Activities at West Abbey Care Home

West Abbey had a treat in store for their resident bookworms on 13th September, as residents all joined in to celebrate to stories written by Roald Dahl.

Roald Dahl Day celebrates the birthday of Roald Dahl – probably one of the greatest storytellers of all time. It is celebrated on 13th September every year. Roald Dahl is known for writing a number of popular children’s books which include Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, and James and the Giant Peach. He also wrote many books and short stories for adults, often with a twist in the tale. His books have been translated into 58 different languages and have sold well over 200 million copies worldwide.

Activities Coordinator at Sarah Purdy celebrated some of the most cherished and well known Roald Dahl stories. Residents joined in by discussing their favourite books to trying wild and wacky Roald Dahl-inspired treats and finishing the day with the classic film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Staff at the home also took part in the day by dressing up in their favorite Roald Dahl character costume.

Residents took a virtual trip to the V&A Dundee for ‘Mary Quant Life and Times’ virtual talk today, it was an opportunity to take a journey back to the swinging sixties and the height of liberated fashion with the first major exhibition in 50 years of the seminal British designer’s work. The talk explored how her unique style developed from humble beginnings and went on to change the face of fashion forever.

Quant captured the spirit of the swinging sixties and pioneered a business model that reshaped the industry, making designer fashion far more accessible for women and men.

Following the talk residents enjoyed a lively discussion on their favourite 60's outfits and hemlines, laughing at how their families viewed some of the more daring outfits they wore!

The team took part in a super hero fancy dress day alongside a cake sale to raise funds for the Comic Relief Charity on Friday 19th March. The residents enjoyed seeing the different styles of super hero costumes and red noses, we all had a day filled with fun packed activities and lots of laughter. 

Most importantly we raised £82! Super team effort by staff and residents at West Abbey Care Home 

To celebrate Mothers Day our team arranged fresh flowers from our gardens for around home, the ladies of the home all received a beautiful handmade photo frame decorated by our activities team which brought happy smiles all round. Our chef Andy and his hospitality team prepared a special lunch menu of roast leg of lamb followed by a homemade strawberry cheesecake to mark the day with a choice of wine at the table, although we do offer this every day, and sherry as an aperitif!

For residents at West Abbey the long awaited reunion with residents and a regular nominated family or friend became a reality from today, as visits have now been allowed to commence inside the home.

There has been much careful planning and preparation for this moment behind the scenes at Barchester Healthcare, who run West Abbey care centre since the announcement by Boris Johnson last month of lockdown restrictions being eased. Whilst some visiting continued in a specially designed visiting suite the Perspex screen divided relatives from their loved ones to keep residents safe, now meeting in the same room feels a great step towards normal visiting once again. Caroline Carter, General Manager, said: “This has been a much welcomed development in what have been very challenging times. The visits are safe and well organised, the visitor takes a Lateral Flow Covid Test and we ensure the result is negative before the visitor enters the home for the safety of all our residents and staff. Today was a lovely day to welcome in our first visitor and we will be welcoming more throughout the week."

Mr Loader, the first visitor today arrived with delighted smile, overjoyed to see his mother face to face he said: “Thank you for making it possible to see my mother, Joyce, I’m looking forward to holding her hand again very soon, you should all be very proud of what you have achieved during these challenging times”.

West Abbey has recently brought a bit of magic to residents by providing a new ‘Magic Table 360 and the Happiness Programme’ as a way to improve residents’ quality of life.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the Magic Table 360 uses interactive games to connect residents with staff and with each other, and research shows it improves the wellbeing of people living with dementia. Using interactive light projections, the Magic Table 360, which can be played independently or in a group, stimulates movement by inviting participants to take part in all sorts of different fun activities such as popping bubbles, playing the piano, colouring in pictures, sweeping leaves or interacting playfully with fish. Games are rich in colour, movement and detail, and allow people of all ages to play in a safe and comfortable environment.

The Magic Table 360 is portable so it can be used wherever residents feel most comfortable, it can be projected onto the floor, ceiling, walls, a whiteboard or even the bed. The Happiness Programme allows for a range of games that change seasonally and have country-specific versions covering 14 different categories, so there will always be something new for residents to try.