Councillor Dr Kevin Maguire, Lord Mayor of Norwich and Caroline Jarrold, Sheriff of Norwich have visited Woodside House to meet residents and the home’s General Manager, Elena.

Mayor Maguire and Sheriff Jarrold chatted with residents and enjoyed a tour, including the home’s onsite pub. Both dignitaries were interested in how the home was able to keep the resident’s spirits high and entertain them over the pandemic period, but were also especially interested in how the home and Barchester Healthcare was able to support the staff to work through the difficult period.

Impressed with the home, Sheriff Jarrold commented that: “It has a very peaceful environment is very welcoming.”

General Manager at Woodside House Elena Sandu said: “It was lovely to have both the Lord Mayor and the Sheriff here today. The residents were delighted that they were able to visit us and see our home. It was wonderful to be able to explain all the activities that we have been providing for the residents and to show off our beautiful home. We hope that both the Mayor and Sheriff will come to see us again soon! The Mayor and Sheriff showed great empathy for how the staff were supported to continue doing their great work.”

Activities Coordinator, Sam Lake said: “The Mayor and Sheriff were asking about how things have changed now that we can have the hairdresser, entertainers and therapy animals back into the home. I explained that just yesterday we had the miniature therapy donkeys in the garden and the barber was also in this week, these have a huge impact on the residents.”

Residents and visitors at Woodside House care home enjoyed a night of grins with the opening of a brand new miniature pub in the home. Boasting a range of beers, wines and spirits, along with non-alcoholic options, residents were able to relax in the newly built Junction Bar.

The onsite pub was the brainchild of Activities Coordinator Sam and Head of Memory Lane Community Angelica. Sam sourced many of the items required through Ebay and the home’s talented Head of Maintenance Tony built and decorated the room.

For opening night the Hospitality team at the home provided a spread of sweet and savoury treats to compliment the drinks and create a party atmosphere.

General Manager, Elena said, “Our residents and guests had a wonderful afternoon and evening catching up and enjoying their favouorite tipple. We do our best to provide a wide range of activities and entertainment at Woodside House as part of the lifestyle enrichment programme for residents, and this will be an ongoing favourite!”

One resident said “It felt great to finally walk into somewhere and order a drink and then sit and chat with friends. I can’t wait for my family to visit and have a drink with me.”

Woodside House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Woodside House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 60 residents from respite care to long term stays.

For more information please contact Elena Sandu, General Manager at Woodside House on 01603 702002 or email Elena.Sandu@barchester.com

National Vegetarian Week has inspired the chef and her team to create a range of smoothies designed to enhance resident nutrition, well-being and digestion. 

Each of our residents and staff have slightly different nutritional requirements and our wonderful award winning chef has created smoothies to meet each individuals needs as well as impress their taste buds. 

Smoothies, shakes, snacks, meals, drinks, desserts, cakes and treats are all carefully provided to ensure every resident has a balanced nutritional diet and that they enjoy everything they eat. 

Flower Arranging In The Atrium

A lovely relaxing afternoon was spent flower arranging in our beautiful Atrium with a wonderful tea service delivered by our hosting team alongside fresh fruit and home-baked cakes.

Flower arranging classes are just one of the ways that residents hone and share their skills whilst helping to create a wonderful environment in at Woodside House.

International Nurses Day

Coinciding with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, International Nurses Day, held on Wednesday 12th May, is a day to celebrate nurses and care staff around the world. Residents and staff at Woodside House, were happy to get involved by hosting a much deserved afternoon tea in the garden, a certificate of thanks and some wonderful luxury chocolates.

In 2021, the World Health Organisation is seeking to highlight the ways in which nurses are innovating and to explore what the future of nursing could look like. This year, more than ever, we are hugely indebted to all our care staff, and we are incredibly proud to applaud their extraordinary efforts and commitment, on this special day of recognition. International Nurses’ Day is a day to give thanks for the dedication of care givers everywhere, who go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver extraordinary care and support.

Elena, General Manager at the home, said: “At Woodside House, our nurses and staff are hard-working, dedicated, and passionate about caring for others, and that compassion and commitment has shone through even more over the past year. They continue to work tirelessly, and I’m proud of the professionalism and duty of care they uphold. All their efforts are focused on delivering the best possible care for our residents, so it’s nice to take this time to show our appreciation in return. It is also lovely to celebrate our residents who were nurses themselves and thank them for all the hard work they did during their careers.”

We have had one of our wonderful entertainers back into the garden!

The residents were over the moon to have firm favourite Chris Wilson back at Woodside House. Now that entertainers are allowed to perform in our garden again we have a long list who are keen to get back to entertaining our residents. 

Seeing Chris and enjoying his show really makes things feel as though normal is just around the corner.