Activities at The Dales Care Home
We understand that the people we support have passions and interests that could be difficult to pursue after moving into a care home – but that doesn’t mean we don’t encourage them to try! Some hobbies can define a person, so our Activities Coordinators are dedicated to ensuring that everyone we support is able to do what makes them happy to the best of their abilities. Social events are organised with individual tastes in mind and with the idea that residents have the opportunity to try new and exciting things.
Kay Thompson
Hi, my name is Kay and I am the activities coordinator here at the Dales. I joined the team in June 2021 and I love spending time with the residents each day, delivering meaningful activities that keep our residents active and social stimulated, more importantly we have fun! Our life enrichment programme is varied and we have lots to do!
Before I joined the home I was a lecturer teaching young individuals with high needs, it is very different being an activities coordinator but it does help with understand how to ensure everyone is happy each and every day in everything that we do.
I look forward to meeting you when you visit our home.
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 The Dales Care Home
Virtual event with Art Historian
Residents across our services had a delightful time during a special virtual sensory storytelling event, led by Art Historian Jon Sleigh from the Historic Royal Palaces.
Jon took us on a journey to discover some of the more unusual and unexpected inhabitants of the palaces and the Tower of London, sharing fascinating stories about the pets at the palaces.
Whilst enjoying the virtual experience, our residents were treated to hot beverages, delicious biscuits, berries and cakes. It was a truly lovely time for all.
Dementia Action Week
Staff and residents at Barchester’s The Dales care home in Skipton marked Dementia Action Week which took place from 15 – 21 May. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning – thinking, remembering, reasoning – which can affect a person’s day to day life and activities. Functions that can be impacted are memory, language skills, visual perception, problem solving, self-management and the ability to focus and pay attention. The number of people living with dementia in the UK is forecast to increase to over 1m.
Coronation Celebrations
Excitement is in the air at The Dales Care Home in Draughton where residents and staff have been busy making Coronation-themed decorations and baking up a storm of red, white and blue cakes and pastries with the help of head chef in preparation for the King’s Coronation.
Staff and residents at the home put their heads together and came up with a plan for their celebrations fit for a King. Over the bank holiday weekend the home held a party had tasty food buffet put together by our fabulous Head Chef - Patrick Bonus, Chef – Kevin Green, Hostess – Pamela Phillips and all our kitchen assistants. We have had a live singing, played lots of games and much more. The whole home came together to celebrate our new King and talk about the new era the country is entering.
Long service celebrated
A domestic at The Dales in Draughton has received a prestigious 20 Year Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 20 years. Sandra Milner, a member of the domestic team started at Barchester in April 2003 and has worked with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years.
Coronation virtual talk
Across our services Residents had a wonderful time participating in an interactive virtual talk with Pippa Catterall, Professor of History and Policy at the University of Westminster, where we delved into the rich history of coronations.
During the talk, we explored fascinating topics such as the coronation chair, the crown, and other significant aspects related to King Charles' upcoming coronation. Our residents were thrilled to have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the memoirs of past coronations from 1937 and 1953, as well as learning about the coronation oath and what to expect from the ceremony, including the music, guests, and pageantry.
Unusual visitors surprise residents
Residents at The Dales were pleasantly surprised to see two, 2 week old lambs roaming around as the family of one of our residents paid a visit.
General Manager Roisin Doyle said: “Our residents have really enjoyed their unusual visitors today. We knew that having the lambs here would be a bit of fun for all our residents, especially as some find it difficult to go on many outings in our minibus. We are always looking for new activities for the residents and today we have seen the seen the enjoyment and the therapeutic influence animals can have on people.”
