Activities at Hickathrift House Care Home

Residents had an incredible time picking sunflowers at the Fairview Events in Emneth. The bright vibrant colours from the sunflowers danced in the sunshine and truly brought about the start of summer. Everyone just adored reminiscing about their gardens and then helping brighten up the home with our assortment of sunflowers. It was a very beautiful and sensory trip that had us all smiling from ear to ear. The trip was made even more special as Carer, Julie, knitted each resident and staff member a beautiful sunflower to wear and keep, remembering the experience!

At Hickathrift House we provide a minimum of 8 outings a month to help residents continue to feel part of the community. This particular trip provided a sense of purpose and independence for the residents who adored picking their flowers for Hickathrift, their home.

Excitement is running high at Hickathrift House where the talented staff and residents have been named runners up in the Barchester and Lakeland Dairies’ Ice Cream Sundae competition. Their fantastic prize is £80 in vouchers plus a Lakeland Dairies goodie bag filled with delicious products.

To celebrate National Ice Cream Day, residents from Barchester’s care homes and hospitals up and down the country were invited to compete for the coveted Best Ice Cream Sundae title.  The competition is run by Lakeland Dairies and the bar is set very high. Many of Barchester’s residents are very skilled cooks and everyone loves ice cream, so the competition was fierce.

Discovering adventures and sparking conversations through books, CDs, DVDs and puzzles are very important to residents at Hickathrift House care home in Marshland St James. From Thursday the 1st of August, residents have been asking the community to be involved in their month-long swap or sale event.

The idea of the Swap or Sale Event is that the local community can rehome their beloved books, CDs, DVDs or puzzles for residents to enjoy and explore new items by discovering residents' once-loved items. Additionally, if locals want to take a puzzle or CD they are asked to leave a small donation which will be used to purchase new large print books and audiobooks. During the entire month of August, Hickathrift House care home is welcoming the community to explore their library and swap in order to discover new authors, artists and films. They also have a trolley full of diverse items outside the home for a quick stop-by. The new items will be treasured and loved by residents.

Last week we had a beautiful time at Norfolk Lavender. This stunning place is a perfect outing for residents especially those living with dementia as it provides a fantastic opportunity for sensory stimulation.

We loved taking a mindful moment to admire the amazing range of colours and shapes dancing in the sunlight, and the wildlife the gardens offer. There are the smells of flowers and of course the stunning lavender. And the sounds were heightened in the scenic garden, we heard birdsong, insects, and the rustle of wind in the trees.

Everyone had an incredible time socialising and enjoying the scenery. A huge thank you to Julie for volunteering.

Residents and staff at Hickathrift House care home in Marshland st James, Wisbech have been cheering on Team GB throughout the Paris Olympics.  The home has been decked out with flags and residents have been enjoying all the action over the past week.  So much so, that they decided to host their very own Olympics!

Staff and residents took to their marks in the Hickathrift Olympics, all dressed in their sports attire. Volleyball, tennis, bowls, seated football and arm chair rugby were all part of the day’s challenges. The teams battled it out to be crowned sporting champions in each category by General Manager, Paula Colman and Activities Coordinator, Emily Jackson. After a jam-packed morning of Olympic fun, the afternoon Olympic award ceremony rolled in and the winners were crowned gold, silver and bronze. Where resident, Norah, nearly 103, won the rugby champion award.

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.