Activities at Laurel Bank Care Home

Resident’s at Laurel Bank celebrated World Chocolate Day on the 7th July with a blind taste testing session of a range of different chocolate, including salted caramel, butterscotch and even chilli chocolate! Everybody had a lovely afternoon and vowed not to wait a year until the next chocolate tasting- it’s just too delicious!”

To pass the time during the long months of lockdown, local care home Laurel Bank held a poetry competition open to residents, staff, and anybody else affiliated with the home. The theme was Covid-19, and how people had coped with the difficult situation of the past few months.

The team were inundated with excellent entries, but the winner was picked because of the uplifting and light hearted nature of her poems, which the judges felt were especially appropriate at the moment when it can seem hard to find things to celebrate.

Lyndsay Scott, General Manager at Laurel Bank, said: “I really love Vera’s poems, we’re just trying to get on with life here as best we can and her poetry captures that idea perfectly- our group activities continue every day here, including the popular quizzes, and I’m pleased as punch that Vera won the competition. It brings a smile to my face every time I read them! Well done, Vera!”

As life starts to return to normal, residents have been enjoying getting together for one of their favourite activities again - Bingo! Everyone’s a winner at Laurel Bank and the ladies love the chance to get together and have a cup of tea and a natter over a good old game of Bingo! Why not come and join us one week?

For some residents at Laurel Bank care home in Lancaster, the long awaited reunion with family and friends became a reality recently, as limited garden visits have now been allowed to commence at the home.   The home would like to give a special thank you to Harvey at Ash Tree Marquees for making himself and his team available at short notice to erect a marquee in the garden, to allow visits to go ahead whatever the weather.

It was welcome news to so many residents, family and friends, who were kept apart for so long following strict government guidance. Residents and their relatives enjoyed getting together in the home’s garden, and the garden was full of joy and chatter.   Lyndsay Scott, General Manager at the home, said: “This has been a much welcomed development in what have been very strange times. The visits are well organised, and a lot of safety measures have been put in place to keep everyone safe. It was wonderful to see how happy it made the residents and their relatives.”

Residents at Laurel Bank have been staying connected with loved ones throughout the pandemic via Skype calls. Staff are assisting residents to make over 30 such video calls a week, as it is so important for families to keep in touch at the moment. 

Activity Coordinators, Jamie and Elizabeth, proudly displayed their colourful banner outside the home in an effort to boost community spirit in the area and remind people to keep smiling through these difficult times.