Activities at Tyspane Care Home

At Tyspane Care Home we understand that due to changes in family structures the frequency of intergenerational interactions is difficult. Age Apartheid is the term used to describe the segregation of generations in Britain. People’s interactions outside the home are almost exclusively with members of their own age group. At Tyspane Care Home we understand the importance and benefits of intergenerational interactions. For the young, interacting with the elderly is fantastic for children’s social development especially as the older generation often observe children without judgement and shower them with positive reinforcements.

Therefore, it was an absolute privilege to welcome Little Fishes Soft Play School to Tyspane Care Home. The pre-school children played, sang, asked questions and interacted with the residents. It was a joy to watch and will now be a regular feature on the activities time table.

At Tyspane Care Home, we believe that every moment in life is worth cherishing, and we are thrilled to share the heart-warming fulfilment of a special wish for one of our residents. Today, we celebrate Colin Barnes.

Colin moved to Hartland Village near Hartland Quay when he was 28 years old and settled well into village life. He became a well-liked and well-known local and gained employment as the local window cleaner.  Being a window cleaner allowed him to socialise and make friends all around the Hartland area, however, for Colin his favourite window cleaning job was at the Hartland Quay Hotel / The Wreckers Bar which is perched on the edge of a wild and spectacular bay with soaring granite cliffs all around.  Colin shared his experiences and his love for Hartland Quay with staff at Tyspane Care Home especially the General Manager, Aime Bown. Colin stated it would be dream come true to visit Hartland Quay again.

As a result of Colin sharing his dream Aime Bown the Activities Team organised a day trip with two other residents from Tyspane Care Home to Hartland Quay allowing time for Colin to visit his friends on the way back and reminisce about his earlier days working in Hartland Quay.

Colin had an excellent time, he never stopped smiling. Colin is usually quiet and reserved gentleman but on the day he happily talked and socialised with friends, staff and other residents.  He shared memories of walking along the coastal routes, walking the pubs black Labrador dog and fishing from the cliffs.

We therefore extend our heartfelt gratitude to Aime Bown and Tyspane Care Home Staff. Their generosity and collaboration played a vital role in creating a truly memorable experience for Colin Barnes. It is a testament to the staff’s determination to make dreams come true, no matter the age or circumstance.

Today at Tyspane Care Home, Rae Vanstone (Registered Nurse) joined residents and the Activities Team in the lounge for glass painting. Rae explained that glass painting is a fun and easy way to breathe new life into old glassware, and with just a little know-how it’s easy to learn.

The sheer amount of talent Rae has is absolutely mind-blowing, she is clearly an artisan who is skilled at making and creating material objects partly or entirely by hand.

Thank you for a lovely afternoon.

Resident, Mary Grogan, at Tyspane Care Home had always wanted to own a Meerkat so much so that she became a regular visitor to Exmoor Zoo and adopted a Meerkat when she was younger. Miriam, Marys mother used to arrange for family members to club together to find the seventy pounds each year to sustain the adoption membership. However, as the years passed by Mary’s love for Meerkats’ continued as did the array of photos, jigsaws and stuffed Meerkats’ in her room, her dream didn’t fade it simplified into wanting to see a Meerkat again and stroke their beautiful soft fur.

Therefore upon hearing about Mary’s dream the Activities Team at Tyspane Care Home set about making this dream a reality, providing the old adage, it’s never too late. Exmoor Zoo were contacted and to everyone’s surprise remembered Mary and her family and how they used to be regulars at the zoo and visited “Simples” one of their earlier Meerkats’. Therefore, without hesitation they jumped into action providing dates and times they could visit with one of their new Meerkats’ and arranging for another stuffed toy to be delivered to Mary. 

On Thursday 3rd August 2023, residents, staff, family and friends of all ages gathered together in the downstairs lounge at Tyspane Care Home to experience Exmoor Zoo at their best. They listened to interesting facts about animals, handled mice and stroked a barn owl before the highlight of the show, stroking Mary’s dream, the Meerkat.  It was truly a wonderful moment, everyone was smiling and the atmosphere was electrifying. 

We therefore extend our heartfelt gratitude to staff, family, friends and residents. Their generosity and collaboration played a vital role in creating a truly memorable experience for Mary. It is a testament to the everyone’s determination to make dreams come true, no matter the age or circumstance.

Today at Tyspane Care Home residents, families, friends and staff were taken by surprise when Mrs Gwen Barrow started to play the electric organ in the lounge. There was not a dry eye in the room when Gwen sat by the organ and played an array of melodies from Handel’s Messiah to Silent Night composed by Franz Xaver Gruber. Gwen played the pieces from memory, not a musical sheet anywhere. Such an amazing talent.

Truly spectacular and totally mesmerising.

Today at Tyspane Care Home we celebrated the final stage of growing sun flowers, our beautiful sun flowers are now in full bloom. The display is truly spectacular and we are in no doubt that we have won the sun flower competition against Lucerne House Care Home. Well done Tyspane Care Home!

Creating the Gardening Club at Tyspane Care Home has allowed residents, staff, friends and families to stay connected whilst improving social networks and community links. A wealth of evidence shows that positive relationships and shared activities contribute to wellbeing. So long may we all sow the seeds of friendships.