Activities at Upton Bay Care Home
Activities are an integral part of life at our care home. We want to ensure that the people we support have as much fun as possible during their time with us, so it’s important that our activities programme is created with the interests of residents in mind. Our skilled Activities Coordinators bring a certain uniqueness to the home that can’t be found anywhere else, and which is reflected in the activities they organise.
Karen Grant
I first worked in the care sector in 2010, starting in domiciliary care and progressing to Care Coordinator. I have since gained a wealth of experience in dedicated dementia and residential activities, working as a peripatetic activities coordinator in 16 out of 20 homes within a group, and then in 2018, I was part of a team that commissioned a new luxury care home, where I was an Activities Team Leader.
I enjoy making wishes come true for residents: in February 2015, I organised my first wedding in a care home. The lady resident who was living with dementia was unable to travel to Hertfordshire for her granddaughters wedding, so I brought the wedding to her. I organised a wedding blessing at the home; we had a vicar, a choir, all of the bridal party, the flowers, a buffet, a wedding cake, champagne—the full works.
In 2017, I organised a smaller wedding in the garden, and this was a special wish for a gentleman resident to see his granddaughter married. Organising these special moments gives me a lot of pleasure, knowing I have made them feel special and to give families that happiness and see them smile.
I cannot wait to welcome our residents into their wonderful new home and help to bring smiles, joy and laughter to each day.
Karen is also one of our dementia champions
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 Upton Bay Care Home
Gar-RUN-teed a Gold!
There's just 4 days to go til Upton Bay's Home Advisor Sophie puts on her running shoes for the final time, to finish 26.2 miles in style for the Virtual London Marathon!
After training for 6 months, Sophie will be running the solo marathon for Prama, a charity located in Dorset which is very close to our hearts at Upton Bay. Prama's many many support groups, activity groups, and community projects do amazing work in and around Poole, relying hugely on the kindness of over 200 volunteers to make an enormous difference to the lives of older, isolated people, and those living with dementia.
Sophie also has a personal connection to dementia and the work of Prama. To read her story and make a donation, click here: https://tinyurl.com/9zk244se . All donations, no matter the size, are hugely appreciated, to support this wonderful charity.
Come along to Upton Bay at 10:30am on Sunday 1st October to cheer her on as she sets off!
No Cake Walk: We Step It Up for World Alzheimer's Day!
For a cause that's close to our hearts, the Upton Bay Family took part in a 12 hour sponsored walk, in and around the grounds and wider community. Each wearing a pedometer, we were able to total up everyone's distance walked over the course of the day. Together, we strolled, jogged, and danced our way to an incredible 24 miles in just 12 hours! That's just shy of a marathon, for any athlete's reading! Thank you to yesterdays visitors for your kind donations to Alzheimer's Research UK, who's important work supports the lives of 944,000 people in the UK diagnosed with Dementia.
Stay tuned for the 2nd October, when our Home Advisor Sophie will be running the London Virtual Marathon from Upton Bay in support of Prama!
In Memory of Her Majesty The Queen
It is with heavy hearts that residents at Upton Bay Care Home bid their final farewell’s to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, as we came together to watch the State Funeral. We honoured the Queen, her extraordinary life and service to the nation and the Commonwealth over 70 years of reign, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
For many of our residents, the Queen represented comfort, hope and peace over the past seven decades of her sovereignty, and she will be sorely missed.
During the national period of mourning, we’ve spent time reminiscing and celebrating the memory and reign of Her Majesty. Collectively, our residents, staff, and families have been sharing special words of comfort in a condolences book, which we will be sending to The Royal Family.
Upton Bay's Annual Dog Show!
Those puppy dog eyes!
Quite possibly the best event in our calendar this year, as Upton Bay was filled with the most adorable dogs from Caring Canines for our Annual Dog Show! From Labrador to labradoodle, terriers, bichon's, and Heinz specials, our hearts were full of love for each and every pooch.
This motley crew entertained us all with their boundless energy, copious amounts of cuddles and show stopping tricks, looked after by their amazing volunteer humans!
We were delighted to welcome guest judge MP Tobias Ellwood, who has been patron of Caring Canines since their first years, and shared some lovely sentiments of his long standing affiliation with the charity.
A special thank you to Marshalls Pet Supplies - Poole, our local award winning pet store of over 30 years, for kindly donating the wonderful gift voucher for our raffle, the proceeds of which raised a fantastic £88 for Caring Canines.
And lastly, congratulations to Peggy and Rusty, for winning Best in Show, judges and crowd vote!
Top 20 Care Home 2022 Award!
We are happy to announce that we have won a carehome.co.uk award and have been prized for one of the Top 20 Care Homes in our region for 2022. The awards highlight the most recommended care homes in each region of the UK and the recognition is based on published reviews from residents and their families and friends, as of February 2022.
Where did the blue skies go?! 🌈
Although the Great British weather has failed us this week, we still made the most of a dry spell to head out to Wareham for a breath of fresh air, and picturesque views of the misty landscape, looking like something from a Jane Austen novel! And of course, a '99 to top off the afternoon. We even spotted historic Brownsea Castle in the distance, beyond the rising tide.
Residents at Upton Bay enjoy nothing more than getting out and about, and for our ladies and gents who have joined us from other counties, we just love showing them what beautiful surrounding we have only minutes from our doorstep in pretty Poole.
Upcoming events
Knit and Knatter - weekly group
Open to the community. This fun, social group meet every Thursday 10.30-12.00 to knit and chat. Refreshments included
Christmas Fair - Saturday 7th December
Join us for a fun, Christmas event with a variety of stalls including candles, cards, gifts for all your family and friends. Join santa in his grotto
