Activities at Westergate House Care Home

Visits out into the local community are a big part of the activities calendar and the Westergate House mini-bus can be seen out and about exploring various places of interest local to the home.  On this occasion, there was somewhere on our doorstep!  The activities team invited residents to put the brollies up and take a walk to Denman’s Gardens, a beautiful garden centre just a few strides away.  The fresh air and exercise ensured everyone was ready for afternoon tea at the delightful coffee shop within the grounds.  Hot drinks and delicious teatime treats were enjoyed in the company of good friends.

The Memory Lane Cafe is a weekly event in our dementia community and is very popular with the residents. Every week we choose a different cake or dessert to prepare and there is no end to the range of delicious treats to be made. The café is a sociable activity, and the residents are keen to get involved.  It’s never long before the delightful aroma of baking hangs in the air. Such a lovely trip down memory lane; we take the opportunity to reminisce, and talk about the times we enjoyed cooking with mother as children.

In celebration of International Dog Day on 26th August we held a competition for our furry friends at Westergate House. Over the previous two weeks we had beautiful photos sent into the home from family, friends and staff, who entered their beloved four-legged pals into one of two categories; Pretty Pooch or Handsome Hound. Residents throughout the home had the tricky task of judging the winners.  It was so hard to choose! After much deliberation, we were happy to announce Chilly Bean as Pretty Pooch and Max as the winner of Handsome Hound.  Aren't they gorgeous?!

When it’s a grey, blustery day outside, the Activities team get to work and provide indoor exercise sessions to help maintain our physical health, from the comfort of our chairs.  The rain is soon forgotten with stretches and punches to the air, moving in time to music, and taking the lead from Julie, the Activities Assistant, who makes sure to show us how it is done.  Each community takes a turn and the outcome is often the same; everyone is focused on a refreshing cup of tea!

Staff and residents are delighted to reach their goal of a perfect overall score of 10 on the independent care home review website, carehome.co.uk.

Carehome.co.uk is often one of the first places people will look when searching for a care home for a loved one. It is independently run to ensure that all reviews are vetted and come from people who have genuine experience of the homes that they are reviewing.

General Manager Paul, said: “We are beyond thrilled to reach a perfect overall score of 10 on carehome.co.uk, it just goes to show what a credit to the home the team at Westergate House really are. I am so proud of each and every one of them for all of their hard work and dedication to the people they care for. We have a fantastic team here, I’m so lucky to work with such wonderful people and to have such lovely residents.”

What a truly amazing day here at Westergate House!  Our Summer Party ‘A Touch of Class, On the Grass’ was an overwhelming success, thoroughly enjoyed in the warm summer sunshine.  We had an incredible turn out of over 120 family members joining their relatives on our lawn to enjoy the wonderful ‘Arun All Stars’ Jazz Band then the ‘Pebble Beach’ Ukulele Band.

Head Chef Chris and his fantastic team put together sumptuous picnic hampers for everyone to enjoy for lunch, followed by a range of extra-special ice cream complete with sprinkles and marshmallows.

The raffle was a great success; a selection of amazing prizes donated by local businesses, family and friends, including several bottles of wine, champagne, toiletries and chocolates.

The whole team came together, as they always do, to produce a memorable and very enjoyable afternoon of fun and laughter for our residents and their family and friends. Well done Westergate House!