Activities at Bluebell Park Care Home
Here at Bluebell Park our aim is to enrich the lives of our residents, through group, and individual activities.
We have a wide range of activities designed to mentally, and physically stimulate the people we care for, including regular trips out in the mini bus, and taking part in the community led events that happen in the village we live in. We hold monthly resident meetings so our planning reflects their wishes, and requests, for example we now hold a regular bingo club (which residents families love to attend) and a bowling afternoon which the gentlemen here particularly enjoy. Entertainers and musicians regularly come into the home and families and friends are always welcome to attend too.
Activities are one of the most important aspects of our care home, and we strive to have a full range on offer. Our team here at Bluebell are dedicated to ensuring our residents enjoy, and get as much out of our entertainment as possible. It is without a doubt our mission is to make sure that life at Bluebell is active, fun, and most of all happy.
Leanne Lowe
Hello. My name is Leanne Lowe and I am the Activity Coordinator for Bluebell Park.
I have worked for Barchester for 6 years as a Carer and I have now made the move to Activities.
During my time here I have built lovely friendships and knowledge of our residents . I aim to offer a range of varied and tailored activities and group sessions that are meaningful to each of our residents. I am thrilled to be supporting the whole team at Bluebell Park in delivering fun, engaging and interesting activities for our residents. We also have a minibus which is used weekly to take residents out to cafes, local beauty spots and day trips.
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 Bluebell Park Care Home
Owl Adventures
Bluebell Park in Chellaston, Derby, invited, in December, some very passionate professional handlers of Birds of Prey.
They came all the way from Yorkshire to interact and engage with our very excited residents. The four birds they brought with them were raised in a home environment, so they were extremely happy with our residents. Included in our visitors list, we had a beautiful little chap called Diego who was a small white-faced owl. His feathers were unbelievably soft, so soft that you had to convince yourself you were actually touching something.
The two Barn Owls were so popular as they spun their heads around 360° to get a good view, and then we have the ‘Hawk’. So comical as it flew from resident to resident and lamp shade to lamp shade, leaving a waft of unattractive perfume behind. The gasps of laughter and chuckles coming from certain residents were so amusing, not only for them, but for everyone to see.
This action encouraged a lot more of our residents to have a go at putting on gloves and seeing this beautiful creature soaring towards them. It took their breath away. Our residents were so intrigued by these beautiful little birds as they looked so intensely at them sitting on their knees and then, if they dared, to actually have them land on to their arms protected by the glove and supervised by the professional handlers.
The smiles and the conversations when they left us were mind-blowing, and they cannot wait for them to come again next year.
Voices R Us
Residents, staff, family and friends at Bluebell Park Care Home in Chellaston, Derby, experienced another fantastic afternoon concert with Voices R Us.
Everyone always gets involved with the contagious energy and it is extremely popular. Voices R Us are an enormously entertaining group, full of fun, and they sing songs that our residents identify with and are encouraged to sing on the microphone and dance along to the music. They sing Rock ‘n’ Roll, Classical, Motown and even Musical Theatre. Christmas was obviously on the menu today with Voices R Us with their sack full of Christmas tunes such as Scarlet Ribbons, White Christmas, probably all of Elvis’s Christmas tunes which were very popular and also some Jonny Cash and Buddy Holly were also delivered with precision tuning.
Occasions like this are so special to everyone, as our residents are so engrossed in the whole atmosphere, keeping a steady beat and seeing the smiles and the concentration on their faces is unforgettable. Some were still humming tunes hours later. The smiles, hand clapping and body dancing were a wonder to see.
D-Day Dollies
Bluebell Park welcomed one of the most popular singing groups into our home in November.
“The D-Day Dollies” - from the King’s Coronation to VE-Day, we enjoyed war time songs everyone could identify with.
The roof was raised not only by the Dollies but by our residents.
Clapping and singing at the top of their voices. As you can see from the pictures, the smiles and enthusiastic energy they brought to everyone.
Including songs from Judy Garland, Andrew Sister and of course, Dame Vera Lynn plus many more vintage and classic songs of an amazing generation.
The 1940’s are sure to put a spring in anyone’s step and a song in their hearts.
Every Hand tells a Story
On this one special day in November, our wonderful residents here at Bluebell Park, had more than a hand in a certain activity.
They have so much to tell and love telling it.
Every resident has their own exciting life tales to tell and one of the most interesting ways is a hand study. The way people hold their hands, the lines and injuries and the soft or coarseness of the skin.
Our residents are so precious not only to us but more so to their families and friends.
As it is said “the eyes are the windows to our souls,” well when you hold a loved one's hands, you can see, feel and imagine the life they have had.
Our residents and their families were so happy to join in with this activity and as you can tell, we had a lot of interest.
Planting a Tree of Rememberance
One Cold day in November after the first snow fall of the year, in National Tree Week, we planted an Olive Tree in our remembrance garden.
Before we ventured out in to the cold weather, we sat in our lovely warm lounge and chatted with each other over hot chocolate remembering the friends and family we knew and friends and family we have lost.
With jumpers, thick winter coats, gloves and fancy hats we eventually ventured into our winter garden.
Covered with colourful leaves from our many beautiful trees, we planted our Olive Tree.
The wind howled and the rain fell and our faces contorted with the cold but we still managed to smile and enjoy our small but very personal occasion.
Christmas Party
We spent the afternoon having a Christmas Party it was a fantastic afternoon. Light festive refreshments with some festive drinks along with some Christmas games, quiz, carols, and dancing. It was a fantastic afternoon enjoyed by many residents and families to. There was lots of lovely bright smiles throughout the afternoon everybody who participated really enjoyed themselves. Overall it a lovely afternoon we plan to do something like this again in the new year.
