Activities at Claremont Parkway Care Home

Yesterday evening, our residents and staff wrapped up warm and headed into the garden to enjoy the magic of sparklers!  

Watching the sparks fly brought back so many wonderful memories of Bonfire Nights and "Penny for the Guy" traditions from their younger days.

With the weather turning decidedly chilly after all those heatwaves, we rounded off the evening indoors with delicious hotdogs, chips, and a warming mug of hot chocolate. It was the perfect cosy autumn night!

Our lovely resident Noelle enjoyed a wonderful trip to the local pet shop to choose some new fish for the communal fish tank. Noelle was delighted to browse the different fish and took great pleasure in selecting her new aquatic friends, making the outing a lovely & meaningful experience.
Bringing the new fish back to the home has added extra colour and life to the communal area, creating a calming and enjoyable focal point for all our residents. Watching fish swim can promote relaxation, reduce feelings of stress & anxiety, encourage conversation & spark happy memories.
It was really nice to see Noelle so engaged & happy, knowing that her choices will bring enjoyment to everyone for days to come & it was made even more special when her family came to visit, giving her the opportunity to share her experience with them.
Once the new fish have settled into their new tank, we look forward to taking another trip to the pet shop to choose some more fish to join them.

Today at Claremont, family, friends and team members joined together to wish Torsten a very happy birthday!
Birthdays are so much more than just another day, they are an opportunity to celebrate each resident, their life, and the memories they have created. Here at the home we ensure every resident receives their very own personalised birthday cake, making their day special and as unique and meaningful as they are. Please enjoy the photos below, that have captured the smiles, laughter and joy making every birthday a truly memorable occasion here at the home.

This week at Claremont residents have enjoyed watching interviews with authors from the Henley Literary Festival, giving them the opportunity to explore different books, hear inspiring stories, and learn about the authors' lives and writing experiences.

This activity encouraged conversation, brought back memories and helped with overall well-being, As a group they really enjoyed the session with Flight-Lieutenant Colin Bell and Michael & Clare Morpurgo and are looking forward to the Mary Berry interview.

We couldn't be more prouder as we celebrate a truly special milestone, our wonderful Senior Healthcare Assistant, Nina, is celebrating her 20th anniversary with us!

For two decades, Nina has poured her love, passion, and unwavering dedication into our home, making a lasting difference in the lives of our residents every single day.

To mark this amazing achievement, our Deputy Manager, Deepak Sharma, congratulated Nina on 20 years of incredible support and presented her with flowers, chocolates, and her official 20-year long-service pin. 
The celebrations took place in our lovely Garden Room, where Nina was joined by her proud colleagues, including some of our other amazing long-serving team members who have been with us for 13, 14 & 15 years!#

Nina thanked everyone for the beautiful surprise gathering and gifts. She also shared how proud she is to have supported and trained so many staff members over the years, helping them build successful careers right here at the home.

Thank you, Nina, for being the heart and soul of Claremont Parkway. Here’s to you and 20 years of wonderful memories!

Yesterday residents had a wonderful afternoon in the garden lounge, with assistance from the activity assistant, creating delicious Halloween shortbread biscuits.

With plenty of encouragement, conversation and a little creativity, everyone was able to take part at their own pace and enjoy the simple pleasure of making the delicious shortbread.
All residents involved had a chance to get involved, with one resident Noelle taking the role of lead cook who was in her element, as she had always baked for her family. 

The shortbread was shaped into pumpkins as it was Halloween and once cooked the residents all agreed they had made a fantastic job!

All our residents had a real sense of achievement and were able to sample the shortbread after their evening meal. 

Life enrichment activities like these offer independence to the residents and they are able to reminisce about the baking they once did for their own families.

During the Halloween themed afternoon our lovely resident Phyllis celebrated her Birthday. Her family came to visit and joined in with the special occasion, making the day even more meaningful to her and she was presented with a delicious looking cake.

At Claremont Parkway we celebrate birthdays not just as a mark of ageing another year but as a celebration of life, achievements, and personal growth. It's a time for reflection, gratitude, and looking forward to future possibilities. Birthdays provide a special opportunity for us to help residents to gather with loved ones and create lasting memories.

