Activities at Moreton Hill Care Home

We were lucky enough to be on-route for the Tour de Barchester ride that took place to raise money for the Barchester Charitable Foundation.  The cyclists courageously rode up the hill to our home to be greeted by our residents and staff waving flags.  Residents had been busy making fruit kebabs and other treats in the morning to give to the riders.  They certainly deserved the refreshments after cycling all the way from another Barchester home, Badgeworth Court in Cheltenham on what turned out to be a very hot day.

As well as the incredible views we have from Moreton Hill, our gardens are also lovely places for everyone to enjoy, from large open green lawns to private courtyards and delightful nooks and crannies.  This summer our residents have been decorating the outside porch.  Eddie our gardener made a wooden frame and then we planted up buckets to hang off the branches with seasonal bedding plants that we hope will give us a gorgeous display throughout the summer months.  Shadow our resident pony stopped by to take a look and was very tempted to have a nibble!

We have a multitude of nationalities at Moreton Hill.  To celebrate our diversity and different cultures we decided to share all of this with our residents.  We decorated the garden courtyard and dining room with an array of different flags from  all the different countries our staff come from.  Our residents were treated to a delicious bbq care of our chef and his team.  Families and friends were invited too.  After lunch, staff entertained the residents singing songs and national anthems and telling residents a little bit about the culture and life in their countries.  The feedback from the residents about the day was fantastic.  Many of them said that they preferred the staff entertaining them to professional performers.  Needless to say with that feedback another event is in the pipeline!!

After a couple of weeks of transposing all our paperwork onto laptops, we have moved over to a paperless setting for recording the care of our residents.  Known as ENABLE, our staff have welcomed the change which will deliver high quality individual care and life enrichment and make our working days run more efficiently.

To celebrate the event, residents and staff were invited for drinks and canapes in the Dining Room.  The cake, designed with the tradition of the home and technology in mind and made by our staff member, Adelma, was a masterpiece.  It also tasted absolutely delicious!

We were delighted to welcome our local MP, Siobhan Baillie, for a return visit to Moreton Hill to chat to the residents and families and see the changes that have been made around our home.  Roxana, our Senior Manager took Siobhan on a tour of the home and then coffee and cake were served in our May Hill Lounge where everyone had a chance to ask questions.  Among the topics discussed were the cost of care home fees and care home provision and also the state of the roads in the local area.

Chicks, kids and lambs have brought joy to our residents this spring.  The benefits of spending time with animals for older people are immense.  Research has shown that having sensory experiences through pet therapy can help lower blood pressure and reduced stress.  Animals of all shapes and sizes can have a wonderful calming influence and their presence can also spark interesting conversation and reminiscence.

As Moreton Hill is situated in a rural environment we are able to take advantage of all the beautiful countryside has to offer.  Many of our residents have farmed the land in the vicinity or have connections to the local rural community. Some of our staff also have small holdings or are from farming families.  Colin our Maintenance Manager has land where he keeps a variety of animals.  The kids he brought in to show everyone were remarkably calm and were happy to fall asleep on our residents’ laps.  Similarly, Caroline our Activities Assistant is married to local farmer, Adrian who brought in the lovely lambs for us to see.

The chicks we hatched ourselves from eggs and they have now gone to live at a local farm where we can keep track of their progress.  Of the seven eggs that hatched we are waiting to see how many cockerel are in the batch!!