Activities at Waterside Court Care Home

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.”

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.