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
'Howdy' from Upton Bay!
No better way to spend a beautiful sunny day than with a delicious mixed grill ‘barbecue’ in the gardens, to celebrate International Day of the Cowboy!
Our residents had a fantastic time donning cowboy hats over an authentic range of smokey BBQ meats, and a scrumptious all-American key lime pie.
The afternoon saw us putting on our dancing shoes to learn how to line dance to a bit of Dolly Parton!
Some time to wind down was in order, where we enjoyed a showing of classic John Wayne film 'Big Jake', which was most loved by one of our Gents who absolutely loves a western!
Getting Lost in the Maze at Upton Bay!
This week, our Residents joined Blenheim Palace's Historian Antonia Keaney for an inspiring talk and tour through the incredible gardens at the Palace Gardens.
Created over centuries by esteemed landscape architects, the 150 acres of stunning land certainly took our breath away.
One of our Resident's, Norman, particularly loved the wondrous maze - "When I was a boy, a maze like that would have been my dream!"
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Cheering on Our Boys for Euro’s Final 2021!
Here at Upton Bay we have been cheering on our favourite teams throughout the Euros. Our Home has been decorated with flags, as we have been enjoying all the football action over the past 3 weeks.
After such a nail-biting match between England and Denmark last week, our Residents were on the edge of their seats for the first English Victory since 1966 – a day many of our ladies and gents remember fondly.
Well it wasn’t to be this year, but we were so proud of our Team nonetheless for doing such an incredible job to get to the fateful finals! We raised a glass of fizz to the Lions, and are looking forward to the World Cup next year!
Game, Set, Match!
Residents and Staff at Upton Bay had a fantastic time celebrating Wimbledon 2021 the last few weeks, topping off the tournament with a glass of Pimm’s as we sat on the edge of our seats for the Ladies Final!
Chef’s Alain and Mark whipped up some delicious Strawberries & Cream inspired desserts for our Residents to tuck in to, enjoyed as we cheered on Aussie Ashleigh Barty as she triumphed on Saturday, with a few of our Ladies reckoning they could give her a run for her money on the court!
And for course, the nail biting match that saw Djokovic win his 20th Grand Slam title!
Magic at Upton Bay!
We weren’t best pleased with the drizzly afternoons this week.. but we still brought some Magic to our residents at Upton Bay!
On Memory Lane, our dedicated Dementia Care Suite, we have specialist technology and equipment to enrich the quality of life for people living with dementia.
Here is one of our ladies using the Magic Table - the projection cleverly senses movement and responds to the movement of a hand! Activities like this introduce movement and exercise back in to daily life. It can be used anywhere across the home, bringing a wonderful sensory experience to every individual. The Live Piano Quartet was a hit, and she knew all the words to a repertoire of songs!
Honouring Armed Forces Day 2021
Upton Bay was proud to recognise Armed Forces Day this year, falling on Saturday 26th June.
With many of our residents having lived their childhood years through the turmoil of the Second World War, this day sparked many special memories from the time of ‘making do and mending’.
One of our Gents served a full career in the British Army, so it was a pleasure to pay tribute to him and his service, as well as that of all Military personnel, past and present.
Resources and photographs courtesy of Armed Forces Day provided plenty of visual stimulation for conversation among our residents.
We enjoyed an afternoon tea on the balcony overlooking the Purbecks, a we reminisced about the times gone by of rationing, evacuations, and reuniting with loved ones after war.
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
