Activities at Caldy Manor Care Home

Residents at Caldy Manor care home, in Caldy recently registered for the 1 Letter 1 Smile scheme to receive letters from young people all over the world who wanted to write to lonely or isolated older people during the lockdown.

Residents at the home have received 80 letters from teenagers and young adults from all over the world. The residents have enjoyed spending afternoons together reading their letters and sharing their stories. We plan to reply to all the letters,

The 1 letter 1 smile imitative comes from 10 cousins, aged from 14 to 24, students or schooled in Lille, Paris, The Hague, Lausanne, Montreal. From engineers to comedians, salespeople to fans of literature, they all became postmen to spread your words of love.

1, 275 care homes are registered so that their isolated residents following COVID 19 can receive your letters in England, Canada, France, Belgium, The USA, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Residents enjoyed a themed evening at the ‘Caldy Manor Casino’.   Residents made their grand entrance in to the ‘casino’ through a golden curtain wearing their finest attire for a fun filled evening. 

Residents spent their dollars on chips to gamble at the roulette table which was the chose game for the evening. Placing their bets was very exciting and Resident, Barbara was the only one to take home winnings!  Barbara was pictured proudly holding her cash.

Residents of Caldy Manor have enjoyed a week of virtual travels from the comfort of their own home aboard 'Caldy Cruises'.   Once settled in to their places on board guests gathered for a welcome cocktail party with the Captain.  It was a wonderful afternoon as they sung and danced together and enjoying a cocktail or two!   Snacks were served as they waved goodbye to crowds on the dockside as they set sail for they adventure on the high seas visiting as many places as they can over the coming weeks!

They will be enjoying lots of activities to keep them busy on days when they are at sea. Where will they be next?

Residents at Caldy Manor virtually travelled to a location of their choice for a day trip.

Residents were asked where they would like to visit for the day and chose Paris as their destination of choice.  They kick started they day trip in Paris with an opportunity to see the Eiffel Tower, a portrait at Montmartre, or a lazy afternoon at the Marie Antoinette café before guests returned to the ship exhausted but happy and looking forward to their next adventure.  Everyone had a wonderful day!

Resident, Andie was delighted to be able to share her son’s wedding as family and friends watched the ceremony virtually from the comfort of their own homes due to the pandemic and travel restrictions.

Andie’s son Jamie lives in New York, and with very spur of the moment wedding in the desert organised in Las Vegas, Valley of Fire it was thanks to technology that Andie was able to watch, it was all very emotional but she was over joyed to see her son marry.

For some residents at Caldy Manor the long awaited reunion with family and friends became a reality recently, as garden visits have now been allowed to commence at the home.  Resident, Joan was delighted to be reunited with her son as part of her birthday celebrations having travelled a distance from his own home to wish her a happy birthday in person.

It was welcome news to so many residents, family, and friends, who were kept apart for so long following strict government guidance. Residents and their loved ones got together in the home garden for and the garden was fully of joy and chatter.

Hannah Roberts,  General Manager at the home, said: “This has been a much welcomed development in what have been very strange times. The visits are safe and organised, and it was wonderful to see how happy it made the residents. We will of course endeavour to keep up the high standards of care, and continue with our ever evolving life enrichment programme, to keep residents engaged. But this was a lovely day.”