Activities at West Abbey Care Home
Our Activities Coordinators are constantly striving to mentally and physically stimulate those we support by organising group and individual activities for anyone and everyone to participate in. There are regular outings in the minibus to nearby places of interest, as well as visits from the Donkey sanctuary, musicians and entertainers. We also host evenings such as our Cheese & Wine evenings and BBQ's in the summer, that we encourage relatives to come to. Activities are one of the most important aspects of a care home, so it is essential that our team are dedicated to ensuring that residents are entertained. We encourage our residents to participate in any way they can. We also encourage relatives to join with activities and events as often as they can to ensure that life at West Abbey is fun and active for all.
Nikki Griffee
Hi, I'm Nikki and I originally came to work at West Abbey in 2018 and have worked in various roles supporting our residents.
What I enjoy about my job is that no two days are the same and most of all, I thoroughly enjoy everyday activities with the residents including 1-2-1 room visits all the way to professional singers visiting us. A firm favourite of mine and the residents at West Abbey is using our mini-bus weekly and visiting local nature hot spots! I look forward to welcoming you to our home.
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 West Abbey Care Home
Care Home Open Day
Staff members brought in their pets for residents to make a fuss off on Care Home Open Day. We enjoyed tea in the garden, as it was a lovely, warm day, with entertainment by Que Sara Sara, who is an accomplished jazz singer. We also had a special visit from Simon, who brought along his lambs and goats. Staff and residents enjoyed the chance to bottle feed the lamb.
Armchair Yoga
Debbie, our armchair yoga teacher, made her first visit to West Abbey recently, instructing residents in the art of yoga and helping to keep them fit.
Enjoying the Sunshine!
Residents made the most of the recent great weather by tending to the garden.
How to be Cool
Every once in a while, for the past few months, folks at West Abbey get together for 'band practice' - and it is going down a storm!
Resident, Jackie, sang at our talent show, and her husband, Ian's, fabulous guitar skills did not go unnoticed. We asked him if he could commit to collaborating with our band once a week and he was delighted with the idea.
Chris de Burgh's 'Lady in Red' is a firm favourite here, and The Eagles' 'Hotel California' lyrics has caused heated discussions amongst residents.
Most recently, we have been good rebels and sang a tamer version of 'Smoke on the Water' and Mumford and Son's 'Awake my Soul'.
The band is about enjoying, connecting, expressing and releasing with oneself and others - a rejuvenating experience,
Sometimes, you just “gotta go with the flow!”
Dementia Awareness Week
To mark Dementia Awareness Week, residents had their very own 'cake off', much to the delight of other residents and staff. We had a lemon buttercream gateau, an orange flavoured Bundt cake and yoghurt cake in the final judging. Not being short of volunteers to taste the cakes, it was a close tie, but they were all delicious, so a draw was decided to be the best outcome!
Twiddle Muffs
West Abbey have been lucky enough to receive 39 twiddle muffs from the local WI branch at Chilthorne Domer. Pictured are two of the lovely and talented knitters delivering their donations, along with resident, Norma, and Deputy Manager, Helen Colaco – all enjoying a good twiddle!
