Activities at Mortain Place Care Home
Our activities team are great at building the activities programme around the likes and interests of the people we care for. Ensuring that our social events offer fun and adventure is part of the ethos of our home; it’s important that those we support can enjoy an active and social lifestyle. Of course, there will always be those who prefer peace and quiet, and in these instances, a cup of tea and a chat are always welcomed.
Alex Leftley
I was working in the print trade when a friend of mine became very unwell and I had to find a nursing home for her. Due to the dedication of the staff, my friend had another 18 months and I was able to take her out after being house bound for many years.
I felt that I wanted to do a job that made a difference and became a carer. I went back to school and redone my GCSE,s and then went onto do my level 3 diploma and am always enhancing my skills and knowledge. I came to Mortain Place as a senior carer on Normandy Gardens and worked my way up to Community Lead. I have chosen to move to the activities team to help support the life enrichment programme and help improve the life experience’s of our residents.
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 Mortain Place Care Home
Christmas
The staff and residents spent a lovely afternoon getting in to the festive spirit by turning the home into a little winter wonderland.
It is such a special time of year and its nice to get everyone involved in putting up the decorations and making the home feel extra Christmassy. With Christmas music playing throughout the home, a large supply of mince pies and mulled wine warming in the pan, it is impossible not to be caught up in the festivities,
Our residents are very much looking forward to a visit from Father Christmas this year.
Singing and dancing to live music
This week our residents were treated to a live performance from Salvatore. Singing lots of instantly recognisable classics and of course a few Christmas songs, Salvatore had the residents dancing and singing along as he belted out his repertoire.
We had festive drinks and mince pies to keep the energy levels high and everyone had a lovely time.
We are looking forward to seeing Salvatore again in the new year.
National Elf day
Staff at Mortain Place swapped their uniforms for costumes on National Elf Day in an effort to raise funds to help people living with dementia.
Launched by the Alzheimer’s Society and delivered direct from the North Pole, Elf Day was created to sprinkle some festive cheer on fundraising towards finding a cure for dementia. From stripy socks to head-to-toe elf outfits, anything goes – there’s snow better way to raise money to help beat dementia.
On the day, residents and staff at Mortain Place were able to enjoy elf-themed games including best-dressed elf competition, pin the ears on the Elf, and a Christmas quiz with a festive-themed spread as the team at the home donned their elfish apparel. The home managed to raise a total of £125 towards the cause.
Wendy, a resident of the home said: “It is always a very festive day and the staff always make us laugh in their costumes. What a wonderful way to raise money for charity!”
Karen Howell, General Manager at Mortain Place and head elf, said: “Elf Day at Mortain Place is always a lot of fun and we are home to some of the most unusual elves I have ever seen! We know first-hand that many people, including a good number of our residents, are living with some form of Alzheimer’s. That’s why raising money to support dementia charities is dear to our hearts and we’re always so keen to get involved. We’re proud that the money we’ve raised will go towards such a good cause.
“For anyone that has any questions about caring for those with Alzheimer’s, do please give us a call and we’ll do all we can to help.”
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Pets as Therapy day
Our residents were treated to a visit from the wonderful Pets as Therapy team this week who brought with them chickens and rabbits for the residents to intereact with.
It was lovely to have something a little different in the home to brighten up everyones day. The chickens enjoyed their day out and made the most of the morning sun shining through the windows so sunbathed and looked incredibly well relaxed. The Rabbits were so good and the residents had them on the laps so they got lots of attention.
100 Squat challenge
Staff at Mortain Place Care Home in Eastbourne have taken part in the “100 squats a day in November” challenge to raise money for Maggie’s Centres.
Maggie's centres are a network of drop-in centres across the United Kingdom, which aim to help anyone who has been affected by cancer. They are not intended as a replacement for conventional cancer therapy, but as a caring environment that can provide support, information and practical advice.
Residents, their relatives and staff were all very supportive and were there to cheer on the participants as they began the fundraising challenge.
Tracey Buchan, Administrator at Mortain Place Care Home, said: “Taking part in this challenge has been a huge amount of fun and everyone at the home has been behind us all the way. It’s for such an important cause. I’m very glad to be able to do my bit to raise further awareness and money for the charity.”
Mortain Place raised a grand total of £360 by completing the challenge, which will be donated to Maggie’s Centres.
Mortain Place care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Mortain Place provides residential care and dementia care for 80 residents from respite care to long term stays.
Halloween at Mortain Place
At Mortain Place we opted for a bright and colourful celebration of Halloween. Our residents created some beautiful pumpkin arrangements as part of a themed Craft and Games Afternoon....with some spooky cakes and Halloween themed snacks.
We also held a Halloween inspired virtual cookery demostration courtesy of chef, Alex Connell, from Vegetarian for Life. Alex whipped up some tasty, healthy Halloween treats in a live, interactive cookery demo, with some hearty and delicious seasonal pumpkin-based recipes for us all to enjoy. The talented kitchen team at Mortain Place prepared these meals themselves so the residents could sample the tasty treats.
