Activities at Juniper House Care Home

Junes wish was simple yet deeply heartfelt, she longed to return to her village, the place she called home before coming to Juniper House.

June used to visit a small café in the village weekly. Even though the sky was overcast and the air carried a chill, we refused to let the dreary weather dampen our spirits. Our mission was clear to bring joy to June by fulfilling her wish.

As we entered the café Junes face lit up. It was as if a light had been switched on, illuminating her features with happiness. June moved  through the familiar space exchanging greetings and laughter with those she hadn’t seen in what felt like a lifetime. Her eyes glistened with emotion and tears of Joy streamed down her cheek.

June couldn’t thank us enough for making this day possible. Her smile was a testament to the power of connection and the comfort of returning to a place filled with love and familiarity, even if it was just for a short while.

Every Monday at 11 we meet for exercise. We start with correct breathing, the only 15 minutes of warm-up and 30 minutes exercise to strengthen the neck, arms and legs. 

All our residents love getting involved and are always eager to get moving. I hope we all will be able to exercise for 45 minutes when we are this age. Well done Exercise Club!

One of the cornerstones of our life enrichment program is expert-led physical exercise. Resident involvement in choosing genres along with feedback after each session means that we are able to constantly improve our activities calendar.

A big thank you to everyone that came to celebrate Juniper’s Hawaiian Summer Fete there was a great turn out from residents, relatives, friends and the wider community. We had a wonderful afternoon in the sun with everyone enjoying the ‘Trio of Ukuleles’, BBQ, Raffle, Tombola, face painting and henna tattoos. 

We also had several stalls from local businesses including… Cherwell Cats Protection, Bubble-T of Brackley, Becca Clark Crafts, Aaliyah’s Sweet Side and Colourful creations. 

All proceeds from the BBQ, Tombola and raffle have been donated to the local South Northants Youth Engagement group.

Our Activities Team is dedicated to ensuring that we organise events that encourage our residents to host their families and friends at *Care home*. Our home is always to open to loved ones who wish to take part in our life enrichment program. 

A wonderful morning trip to the Bell Plantation Garden centre. The residents enjoyed walking around all the beautiful flowers, one resident expressed great interest in the reptiles as she had previously visited with her son and was eager to see them again. The residents also enjoyed picking up some of the birds favourite seeds to refill the feeders in our monthly wildlife club. 

Once everyone was well and truly shopped out we stopped off at the lovely restaurant for a cup of tea and a big slice of cake.

Regular outings are just one aspect of our life enrichment program and all the trips we take are at the request of the residents. Our monthly activities calendar boasts a range of outings and entertainment.

Our residents and staff alike were delighted to receive a letter from HRH King Charles this week after sending handmade cards to him back in June for his official birthday. 

Our resident ambassadors June and Pam took great pride in opening and reading the letter and sharing their delight with all the other residents.  

Juniper House we celebrate birthdays not just as a mark of ageing another year but as a celebration of life, achievements, and personal growth. It's a time for reflection, gratitude, and looking forward to future possibilities. Birthdays provide a special opportunity for us to help residents to gather with loved ones and create lasting memories.

In September, a brave and intrepid team member will be tackling a 15 day trek to Nepal to take on Everest’s Base Camp in order to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Alan Kuvumkal is just 21 years old, he joined Barchester four years ago first working at Chacombe Park in Banbury before moving to Juniper House where he works as a Kitchen Assistant last year.  He is studying Aerospace Engineering at Swansea University but come September he will be donning his hiking boots and using sheer grit and determination to climb to Everest’s Base Camp, in order to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust.

A seasoned athlete, Alan has played badminton for many years, representing first Oxfordshire County and then Swansea University, competing in both tournaments and national leagues. He has always been an adventure seeker and has climbed Snowdon and Pen y Fan before setting his sights on this significantly bigger international challenge.  Alan hopes to raise £2,800 for Teenage Cancer Trust, an important cause which is close to his heart.  If you would like to support him, his justgiving page is: Alan Kavumkal is fundraising for Teenage Cancer Trust (justgiving.com) and any donations will be gratefully received.

Alan comments: “This is my first time taking on a challenge on this scale and I’m really excited to tackle it but also very nervous, especially about what the weather and altitude sickness might throw at me!  I’m hoping to raise lots of money for Teenage Cancer Trust to support cancer research and treatment initiatives, making a significant impact on the lives of teenagers battling cancer.  I know all the staff, residents and relatives at Juniper House are behind me plus I have a great group of people climbing with me and all their support along with the money I’m raising will help me go the distance!”