Activities at Flowerdown Care Home

Coinciding with the birth date of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, International Nurses Day, held on Tuesday 12th May, is a day to celebrate nurses and care staff around the world. Residents and staff at Flowerdown care home in Winchester, not only recognised our nurses but also our colleagues in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital Palliative Care Team, who provided care for patients affected by coronavirus over the past weeks.  Our Kitchen assistant made an amazing selection of cupcakes which we all enjoyed, both in the home and in the hospital!

We have a close link we the hospital team working in partnership to deliver the best possible care to our palliative care residents.

This year, the World Health Organization has designated 2020 as the first ever global Year of the Nurse and Midwife, because it will also mark the bicentennial of Nightingale’s birth. This theme is even more relevant in this unprecedented time, where we are hugely indebted to all our care staff, and we are incredibly proud to applaud their extraordinary efforts and commitment, on this special day of recognition. It is a day to recognise the important work and dedication of care givers everywhere, who often go above and beyond the call of duty.

An international pandemic was not going to let organisers of the Royal Chelsea Flower Show or residents at Flowerdown stop celebrating the event, as it was moved to a digital format.

Taking place between 18th – 24th May, the world’s greatest flower show went digital, and brought an exciting line-up of world-leading designers, plant experts, and practical gardening advice – all enjoyed from the comfort of your own home.

In celebration, the RHS and BBC1’s The One Show, joined forces to launch a competition to celebrate ‘Virtual Chelsea’, asking green fingered fans to share images of green spaces and gardens – and hear how plants are helping them through these challenging times. Of course, residents at Flowerdown were keen to get involved.

Residents thoroughly enjoyed flower arranging, planting seasonal flowers and seeds ready to be planted into our garden or simply enjoying the lovely weather in beautiful surroundings.

The Chelsea Flower Show is a much loved event at the home, and residents get so much from spending time in our gardens. In these unprecedented times, we are so lucky that the residents can still enjoy the peaceful green spaces. Our dedicated gardening team made up of staff and residents alike work over-thyme to get our garden beautiful for the summer, and some of them loved the competition element of the Flower Show this year. Continuing to provide a range of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities for our residents is more important than ever, and we continue to ensure that the group activities are smaller, adhering to the government's social distancing guidelines.