Activities at Highview House Care Home
We understand that the people we support have passions and interests that could be difficult to pursue after moving into a care home – but that doesn’t mean we don’t encourage them to try! Some hobbies can define a person, so our Activities Coordinators are dedicated to ensuring that everyone we support is able to do what makes them happy to the best of their abilities. Social events are organised with individual tastes in mind and with the idea that residents have the opportunity to try new and exciting things.
Aiden Wylie
Hello, my name is Aiden Wylie, and I am Head Activities Coordinator here at Highview House. My job is to ensure a mentally and physically challenging and varied calendar of activities. I want to involve all our residents in a warm and welcoming environment.
My career has been in education and I have lived in countries as diverse as Japan and Iraq, but in 2022 I came to Highview with the ambition of offering a range of activities, trips and entertainment which lead to lasting memories and experiences.
Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure
Activities and Events Partnerships
As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies
Life at Highview House Care Home
Winston Churchill's love affair with Blenheim Palace
Our residents were thrilled to join Antonia Keaney - Blenheim Palace’s Historian for an intriguing virtual talk on Winston Churchill.
The private resources of Blenheim Palace were drawn upon to afford very new and refreshing insights into this remarkable man. During the talk Antonia shared fascinating information about the breadth of talent, achievement and personality of the "Greatest Briton": soldier, politician, statesman, painter, writer, orator, family man - and bricklayer!
We all had a wonderful time and enjoyed learning more about UK’s former Prime Minister.
A question of knowledge
On Friday afternoon we had our 3rd weekly moderate difficulty general knowledge quiz with some our residents. Everyone answered all 25 questions and many residents received bonus points for further knowledge that they provided. Everyone had their answer sheets scored with A, A+, A++ and A+++ and received comments such as brilliant work, excellent work and other encouraging scores.
Residents get to keep their answer sheets to show their family and friends and everyone also received a prize for their efforts. They were all beaming with their scores.
These quizzes are specially designed and delivered to boost self-confidence, self-esteem and self-resilience in our residents, as well as exercising the temporal lobe and hippocampus (brain anatomy associated with memory).
Yoga at Highview
A daily Hatha Yoga practice of 15 minutes was done today in 3 different areas of Highview House. Staff participated wholeheartedly as some of the residents watched on from the sides. At Highview we want to bring in more teambuilding exercises as this will benefit both the staff and the residents. A happy team makes happy residents. Chair Yoga is now being rolled out to some of our residents.
Gentle stretching of the side body started the practice followed by forward folds and Sun Salutations. The level of practice was impressive considering most staff are new to Yoga and further daily short yoga classes will be scheduled since it was so well received.
Yoga is a practice which originated in the East going back thousands of years. It improves both physical and mental health and has been empirically proven to improve conditions such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, depression, anxiety and also reduces stress.
Thanksgiving Day
Here at Highview we had a lovely time celebrating the American Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving is held on the fourth Thursday of November each year to celebrate the harvest through enjoying an elaborate meal. Our talented chef prepared a delicious feast for all residents to enjoy, the special festive menu included: soup, turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, and stuffing; sweet potato casserole; mashed and roasted potatoes, cut beans, and carrots and a delicious dessert.
In the afternoon we played themed quizzes and board games, and we all shared things that we are thankful for.
It was a wonderful day to express our thanks.
Dancing to the beat
Residents at Highview enjoy their regular and popular morning exercise sessions. This week there was some impromptu dancing courtesy of ABBA as a medley of their hits played in the background. Residents especially enjoyed the upper body exercises which helped them feel energised and they have a plan to keep residents feeling supple during the colder months.
Blooming Haus
We were delighted to join Blooming Haus’s Christmas Wreath Making Masterclass, where Master Florist, Michal and his business partner - Michael showed us the best method to create beautiful festive wreaths.
Following the tips and ideas learnt during the amazing virtual experience, we were happy to put our skills to a test and to enter the #BarchesterChristmasWreaths competition.
We all had a wonderful time creating our festive wreath/s.
Thank you @bloominghaus for helping our residents flow into the true spirit of Noel.
Upcoming events
Countdown to Christmas
Counting down the days to Christmas with a fun filled month ahead and we extend a warm invitation for you to join us - all welcome.
Merry Christmas!
Could you be a Volunteer?
Volunteers provide a valuable and wide variety of services in many different settings. Do you have spare time? For more information we'd love to hear from you.
Calling all Emergency Services
Calling all emergency personnel! Come and take a break on us - there may be a cake or two available!
Are you looking for a place to host a meeting?
Looking for somewhere to host a meeting? We can help! For more information please contact the home direct.
