Activities at Milford House Care Home
The Activities Team at Milford House are dedicated to providing a range of stimulating activities for both groups and individuals, that promote both physical and mental wellbeing based upon resident's interests both past and present. As a member of the National Activity Providers Association (NAPA) the team are always striving to incorporate best practice into the array of activities on offer and to enhance their own skills through qualification with NAPA to NVQ Level 3 in Activities Provision. The team combine weekly activity favourites such as sherry mornings with special events, musical entertainments, slide shows, outings in our own mini-bus as well as interacting with local community groups such as Plain Arts Salisbury to showcase resident art and creativity and others who come into the home to interact with our residents. Milford House also benefits from a strong network of volunteers who support the Activity Team as they deliver their programme and who, along with friends and relatives, are always welcome to come and join in our sessions and outings.
Gale Louw
Gale joined the Milford team in 2019, initially as a carer but has gradually transferred over to the Activities Team where she is now the full time Coordinator. Gale has a passion to create a comprehensive and inclusive programme of vibrant events for residents, family
members and friends to enjoy and, along with the rest of team, ensure that each resident is able to participate in meaningful activities tailored to their likes and dislikes.
Originally from South Africa, when not at work Gale loves nothing more than exploring the UK, catching up with family and friends, being creative across a variety of disciplines and keeping her eyes out for great activities and events she can bring back to the home for
residents to enjoy.
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 Milford House Care Home
Trip to the Local Garden Centre
Residents at Milford House were quick to head out in January to see if there was anything that they could snag in the January sales. The local garden centre provided the perfect venue and, not only did they have bargains galore in all their various departments, but at café as well which provided the perfect place for a well-earned cup of tea!
Christmas Music Performance
The Conservatory was packed for a Christmas performance from Amanda Parsons who had the residents enthralled with her Christmas songs and many could be heard joining in. Amanda is a regular Milford performer and always dresses the part and she looked lovely in green and red today – thoroughly festive!
Our trees are up and decorated and decorations are appearing all over the home so it was great for us all to feel thoroughly festive in advance of our Christmas party – bring on the crackers and funny hats!
Christmas Festivities
Residents at Milford House started their Christmas festivities in numerous ways, with giant advent calendars on each floor to be opened daily, with personal advent calendars that each resident was given for their room and of course with traditional Christmas events.
One such was a visit to Lee Hurst Swan School to see a special performance of Christmas songs put on by the children followed by a cup of tea. Residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves and couldn’t speak highly enough of the performance and hospitality of the children and have been talking about the event for days.
Next year we hope to invite the children to come here to Milford so that we can return the favour and treat them to a Milford tea. It was the perfect way to start off the Christmas season.
Music & Movement
Residents at Milford House enjoy regular exercise and movement sessions. Now that the days are colder, these activities have been moved indoors.
We hosted a new session that involves a lot of jazz music. Confidence in movement increased as the session developed. It was a very successful afternoon, which we will be repeating regularly in the new year.
Remembrance Poppies
Remembrance Day and surrounding events always have great meaning for the residents at Milford House. Everyone can observe and mark the day in a way that suits them best: privately, watching the commemoration at the Cenotaph, observing the two minutes silence on the 11th of November and with our special tea and events at Milford.
In addition, this year, each resident is being given a hand-made poppy, which they can hang in their room or put anywhere they choose, and so wherever they are, they have a little something that will help them remember.
Wildlife at Milford House
Work is continuing on the creation of our wildlife area at Milford and residents are delighted with the acquisition of a range of new bird houses that will be put up in the garden and a very cosy hedgehog house, which we hope to attract the residents over the winter!
We have a variety of bird houses that through their specialist are aimed at attracting a range of birds such as robins, wrens, tits, sparrows and a variety of finches. We are putting them up now so that they will weather slightly and become familiar to the wildlife, so that when the time comes they will hopefully provide the birds with perfect nesting sites.
We all look forward to the bird-watching activity in the spring.
