Bach’s “Ave Maria” to Camille Saint-Saens “The Swan” and when “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was played, instinctively voice after voice joined in. When Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was played and the residents asked how it made them feel, resident Anne Miller said, “it made my heart turn over”.

Our thanks to the hospitality team who laid on a fantastic spread of refreshments to enjoy during the performance

Residents are celebrating National Carers’ Week, which takes place from June 8-14. Residents wanted to thank all the wonderful staff at the home, whose hard work and dedication make a real difference to the lives of those living in their care.

Staff were treated to artwork by a resident specific for Carers Week, a beautifully written piece by our Resident Ambassador, chocolates and sweets for our staff team, a carers breakfast by our Head Chef and General Manager and Rosebuds Beauty visiting our home and pampering our staff team, (residents and visitors too).

Staff and Residents were treated to a virtual tour of the wonderful underwater world of the National Marine Aquarium, hosted by Discovery Ranger, Owen Town-Smith.

The UK’s deepest aquarium habitat with the largest viewing window, the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth is home to more than 5,000 marine animals including sharks, turtles and so much more.  The Aquarium is divided into four different zones, the further you journey around the Aquarium, the further you journey around the world’s Ocean. Moving from Plymouth Sound to British Coasts, Atlantic Ocean and finishing up in Blue Planet with the Biozone and the stunning Great Barrier Reef.

Our residents recently enjoyed a relaxing spa-inspired wellbeing experience created by our wonderful care team. With muted lighting, gentle music, and soothing hand and arm massages, the sessions were designed to promote relaxation, comfort, and emotional wellbeing.

A dedicated spa room provided a peaceful retreat, while residents who preferred to remain in their own rooms received personalised visits from staff, ensuring everyone could take part if they wanted to.

The experience was warmly received, with residents describing the session as "lovely," "calming," and "amazing." One resident, enjoying a hand and arm massage for the first time, called it "a very pleasant experience."

Activities such as these form an important part of our life enrichment programme, supporting wellbeing, meaningful connections, and quality of life for every resident.

Our Memory Lane Armchair Travel Club set off on its first adventure with a firm favourite, Somerset!

For our residents who have lived all their lives in Somerset, seeing familiar places such as Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Wells, sparked delight, with plenty of stories and memories shared about their lives, work and local communities. Meanwhile, Peter, who recently moved to Crandon Springs after living in the North, said he thoroughly enjoyed learning about Somerset.

The afternoon was relaxed, sociable and full of conversation, made even more enjoyable with a taste of Somerset through local cheese and Thatcher's cider. 

We’re already looking forward to our next destination!

We’d like to take this great opportunity to recognise and thank our wonderful carers here at Lindum House.

We’re proud of each and every one of our care team for the outstanding care that they provide to residents every single day. They always go above and beyond their role and for this we are truly grateful.

As part of the week, our carers received numerous gifts and lovely thank you cards from community members, relatives and friends. 

This week we have been enjoying lots of delicious treats in celebration of international Carers week!

General Manager Candy has been going round the home this week congratulating, supporting and rewarding all care and support staff with the recognition they deserve. 

Every single member of our care and support team makes Lotus Manor the friendly, caring and family environment we strive to be and we this week has been about making sure they know how important they are to both staff and residents.

We are all busy people, and we often take for granted simple activities that can mean very little for some people, but can mean a great deal to others. One of those undertakings which may seem mundane and not very inspiring, can be something which is so fulfilling and a great source of entertainment and life enrichment for others. Shopping trip anyone?

We filled our minibus with as many residents as we could muster and off we went to Paradise Park in Newhaven. The residents were delighted with a stop off at the coffee shop, they then emersed themselves in the sensory gardens and found time to capture special moments with the miniature railway.

The main focus of attention was of course the well-stocked gift shop, offered an eclectic mix of trinkets   catering for all tastes. Lots of opportunities for residents to acquire some special souvenirs for their loved ones, friends and families. A great day out was had by all and will be sure to be repeated.