Activities at Waterside Court Care Home

The weather might not be behaving itself, but that hasn't stopped residents at Waterside Court from planting seeds for our lovely new garden.

Planting seeds is a great way to keep our green-fingered residents engaged and motivated. It's also a wonderful way of keeping social and motor skills active.

We had a great time with our Meet the Manager event. General Manager, Roxana Moldovan, and her team were on hand to talk to families about a possible move into care. We understand how big of a decision it is, so we are always happy to offer help and support to those who need it.

Roxana said: "There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a care home for someone you love. The decision has only been made harder with the pandemic, so my team and I are more than happy to help with any questions or talk through the different options that are available and best for you. Meet the Manager events are lovely opportunities to be able to do this, but we do also offer show rounds on a 1:1 basis."

If you have a question about a move into care, or know of anyone who needs support, please get in touch with us on 01491 821 080.

Residents at Waterside Court had a fun-filled day celebrating VE Day. Residents started their morning by listening to live singer, Emily Yarrow. Thanks to the recent change in government guidelines, Waterside Court were able to welcome Emily to the home to sing live, a refreshing and welcome change since March restrictions last year. Emily sung an array of songs from the 40s, 50s and 60s that had residents singing along and dancing. Residents were then treated to a lovely lunch and home-made cakes in our wonderfully decorated, themed dining room.

May Kidner, Activity Coordinator at Waterside Court, said: “It was so lovely to be able to provide live entertainment for residents again. It was wonderful watching them singing along and dancing to familiar songs. We also had a fantastic time at lunch with our themed hats and cakes. I’d like to thank Waitrose of Wallingford for their generous donations to help us celebrate the day.”

Residents at Waterside Court enjoyed some refreshing mocktails, lovingly made by our Activity and Kitchen Teams.

Cinco de Mayo, (or the fifth of May) is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May the 5th 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day is also known as Battle of Puebla Day. Although a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States it has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American population.

Activity Coordinator, May Kidner, said: “It’s always lovely to celebrate different cultures and holidays. Our residents enjoyed learning about Cinco de Mayo and a refreshing drink was the perfect way for residents and staff to celebrate together.

After enjoying a delicious home-made lunch, residents at Waterside Court took to the Activity Café to decide what film they would like to watch for their upcoming move night.

One of the most common questions we are asked when families are looking for care is: “Who chooses what films the residents watch when they sit in the Cinema Room?”

The answer is: the residents do! Our person-centred care means that residents’ wishes and personalities are always at the heart of all we do. Our “Getting to Know Me” booklets ask for a resident’s likes, dislikes, hobbies, interests and life history so that we can truly personalise their care plans to reflect their own individual needs. This booklet also guides our Life Enrichment Programme so that it includes activities our residents have told us they want. We also hold a monthly Residents Meeting so residents can actively comment on what they like and what they want to see more of.

For residents at Waterside Court, the long awaited ability to go on excursions out of the home became a reality, as guidelines changed to allow minibus trips once again.

Guidance was issued by the Government in April and the team seized the opportunity to further enrich residents’ lives by taking them on a sight-seeing tour of Oxford Centre. Whilst the guidelines limited the number of residents and staff who could attend, and they didn’t allow our residents to exit the minibus, we still had an amazing morning out and were still able to enjoy a home-made picnic and change of scenery.

We were also joined by three minibuses from nearby sister homes. All four minibuses formed a convoy as they followed a planned route that passed Westgate Shopping Centre, Carfax Rower, The Botanical Gardens and Pitts Rivers Museum. The tour also took the Barchester convoy over the Magdalen Bridge.

Roxana Moldovan, General Manager at Waterside Court, said: “This has been so exciting for us to be able to do again. We have long awaited the day that we could take residents out and about again. Whilst there were still some restrictions in place with what we could and couldn’t do, it was lovely to see how much the residents were enjoying being out and how engaged and lively they were, waving at passers-by. It is such an important step forward and we can’t wait to do more of these trips.”