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.

Enriching life
Watch our video on life enrichment in our homes.

Iuliana Buican

Activities Co-ordinator

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.

Life-encriching activities booklet

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

Weekly Pamper in the Salon

Our hairdressing salon is open every Monday & Thursday with Jo, a qualified hairdresser for 36 years. Jo provides a quality salon experience with a choice of treatments for both ladies and gents with appointments booked at reception. 

 

Macmillan Coffee Morning

Thank you to those who attended our Macmillan cancer support coffee morning today 

We were honored to have one of our neighbors, Elizabeth, attend in memory of her daughter who passed away in February. Her presence today reminds us as to why supporting charities like Macmillan is so very important.

We were also pleased to welcome Mayor Anne Bassett into our home for the first time!

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The Day the Alpacas came for Tea!

We all enjoyed a visit by Lane House Alpacas at Austen House, they were so tame and happy to walk about in the home! We listened to a  talk by the team on how they care for their animals was interesting together with the photos of the new Cria's (baby Alpacas) born recently. 

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Colour in our garden

Our garden is full of colour at the moment, roses and chrysanthemums - a joy to see as we enter autumn! 

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Cllr David Hare & Fraser come to visit!

Staff and residents were delighted to welcome Councillor David Hare and his dog Fraser to meet residents this week.

David took a tour round the home stopping for residents to share treats with Fraser who was so well behaved, he certainly enjoyed all the attention from all the team too. Animal therapy has been proven to have a calming effect on those living with dementia together with helping to alleviate symptoms of low mood and lowering blood pressure.

Cllr Hare said “I have met so many residents who had their own dogs previously and they shared stories of the fun and companionship they enjoyed, it was a pleasure for us both to spent time here and we will be back again soon!”

General Manager Natsayi Dunira said: “We appreciate David taking the time to visit us with Fraser, we are so pleased to be welcoming visitors back from our community who benefit the mental wellbeing of our residents as well as the social aspect, if you can help in any way please do get in touch.”

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World Photography Day!

To celebrate World Photography Day we spent time taking photos and exploring different photography techniques and were joined in the afternoon by professional photographer Damian Bailey for a virtual themed talk. See how we used the theme of ‘light’ with photos of our garden