At Claremont our lovely residents look forward to having their hair done every week by our super hairdresser, Debbie.
Debbie goes above and beyond to make sure everyone feels pampered and looking their best, whether they choose to visit the salon or prefer to have their hair done in the comfort of their own rooms. 
Having their hair styled is about so much more than appearance; it helps boost confidence, promotes self-esteem, encourages social interaction and brings a sense of normality and routine to their lives. For residents who are less mobile or prefer a quieter environment, Debbie ensures they receive the same care, attention and friendly chat. Her visits bring smiles, laughter and a little extra sparkle to the week, helping our residents feel special, valued and wonderful.

Residents had a wonderful surprise this afternoon when Community Police Officer Babs Loveday popped in for a visit! Babs spent time chatting with everyone about her role within the community, happily answering their questions over a nice cuppa and a slice of cake.

Our residents absolutely love having visitors, and we want to extend a warm welcome to all of our local emergency services. If you work for the police, ambulance, or fire service, please feel free to pop in anytime you need a break. You are always welcome to enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee, a slice of cake, a chat with our staff and residents, or simply a quiet moment to recharge. Our doors are always open to you!

Our residents were joined by Michelle's Animal Therapy & Petting Party and her lovely animals, a visit from animals in a care home setting can bring immense joy and therapeutic benefits to our residents, the warmth and affection from animals often evoke smiles and laughter and can spark memories, encourages communication, and provide a comforting sense of connection and physical interaction.

We were delighted to have cuddles with the lovely little dog, Simon the cat as well as an array of other animals that all our residents enjoyed learning about as well as holding them throughout the afternoon.

Today we came together to celebrate the amazing finalist in the Barchester Care Awards!
Staff & Residents are all incredible proud of all those who have been recognised for their dedication, compassion & hard work in making a real difference to the lives of residents in all our Barchester homes.

The awards are a wonderful opportunity to shine a light on the kindness, commitment & teamwork that make our homes such a special place to live & work. A huge congratulations to all the finalist - being recognised for the wonderful work you is something to be truly proud of!

On Wednesday, our residents were thrilled to welcome back the fabulous singing duo, Lesley Ann Vocalist Entertainer and Katie Rose Vocalist, for a spooktacular Halloween-themed afternoon! 

Everyone had a wonderful time singing and dancing along to a fantastic variety of songs. Live music afternoons like these are brilliant for bringing everyone together, sparking great conversation, and filling the home with a joyful, positive atmosphere.

Residents of Claremont once again took to making a delicious dessert to have after their tea time meal. 
Residents joined as a group in the garden lounge with activity assistant who explained to them that they would be making a waffle berry pudding! They confirmed that it sounded delicious but were curious as to what was actually in the pudding, and whether it was a cake or like bread and butter pudding!
Residents firstly helped to cut up the pieces of toasting waffle into small cubes, then add strawberries and add cubed pieces of white chocolate, which they all agreed sounded wonderful. Next was the cream topping, which consisted of eggs, castor sugar, vanilla essence and lashings of creme fraiche, which needed to be mixed together, which the residents were happy to do.

This was then poured over the other ingredients and once happy was taken to the kitchen for the head chef to cook through. Speaking with residents the next day they confirmed it was a lovely dessert and made all the more better as they had helped to make it. 
All our residents had a real sense of achievement and gave them independence knowing they had contributed to their own pudding for tea. 
 

We had a wonderful afternoon with our residents in the garden lounge creating delicious strawberry mousse and orange jellies! With plenty of encouragement, conversation and a little creativity, everyone was able to take part at their own pace and enjoy the simple pleasure of making the delicious desserts. 
The session brought joy to the residents who spoke about the desserts they had made for their own families over the years.
All our residents had a real sense of achievement, and once the desserts were made they were taken to the kitchen to set ready to enjoy with their tea time meal.
The lovely photos below have captured the fun afternoon we all had for you to enjoy.

Today our residents enjoyed a wonderful seaside themed afternoon which included a traditional Punch & Judy show, which brought lots of smiles and laughter & memories of where they saw their first show as a child. During the afternoon they enjoyed a cone of chips a tub of ice cream and had to keep an eye out for the pesky seagull!

Puppeteer Chris not only entertained us with the show, he shared his knowledge of the history of Punch & Judy and explained about how the puppets were made and the wood used and how he had started out at the age of 11 doing shows and magic.

To round of the afternoon we took time to look at a seaside reminisce table, which was a lovely way for everyone to share stories and memories of bygone seaside holidays. It was an afternoon full of nostalgia, entertainment and seaside fun!