Activities at Tyspane Care Home

Sometimes you forget you're awesome so this is your reminder.

Friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times, they prevent isolation and loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too. In fact, studies have shown that being in healthy friendships can enhance physical and mental wellbeing. These social connections boost our mood and therefore our wellbeing. They help us keep strong and resilient, and can help us make better life decisions.

So, over the last few weeks here at Tyspane Care Home we have been celebrating the wonder of friendships and what they mean to us in our Get To Know Me sessions.

Jaye (Activities), "Tyspane Care Home is one big family, one which is an absolute pleasure to be part of."

David (Resident Ambassador), " I love everything about Tyspane Care Home, a great place to live."

Patricia (Resident), "It's been lovely to celebrate friendships."

Jacqui (Activities), "Good friends are the most precious treasure that one possesses. Friendships are a bond that help us step outside our comfort zone and share our deepest thoughts."

However, they say all good things must come to an end and this afternoon Tyspane Care Home celebrated friendships old and new with a fabulous spectacular party to recognise the importance of friendships becoming family. Entertainment was provided by the awesome Roger Colome, pizza and cheesecakes were freshly baked and prepared by Jaye (Activities) as were the beautiful table decorations.

Thank you to all the residents, families, friends and staff who made this afternoon possible........

Braunton is a beautiful village near the near the north Devon coast. It’s fascinating history and vibrance makes it a great place to live and visit. The village is at the base of a valley flanked between West Hill, Chapel Hill and East Hill. The village is said to have gotten its name from St Brannock who arrive in 550AD and converted the native Pagans to Christianity while introducing modern farming techniques. St Brannock built chapel and name the settlement around it Brannockstood, which later became Brannocktown and was listed in the 1086 Domesday book at Brantone. The name Braunton didn’t arrive until he 19th century.

With this fanaticising history in mind Molly and Barbara, residents at Tyspane Care Home set off on a history tour to visit St Brannock’s Church and take in the magic of this grade 1 listed building which was mostly built in the 15th century but still contains remnants of earlier 13th century building. It is believed that the remains of St Brannock are still there today.

Luckily for Molly and Barbara their tour went through the village which entailed a browse around the weekly market and a pit stop at the local coffee shop which included homemade cakes.

Molly described her day out as enlightening, she had never visited the whole of Braunton as was fascinated by St Brannock’s. She was also happy to meet and spend time with Barbara.

Barbara replied, “St Brannock’s is a lot bigger than I thought and very impressive with wonderful stained-glass windows.”

Tyspane Care Home understands residents benefit from community connections and external trips to support cognitive, physical and spiritual aspects of life.

A visit from an ice cream truck is a symbol of childhood nostalgia and a reminder of carefree summer days spent outside. The sound of an ice cream van’s jingle can transport you back to a simpler time, a time when the biggest worry was choosing between an ice cream or an ice lolly.

So, without any hesitation, Tyspane Care Home residents rose to the challenge and entered Barchester’s Life Enrichment “Win a visit from an Ice Cream Van,” this morning. Residents from the Baking Club combined their talents with residents from the Gardening Club to design and create the “Flora Frenzy.”

The name and ingredients were chosen to tickle one’s taste buds and spark curiosity. Fresh creamy vanilla ice cream was chosen, surrounded by vibrant orange jelly to match the community home grown edible nasturtiums which are packed full of flavour and beneficial vitamins and minerals. Topped off by Millac Gold.

Fingers Crossed the Ice Cream Van comes to Tyspane Care Home.

The last two days the sound of music at Tyspane Care Home has shaped the atmosphere evoking a variety of emotions, creating different moods in residents, families, friends and staff as well as enhancing everyone’s wellbeing.

Firstly, David and Jim entertained residents, friends, families and staff by playing an array of different musical instruments, singing well known songs, telling stories, reciting poetry and juggling! The activities lounge was packed, not an inch of space was left. Wonderful.

Secondly, Sophie performed with local home school children a series of well-known songs from musicals, popular chart music and childhood rhymes. The children, parents, carers and friends filled the residents’ activities lounge which created and fostered a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere. Sophie is a talented singer and performer who has a natural empathy with children, it was a pleasure to observe Sophie and the children perform. Simply amazing.

Finally, Gareth joined residents, families, friends and staff for an afternoon of meditation. Gareth played the harp gently creating a soothing environment that lulled individuals into a state of relaxation which should hopefully promote a restful night’s sleep. Blissful.

Music rhythmical, it has patterns, structure, shape. It has many layers which work beautifully together to create something that can only be described as a work of art.

Thank you to everyone who performed at Tyspane Care Home this week.

At Tyspane Care Home we understand the importance of "Getting To Know" our residents so that they can engage in purposeful activities enabling them to stay connected with the things they love. It is important that we remember every resident is unique, so spending quality time learning about each other and everyone helps support positive well-being through a wide range and choice of events, outings, connections in the community and tailored activities. 

Therefore, it was a wonderful surprise to learn about one of our residents, James Davis. James has been an accomplished photographer for over half a century. He has travelled to over one hundred countries around the world; from Australia to Zimbabwe with many in between. This has given him the opportunity to photograph many subjects such as landscapes, seascapes, cities, landmarks and people. James published his first book in 2008 and his second book in 2016, they are truly remarkable. James stated in his second book (introduction) that, "Each and every one of us should be greatly concerned about the future of our plant and its resources. Throughout my book I hope I convey not just the problems we face, but also the beauty that is still left and which we must go to great lengths to conserve."

Thank You James for sharing your memories and photographs with us, they are fantastic and the commentary on the background to the various scenes is so interesting. 

Tyspane Care Home residents, friends, families and staff were stunned and amazed when Aime Bown (General Manager) surprised everyone this afternoon with a Virtual Reality Headset (VR). A Virtual Reality Headset is a captivating gateway into an entirely fresh experience, it provides one with a highly immersive experience, making you feel as if you are physically present in a stimulated environment. It gives you the impression that it is real.

Residents, families, friends and staff were asked what experience they would like to engage their senses in, what world would they like to be transported into. Requests and ideas came thick and fast, luckily Aime was a master at programming the headset for each individual’s experience.

David was first to have a go and opted for a parachute jump, this was because his daughter Louise (Tyspane Care Home Hairdresser) had previously undertaken a parachute jump. David stated the experience was out of this world, absolutely incredible. He could not believe how real it was, he said he felt a little light headed as he floated to the ground, it felt unlike anything in the world.

Patrick opted for formula 1 experience and when asked if he enjoyed the experience he replied, “Yes, unbelievable.”

Mary a lady who loves animals opted for an animal experience. The headset was fitted and Mary’s face became one of wonder and surprise as she saw a lioness close up and reached out to touch the giraffes. Julie (Activities Assistant) never one to shy away tried the roller coaster ride, it was so real she nearly fell over.

The afternoon was so special, Virtual Reality is certainly going to change how our residents interact with technology and the world around them. One of the benefits of virtual reality for seniors is its ability to reduce loneliness by providing adventure and entertainment.

Thank you Aim Bown (General Manager) for making our Fantastic Friday a Futuristic Friday.