Activities at Rothsay Grange Care Home

Our Resident Ambassadors Peter and Jackie have been very busy over the last few weeks as they have carried out their roles by representing our residents at various events.  Peter was delighted to be able to welcome the Mayor of Test Valley Councillor Phillip Lashbrook and his wife Linda to officially launch Rothsay's new look following refurbishment, while Jackie welcomed and thanked Carol from Smile & BEe KIND a local  group in Andover who carry out random acts of kindness and dropped in some tasty treats for residents.  Lastly, but not least, Peter toured the home on International Women's Day handing out bouquets of flowers as he went and even serenading the lucky recipients with a song!  It's been a very busy few weeks here at Rothsay so a big thank you to you both for being such great Ambassadors for the home.

There was a great party at Rothsay as, following completion of the refurbishment, the home’s new look was officially opened by The Mayor of Test Valley, Councillor Phillip Lashbrook accompanied by his wife Linda.  With the home looking festive the ribbon was cut, toasts were made and visitors from the community and our wider Barchester family, which included our Managing Director (South) Natasha Lazovic, were able to enjoy a tour of the home and a delicious buffet prepared by the home’s chefs.  Residents also enjoyed a party which featured music from Little Joe where  there was a fantastic celebratory party mood with lots of smiles, plenty of dancing and a great atmosphere as everyone ushered in the start of a new era for Rothsay Grange.

Residents, friends, family and staff enjoyed a lovely Valentine's celebration at Rothsay where they were entertained by Just the 2 of us. Amongst the delicious tea there were suitably heart-shaped cake and biscuits prepared by the home's chef, the dining room was dressed to reflect the theme of the day, there were red roses for everyone to take away and there was plenty of fun, laughter and dancing during what was a happy afternoon filled with smiles. There is nothing we like more at Rothsay than a celebration - here's to the next one!

The ‘Breakfast Club’ at Rothsay is now running three times a week at different locations around the home with details always on our activity sheets.  The team serve up a delicious array of pastries, jams and preserves, hot drinks and more and the club is proving popular and is getting quite a regular following. What a great way to start the day sitting around a beautifully laid table with some friendly chat, a browse of the paper perhaps or listening to the radio and of course delicious food!  After breakfast there are always activities on offer and a popular favourite is a gentle session of relaxing colouring. Perfect!

Rothsay residents welcomed back a group of pupils from The Mark Way School who came and shared in a brilliant morning of pancake eating and fun! The pancakes were served with an array of toppings prepared by our chefs which all went down a treat and necessitated eating more than one, and there was lots of chat and fun around the table as we tried to decide which topping was our favourite - food for thought indeed! The boys also turned their hands to pancake tossing with mixed results as it's definitely more difficult than it looks, and then completed their visit by doing the washing up - absolutely the perfect guests. Thank you to the class and teachers for sharing their morning with us, we are looking forward to seeing them again soon.

It’s always busy at Rothsay but as well as the wonderful larger events we hold,  providing meaningful activities is also about the quieter moments and smaller group or individual activities that we share with our residents around the home. Knowing our residents interest’s and likes helps us to programme activities that encompass these interests, but there is always room for spontaneity too, and if our residents want to do something else or an opportunity presents itself unexpectedly we are happy to oblige!  Baking Club and making snacks are favourites, as are games such as 'Four in a Row '. Just in the last few days we have had a bit of impromptu flower arranging when a bouquet arrived, selected some plants at the garden centre (and had tea and cake!) and read the local paper  - just a snapshot of the moments we have shared.