Activities at Austen House Care Home
Here at Austen House, we like to get to know those we support, and from the day of moving in, our activities team will spend time on an individual basis learning about interests, likes and dislikes, life history and favourite hobbies.
We provide a wide range of activities, from one-to-one time, manicures and board games, through to live entertainment, prize bingo and our ever-popular cheese & wine events. Our activities team will also tailor individual activities to ensure residents can have as much or as little involvement as they choose.
In the summer months, greater focus is given to outdoor activities, such as barbecues and garden parties. In conjunction with our Chef, themed events are planned throughout the year, bringing activities and food together.
In their pink polo shirts, our activities team are easily identifiable and embrace ideas and suggestions from residents and their relatives to ensure that the activities provided keep those we support engaged, stimulated and entertained.
Iuliana Buican
Hi my name is Iuliana, I was a history teacher for 12 years before I joined Barchester in 2017. I am passionate about my job and love working with people. I enjoy planning and delivering meaningful activities which make a difference to our residents lives.
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 Austen House Care Home
Christmas wreath making masterclass
This afternoon we enjoyed a Christmas wreath making masterclass by Blooming Haus, its gave us great ideas to make our own festive wreaths which will decorate our home.
Remembrance reflection for residents
On Sunday we paid our respects on Remembrance Day. A time to commemorate individuals in the armed forces who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The residents also thank our local Thrive Early Years and Intergenerational Childcare for their poppy pictures which decorated the lounge
Collecting for local ReadiFood Bank
This week the donations we collected for the ReadiFood Bank in Reading were delivered and gratefully received by their volunteers - BIG thank you to everyone who put in a donation and to Lauren for coordinating. The team at ReadiFood Bank would appreciate donations in the run up to Christmas of tinned vegetables for those needing the help to feed for their families, if you can help please do get in touch with the group.
Diwali Celebrations!
Residents at Austen House in Reading had a brilliant day on Thursday 4th November as they marked the start of the Hindu festival of Diwali, popularly known as the ‘festival of lights’.
Residents loved the music and joined in the Bollywood style dancing with staff wearing colourful outfits and beautiful body art, the celebration of Diwali honours Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, special lamps help Lakshmi find her way into people’s homes.
Activities assistant, Sunita Biyani prepared traditional Indian dishes including a range of spicy samosas, crispy bhajis and papadums with lime pickle and chutneys followed by traditional Indian sweets such as laddoo and barfi for the residents to enjoy.
Jane resident at Austen House commented: “I love all of the different cultural events that we celebrate here, there’s always something going on. I especially like the religious festivals from other cultures and sampling the wonderful food. It makes me feel like I am travelling abroad!”
Crafty pumpkin afternoon!
Residents are preparing for entries by the community (don't forget closing date is Friday!) for the best carved or decorated pumpkins and wanted to show off their own carving skills. They will be on display at our front entrance for the weekend so please do come a take a look
Mad Hatters Tea Party!
We all love a tea party with home made cakes and traditional afternoon tea, what was special about this afternoon was we made it themed for Alice in Wonderland complete with a visit from the Mad Hatter!
