Activities at Derham House Care Home

It was Elf Day at Derham House and the team did not disappoint! 

There were a dozen elves throughout the home getting up to all sorts of antics and generally bringing a smile to the faces of our residents. One resident insisted on being right in the middle of it all to show his family how much of a good laugh the day has been. 

Elf Day is a national event organised by Alzheimer’s UK. 

 

Lest We Forget.

Remembrance Day at Derham House was honoured in a different way this year. Whilst we were unable to attend the services being held locally, we were still able to watch the national events and hold our two minutes of silence at the eleventh hour. 

Our residents also reminisced with staff about Remembrance Day events of their past, as well as remembering the some of the key conflicts of the last century. 

Residents are overjoyed at Derham House care home in Upminster, as Barchester Healthcare has implemented an indoor visiting suite for residents to continue to spend time with their loved ones in the upcoming months.  

There has been much careful planning and preparation for this moment. The visiting suite has been designed with both comfort and safety in mind, and has been recently adapted from a room which is accessible internally by residents and externally by visitors. The room is similar to a living room with comfortable furnishings, and heated to create a welcoming and warm environment, and has an intercom system fitted, so residents can clearly communicate, and engage in conversation, whilst being able to see their friends and family through a Perspex glass divider, fitted for safety to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Infection control protocols and safe social distancing are in place for every visit, including a hand sanitizer station before entry. Cleaning at Derham House care home will take place after each visit to ensure chairs, seats, hard surfaces including windowsills, and the Perspex glass divider are wiped down appropriately.

Crina Lee, General Manager, said: “The visiting suite has been a much welcomed development for our residents at Derham House to continue to receive much looked forward to visits from their loved ones, as the weather changes. The indoor visiting suite visits are well organised, and a lot of safety measures have been put in place to ensure they are Covid-secure. It will be wonderful to see how happy it makes the residents and their relatives in a warm and cosy environment.”

The visiting suite is expected to go live later this week with the families of residents being contacted via letter and email to explain the new online booking system. 

  At Barchester Healthcare we know that it is the staff that make us great. We are very fortunate to have fantastic staff who truly care about enriching the lives of our residents.   Our Employee of the Month at Derham House is Maria Satnarine. She has been nominated by her team because she is extremely dedicated to her care work, always eager to learn more about our residents by sitting and talking about their lives, and creates a happy environment where ever she goes!

Halloween at Derham House saw residents and staff doing the traditional activities of carving pumpkins, dressing up and decorating the home. But this year Derham House also wanted to take the opportunity to thank the local community for the support received during this difficult year.

Our General Manager Crina Lee and some of her spooky helpers took delicious homemade cupcakes to some of the businesses who have offered support recently. The cupcakes were gratefully received at the local GP surgeries, solicitor's offices and florists.

Residents and staff at Alice Grange have been supporting Breast Cancer Awareness by wearing pink and having their hair dyed and sprayed pink this week!

Even the General Manager got involved and a lot of laughs were had. Some seem to be taken with their new look, whilst others were far less convinced.