Activities at Derham House Care Home

Today at Derham House we took a trip up to London to visit the Imperial war museum with 3 service men we had an RAF pilot, Able seaman and Army regiment.

The men were so excited as we travelled up to London taking in all the sites on the way, as we turned off the highway they spotted the Tower of London as we crossed Tower Bridge our Seaman spotted HMS Belfast moored on the Thames his face spotting a huge smile and his thoughts of his time on board his ships came flooding back he was so happy.

We arrived at the museum and were greeted by 2 huge naval guns were the men had a picture and it shows just how big the guns really are.

When we entered the museum our RAF pilot spotted the plans suspended from the ceiling and his joy was evident when he turned around & said that’s a spitfire you know I could have flown one of those, the day really was magical bringing back all their happy memories & some not but they all said they had a fantastic time and as for the staff we really did enjoy putting smiles on their faces which made our day and achieved what we had set out to do.

The icing on the cake was that of the able seaman’s story that has gone in the museums reminiscing book of how he enjoyed his time in the navy but his future wife was not so keen on him being away and so his love was stronger and he paid to get a discharge #loveconquers was really fitting.

Our Activities Team Kay & Maria, brought the seaside to Derham House and had some fun with a pool some inflatables and a sandpit. We stocked up on plenty of ice cream, drinks and delicious ice lollies for everyone to enjoy. The residents and staff also enjoyed the sprinklers that our maintenance team set up just outside the door so as we walked out everyone got a little wet. We enjoyed music and reminisced about their times at the beach and how you always enjoyed eating fish & chips on the pier and finishing off with an ice cream. One lady braved the pool dipping her toes and playing with the inflatables she really did have fun she also liked the sandpit letting the sand flow through her hands. A good morning had by all.

Today at Derham house we did the getting to know me book with residents. The getting to know me book is an interesting and useful activity for residents to take part in. They are able to complete their own book often with their family involved. The book remains the resident’s property but staff can use it and add to it continually to allow everyone an insight into the likes, dislikes and life history of each resident promoting their individuality. One resident was taken back to his days as a boy seaman then becoming an able seaman on-board HMS Contest & HMS Gabbard he talked about his time & duties and how he felt living away from home for several months at a time, he also spoke about how he left a single man and when he came back he met his future wife who didn’t like him being away so he decided to get a discharge, although he loved his time serving his future wife was more important - love conquered! We found a forum with everyone who sailed on HMS Contest in the hope it triggers a memory and maybe we could get in-touch with the other sailors to come and meet up for some reminiscing about their days on-board.

Happiness starts with a wet nose and ends with a wagging tail Hudson the Bernese Mountain Dog returned to spread some joy and furry hugs to the residents. He is such a gentle giant and was very cheeky jumping up on the sofas to sit next to the residents. Animals offer unconditional love and companionship. Sometimes, they provide a level of companionship that people can't. One study has found that nursing home residents reported less loneliness when visited by dogs and other animals.

Derham House was turned into a beautiful sea of colour as we proudly supported Pride Month. The notice board had changed to an information board of some famous openly gay celebs and their struggles they faced to come out. We had Elton John, Freddie Mercury, George Michael, Dame Kelly Holmes, to the first footballer to come out since Justin Fashanu, Jake Daniels to Alan Turing the Nazi code breaker all of you are incredibly brave and Derham House proudly supports you. The staff also dressed for the occasion wearing pride colours but the highlight was seeing Hudson the Bernese Mountain Dog also dress up in his bright blue vest. Derham House always likes to support our diverse community.

Excitement has been running high at Derham House where residents and staff have been busy making Jubilee-themed decorations and baking up a storm of red, white and blue cakes and pastries with the help of head chef Dmitrij Saverskij in preparation for the Jubilee. Staff and residents at the home put their heads together and came up with a plan for their celebrations fit for a Queen.  Over the bank holiday weekend the home held a garden party with live entertainment with the lovely Joanne Lee, the very talented Faye daughter of our head of dementia unit who also sang some songs, her brother Nga who opened the show with a reading and Kat & Holly with their horses Star & Teddy, Luigi’s ice creams and our guest appearance was the newly elected Deputy Mayor of Havering Stephanie Nunn and the Consort Barry Mugglestone. The whole home came together to celebrate our longest reigning monarch and reminisce about what she means to each and every one of us.