Activities at Fordmill Care Home

Our residents have 5 star food to nourish their bodies, so we felt it only right to give them 5 star treatment to nourish their soul too.  It may be that a resident loves to get her nails done and used to get them done every other week, so we try our best to bring those routines to their stay with us.  However, not only does older routines help residents, trying something new or unwinding in a way that they haven’t tried before can have added benefits to their wellbeing.  So we opened the Fordmill Spa, a serene space where residents can choose from various beauty therapies, have a nice conversation or sit in peace in the calm surroundings where the ambience caters to allow the resident to think of only themselves and allow any anxieties or troubles to ease away.  Greta (resident) was happy to be the first resident to use the facility and was blown away by how peaceful she felt afterwards as she hadn’t ever had a treatment like it before and couldn’t believe she was experiencing it for the first time in her 80s.

Our residents always become enthralled when the Wimbledon season is underway, and so we thought what better way than to celebrate a sport that they are all so passionate about.  As with the typical British summer, we got rained off so the celebrations were moved indoors where residents played, 6 players versus 6 players to hit the balloon over the net.  Everyone had a little tester session with different sized and weight balls to see what they preferred, but the laughter that came with the balloon play was too enticing for them and certainly allowed the teams to get a little more competitive at rally’s.  We crowned a male and female champion and got entertained with residents coming out of their shell and realising they could have fun with a sport they hadn’t played before!  Staff joined in with Wimbledon dress and made a display of tennis balls from Wimbledon itself and even had a racket signed by a player which got all the residents talking about their favourite players over the years.  And of course, what afternoon at Wimbledon wouldn’t be complete without some fresh strawberries and cream with a glass of Prosecco.  That made it Game, Set and Match for everyone!

Barchester care homes and hospitals nationwide linked together for a fantastic quiz in celebration of Barchester’s 100th live virtual event.

Residents engaged in a variety of questions ranging from historical trivia to visual puzzles and brainteasers.

Everyone who joined had a fantastic time and enjoyed some friendly competition.

Julia Constandache has been crowned divisional winner for the NE North Division in the Barchester Care Awards 2024 and is through to the national round of judging.

The Barchester Care Awards celebrate the staff who go the extra mile for the benefit of the 13,000 residents living in Barchester’s 261 care homes and private hospitals across the country. Categories range from ‘Registered Nurse of the Year’ and ‘Carer of the Year’ to ‘Dementia Care Champion’ and ‘Activities Coordinator of the Year’.

Staff and residents are celebrating because their wonderful Managing Director, Fiona Fagan, from Barchester’s North East and Scotland Division, has stepped completely out of her comfort zone to compete in the Barchester Charitable Foundation Cook Off 2024.

Fiona went head-to-head with the Managing Directors from Barchester’s four other divisions and cooked up a storm to raise a phenomenal £24,595 for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation which helps connect vulnerable people and those living with a disability to community groups in their local area by providing grants to improve mobility and quality of life.  Each year the Foundation distributes thousands of pounds to individuals, small community groups and charities across England, Scotland and Wales.  

Residents across our homes had a fantastic time exploring the Eden Project virtually - an educational charity and visitor attraction based in Cornwall, featuring sprawling outdoor gardens and breathtaking biomes that house the largest indoor rainforest in the world.

During the session, residents who joined were reconnected with nature through their senses, memories and stories.  A big thank you to the community team at the Eden Project for the wonderful event.