Activities at Waterside Court Care Home

Residents and team members at Waterside Court enjoyed an exciting virtual talk, generously hosted by Five Sisters Zoo.

The residents had the opportunity to explore and learn more about the animal life at the zoo and the important conservation, rescue and education work carried out at the grounds of the zoo.

Five Sisters Zoo was officially established in 2005 with just a small collection of rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, and pigs. Since then the zoo has grown into an exciting collection of over 160 different animal species from all around the world.

One of the zoo’s many important initiatives is to provide permanent homes for rescued bears, lions and animals that have been part of travelling circuses or other establishments.

General Manager, Roxana Moldovan, commented: “Our residents had a great time exploring the zoo and learning about the animals they care for. Our varied life enrichment programme keeps the residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to the residents’ interests and abilities.”

One of the many resources we have here at Waterside Court are Empathy Dolls. The use of dolls like these can bring great benefits to some people living with dementia, particularly those who experience anxiety or have difficulty orientating their thoughts. That’s why giving Empathy Dolls to residents with dementia is considered by some to be a type of therapy; it has therapeutic benefits, such as relaxation and pleasure and is not merely ‘playing’ with a toy.

Residents at Waterside Court enjoyed their morning familiarising themselves with the Empathy Dolls we have in our Activity Café, to the point where the dolls were named to truly make them a part of the Waterside family (Jim is the young lad in the photo!). Residents got lost in cradling the dolls, bouncing them on their knees and recounting stories of their own experiences with raising children.

May Kidner, Activity Coordinator at Waterside Court, said: “It was amazing to see how relaxed and at ease residents were when they were holding the dolls. Their interactions showed familiarity and a tenderness that was no doubt reflective of their own experiences as parents. It’s always lovely when our residents feel this relaxed and we love hearing their amazing stories and experiences”.

Residents celebrated St George’s Day today with a wonderful array of activities. We started the morning in Benson community lounge, enjoying a cup of tea and a St George’s Themed quiz. The afternoon then took residents and staff to the kitchenette, where residents took part in themed cake baking.

Waterside Court’s kitchenettes are designed to help residents easily take part in cooking and baking activities. The kitchenettes are easily accessible, spacious and safely set up so that residents can maintain as much independence as possible.

Activity Coordinator, May Kidner, commented: “It was lovely to see residents getting involved and reminiscing over their own baking experiences. The activity encouraged residents to share their own family recipes and the themed baking even sparked some healthy competition. It was a lovely afternoon”.

Residents and staff made the most of the wonderful weather by enjoying Afternoon Tea on one of Waterside Court’s balconies. Today’s menu offered a variety of hot and cold beverages, home-made banana cake, fruit cake and fresh strawberries.

With the trees now starting to blossom and wildlife becoming more active in the local area, residents also took part in some nature-watching whilst they enjoyed their refreshments.

Our wonderful kitchen team baked some delicious, royal-themed cupcakes in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s birthday.

Our themed refreshments were not only served to residents as they enjoyed high tea and reminiscence discussions around the royal family; we also donated some to Cholsey Volunteers and Cholsey Day Centre.

Waterside Court have been working with these two groups to enhance our life enrichment programme and also help support members of the local community. Cholsey Volunteers were established last year to support the elderly and vulnerable amidst the pandemic, so we were delighted to be able to help fill their food bags and include others in our celebrations.

Residents and staff enjoyed an exciting virtual presentation, provided by SEA LIFE London Aquarium.

Everyone at the home had the opportunity to learn more about the SEA LIFE London Aquarium, which is a home to more than 300 species and 4,000 creatures and to see green sea turtles, feeding of Gentoo penguins and sharks in their 1 million litre shark tank.

The SEA LIFE London Aquarium is located on the ground floor of County Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames in central London, near the London Eye. It opened in March 1997 as the London Aquarium and hosts about one million visitors each year.

Roxana Moldova, General Manager at Waterside Court, said: “Our varied life enrichment programme keeps the residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to the residents’ interests and abilities. We are lucky to have a cinema room at Waterside Court, so the experience was truly enhanced by watching it on the big screen in our comfortable, high-back chairs.”