Activities at Rivermead Care Home

Barchester’s Rivermead care home, in Norton, was a den of ghoulish activity as the home’s spooky Halloween afternoon party got in to full swing.

Residents and staff got in to the spirit of things by decorating the home, holding a pumpkin carving morning, having a disco with Halloween-themed songs from our musical entertainer Martin then followed by some of the residents favourite songs that we had a lovely sing and dance to.

Rivermead was filled with the sound of wonderful music this October by the talented Martin and his guitar. Martin has fantastic engagement with the residents, using his comedic personality to grab their attention and even take requests of songs. Music really has an amazing effect on our memory lane community, bringing some of their favourite songs to life, seeing them sing and dance. Our music enthusiast, Beryl, was overjoyed to have a special spontaneous serenade as martin sang beautifully to her. Not only was this a fantastic group experience, Martin also took the time to play for those who could not join us in the lounge as they received a special one to one performance in their rooms.

Our Garden was full of smiles and fury feathers this October as we were visited by a birds of prey rescue centre. This experience was such a wonderful way for the residents to enjoy some animal interaction, especially for those who have a love for animals, but also for those who may not have experienced it before. Our big animal lover, Vivian, was full of questions for the handler such as their natural habitats and food sources, how he came to own them, how old they were, and commenting on their general beauty. The handler was so patient and kind with each of our residents, giving them time to pet the birds, but also reassuring some of the residents that were slightly wary in the beginning.

This October we had a taster session for a knitting group. One of our members, Glenda, is a keen knitter as she spoke proudly about the lovely colourful blanket she has knitted on her bed. The other members of the group were also knitters many years ago and spoke of how this activity was such a wonderful way to reminisce, share tips, and how they taught their children from a young age to knit and the clothes they would make for their grandchildren. The knitting session lasted for an hour with the lovely Sarah who volunteers for Ryedale Remakes in Malton. Sarah was fantastic with our residents, giving each of them her undivided attention for a good natter as we sipped on coffees/teas as well as delicious cakes provided by our chef.

Today we were treated to these amazing goodies by a relative of ours the wonderful Sheryl, who’s husband we had the pleasure of caring for.

We feel honoured that people still think about us when sadly their relatives are no longer with us. Shez, you clearly know the way to our hearts! We’re putting bets on this to not even last us the weekend!

One of our residents favourite activities at Rivermead is music. This week we were treated to yet another rendition of matts amazing music!

We all love a sing and dance when he comes to play for us and it gets our residents grooving!