Activities at Springvale Court 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.
Jess Swinburne
Hi, My name is Jess and I am Activities Coordinator here at Springvale Court. I am delighted to join the team, joining in December 2023 but I have found my feet with ease. I spend time getting to know all of our residents and this helps me to arrange meaningful activities based on individual likes and interests. I love spending time with our residents, be it chatting one to one, small reminiscing groups or large group activities.
I am looking forward to learning and growing with Barchester and I am always open to any ideas for new and different activities so please stop and chat with me.
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 Springvale Court Care Home
A little walk out and about
One of our lovely residents expressed her wishes to go out for a walk and a cuppa. so we grabbed our coats, wrapped up and headed out. We walked down to Wrekenton where we stopped past Greggs for a cuppa, we had great chats about our lives and especially our previous interests.
This was a lovely example of a one to one session which brought our resident lots of smiles. She even said "Its been such a nice morning out, I hope we can do this again?"
Mess-free Painting
We loved this activity so much we just had to share it with you all.
So we discovered not many of us like the messiness of painting so Taylor came up with a solution. We blobbed the paint on our paper then placed a clear plastic layer over the top which allowed us to move and manipulate the paint underneath to create a really cool effect.
The residents really had fun doing this. They like the way they could see the paint and how it was moving and mixing with the different ways they pushed it.
After doing it all one resident told me, “These would be great as a calendar”. So we got some calendar tabs and stuck them on. They look quite good don’t they?
'How Fit' Exercises
You may have seen the recent post with Taylor our activities coordinator who received her How fit ambassadors certificate. How fit is a programme which encourages gentle exercising with the aim to help prevent falls.
Our residents love it! Amanda from Age UK Gateshead came along to deliver a session and also do her time checks for residents seating to walking times. All the residents get stuck in and have a right laugh whilst doing so.
This is something which is implemented into our weekly activity schedule.
Christmas Decorating
Our helpers have been decorating the home just in time for Christmas. We pulled our 5 Christmas trees out of storage and began the massive task of putting them up and decorating them. We did have some help from the Leam Rangers girls team who did a fab job of putting some of the decorations up, all followed by some hot chocolate and rocky road.
Person Centred Care on Elf Week
Our amazing kitchen staff surprised one of our residents when they all came along for a visit.
Our lovely resident was in the Elf week spirit with her elf top on. She was delighted when the staff came and surprised her in full Elf gear. They had a previous chat about the festive period and how all LOVE Christmas time… so when the staff took time out of their day to go and visit it really made her happy.
She told us “it’s made my day, everyone looks great”. This put a smile on her face but also the kitchen staffs faces. It really is the little things.
Cookie Making
Residents have really been enjoying the baking sessions being held here at Springvale Court. We have done a few recently, but this is because the residents are interested in it so we have accommodated through person centered care.
All activities done through Life Enrichment stems from Barchester values, RESPECT, INTEGRITY, PASSION, EMPOWERMENT and RESPONSIBILITY. During this activity all five values were met, each resident got involved and some even tried new things.
A great baking session was had. We created some lovely cookies and decorated extras so we had enough for the Tea trolley round.
Upcoming events
November
Hello November! As the leaves begin to fall we have an exciting month ahead.
Countdown to Christmas
Counting down the days to Christmas with a fun filled month ahead and we extend a warm invitation for you to join us as we step into the festive spirit!
Monthly Dementia Cafe
Join us for our monthly dementia cafe which takes place on the last Friday of each month.
Volunteers - Could you make a difference?
There are endless ways to get involved and we'd love to hear from you!
Calling all Emergency Services
Calling all heros! Come and take a break with us and enjoy a warm drink and a slice of homemade cake.
Knit and Natter
Come and join us at our weekly knitting club and make new friends - all welcome.