Activities at Ashlar House Care Home

They can be used for exercising, playing games, and building social teamwork. Adjustments are made whilst sitting in a chair or wheelchair to ensure our residents are comfortable before we begin. This session really got our residents laughing and having so much fun!

We paid homage to our mothers in recognition of Mother’s Day! The home is bursting at the seams with gifts waiting for our special mums.

The constant flow of deliveries from local florists has led to an explosion of colours and aromas as we prepare the visiting suite for loved ones ahead of a busy 2 days of socialising.

A huge thank you to Bridget Cake Art Essex, who has prepared a special selection of cakes and cookies with a focus on dietary needs.

We have also received special sensory cards for residents with limited sight. Ahead of the face-to-face visits, we have had many FaceTime sessions with eager family members booked in for visits.

Each year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) celebrates World Radio Day by planning activities with broadcasters, organisations and communities around the world.

In recognition of the day, Ashlar House organised fun-filled activities and a virtual workshop for the residents to enjoy, led by Catherine, Heritage Education and Outreach Officer at Epping Forest District Museum.

Throughout the virtual workshop, Catherine shared some photos and videos of historic radios with the residents and engaged them with the collections at the museum. Many residents have grown up listening to the radio, so it was a lovely reminiscing session too.

The residents also had a chance to work hands-on with some of the historical radios, as they were kindly brought into the home by the Epping Forest District Museum.

It was a lovely day, enjoyed by all.

Being at home hasn’t stopped the virtual Teams sessions between children and residents, as they have all logged on for a session with Ashlar House from their own homes.

It was recently World Book Day and, as Coopersale and Theydon Garnon Primary Schools decided to celebrate books and reading across the whole week, not just a day! This included a virtual Teams session all about books with the residents

Children chose a book that they particularly loved, find interesting, or would recommend, and are completing various activities throughout the week about that book. Children read out reviews of their book, telling us why it is so good; and read and showed comics strips they had created. 

The residents then told us about some of their favourite books, and many of the children’s faces were in awe as one resident said he loved non-fiction animal books, especially about honey badgers and how deadly they can be (there were lots of open mouths to discover they could take down a lion!). Another resident said he loved every book and is happy as long as he’s got a book, and it showed the children the importance of reading all different genres and styles all through our lives, as we can learn so much from books. We discussed how some of the books we read in class, such as Alice in Wonderland, were around when the residents were children too, so books have no time limit and can be enjoyed for generations. 

The meeting overran as the children then showed the residents various teddies they have – including various characters from books! They then did a quick unplanned quiz where they were naming book characters and trying to persuade residents why they should read their book. It was a lovely lively session to get everyone excited about all things books!

Ashlar House has recently brought a bit of magic to residents by providing a new 'Magic Table' as a way to improve residents’ quality of life.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the Magic Table 360 uses interactive games to connect residents with staff and with each other, and research shows it improves the well-being of people living with dementia. Using interactive light projections, the Magic Table 360, which can be played independently or in a group, stimulates movement by inviting participants to take part in all sorts of different fun activities such as popping bubbles, playing the piano, colouring in pictures, sweeping leaves or interacting playfully with fish. Games are rich in colour, movement and detail, and allow people of all ages to play in a safe and comfortable environment.

The Magic Table 360 is portable, so it can be used wherever residents feel most comfortable, it can be projected onto the floor, ceiling, walls, a whiteboard or even the bed. The Happiness Programme allows for a range of games that change seasonally and have country-specific versions covering 14 different categories, so there will always be something new for residents to try.

The benefits of the Magic Table 360 has shown to improve mood and behaviours especially across the mid-to-late stages of dementia, greater physical, social and cognitive activity, reduction in withdrawn-like symptoms, weight gain and positive impacts on relationships with care staff, friends and family.

Bingo is still our favourite activity in our care home for residents and staff. Residents were found to be engaging between players and becoming very excited to win.