Activities at Derham House Care Home

Today at Derham House the residents took part in painting class.

They really did have fun and we definitely have some real budding artists in the making! Some residents painted the staff on our Memory Lane community with their masks on, and residents on our Bridge community painted flowers. All of the final paintings were amazing and a fun afternoon was had by all!

This week Derham House decided to revisit a disaster which changed the world we know today.

We started the week with a virtual visit to Newfoundland where the titanic sank off its coast and then visited the wreck virtually too.

The RMS Titanic, a luxury steamship, sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic after sideswiping an iceberg during its maiden voyage. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 lost their lives in the disaster. Titanic has inspired countless books, articles and films (including the 1997 “Titanic” movie starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio), which the residents had the pleasure of watching at the end of the week.

On show was some Titanic memorabilia brought in by one of the activity co-ordinators which the residents enjoyed looking at.

We swapped our uniforms for costumes on National Elf Day in an effort to raise funds to help people living with dementia.

Launched by the Alzheimer’s Society and delivered directly from the North Pole, Elf Day was created to sprinkle some festive cheer on fundraising towards finding a cure for dementia.

We were able to enjoy elf-themed games, quizzes and delicious sweet and savoury treats, prepared by our talented chef.

Today the residents took a virtual trip to Lapland.

Our journey took us deep inside the Arctic Circle, to meet the ancient Sami people and the animals they hold so close - reindeer.

Known as the reindeer people, the Sami were traditionally nomadic, relying on their precious animals to help them survive the Arctic's harsh winters of -20.

The residents also witnessed the natural phenomenon the Sami most revere - the magical Northern Lights.

The residents really enjoyed watching this program one resident from memory lane said I really enjoyed that the reindeer were lovely and how about the weather that's really cold.

Derham House in Upminster is receiving specialist training as part of English National Ballet’s Dance for Dementia initiative and ongoing partnership with parent company, Barchester Healthcare. Staff at the home have been specially selected to receive training and to attend interactive sessions led by English National Ballet Associate Dance Artists and Musicians in order that they can help lead dance and music-inspired workshops for their residents. Dancing and creative arts and music interventions engages the brain and can help with symptoms associated with dementia such as memory loss, communication, and physical coordination. Sessions foster creativity and can help improve symptoms as well as providing artistic stimulation and social interaction.

We really went out there with Christmas fast approaching; some went for bright reds while others enjoyed the Christmas sparkle and had glitter.

And for those who do not like a manicure, they enjoyed a soothing hand massage.