During these most challenging of times, as the nation finds wonderfully creative ways to connect to others through this lockdown, Summerwood care home is enjoying a mutually rewarding connection with a local nursery school. Intergenerational learning and friendship has been proven to bring lasting and positive outcomes for all and, in these exceptional times of reduced community access, Apple House care homes greatly value a diverse means of retaining each home’s position in the heart of their communities. Sharing art, stories and fun videos is enabling both the children of the nursery school and the team and residents of Summerwood …
“Wow! What a beautiful day we had last Friday to commemorate VE day. The bungalow had been decorated with bunting, streamers, and enough Union Jacks to jump out of a plane with! Pam had been busy making cupcakes with M, with Patience making cornflake cakes. Paul made the truly English egg sandwiches. Where was bob? I hear you ask. Bob was busy getting dressed in full Scottish attire! T and M enjoyed an afternoon tea, sat in the garden basking in the British sunshine, with chocolate cake, strawberry cupcakes and fizzy elderflower cordial. Once everybody’s tummies were full the afternoon …
“We spent the week before VE Day discussing the things we were going to do and how we were going to do it. D wanted songs, T didn’t want to call it a celebration, M wanted to have lots of food and T suggested Fish and Chips. Everyone was very excited about having games in the garden. Here is a poster we made with the events on it. Everyone had a great time in a socially distanced manner!” — John Caslake, Registered Manager, Summerwood. …
“For our VE Day celebrations, everyone chose to participate in preparations by making decorations and creating an information board. Individuals read out passages or discussed what VE day is about. ‘E’ then gave us all a fantastic concert of old time songs. We have made trench boxes, discussing about how these boxes were sent out at Christmas time for the soldiers at the front. We also made a tea party of favourate foods eaten in the 1940’s including Anzac biscuits which we put in the trench boxes. Great fun had by all!” — Sharron Eyears, Registered Manager, Redcroft. …
David Dellow, from our senior support team at Redcroft care home, Bournemouth, has been on a mission to transform an area of garden behind the chicken run; to create something rather beautiful and interesting from a scrubby patch of untamed wilderness. David’s creative designer and grafting partner is S. Here is S and David’s nature garden diary, kindly shared with the kind permission of both. “Nature Garden Creation, First Session: Today we started on the Nature Garden, our first task is to clear all the loose vegetation on the floor and all the loose branches on the ground. We are …
There is something very therapeutic about cooking. Mastering techniques and putting one’s own creative spin on a well-loved recipe. Collecting eggs from our Redcroft hens and reaching for a cook book for that special cake recipe… But, wait a minute! Cookery should be accessible to all who love it, shouldn’t it? We think so! Which is why, when ‘L’ (who is registered blind) showed a culinary passion, we decided to set out and find a way to make all our cookery books accessible to her in the format she knew best. Redcroft contacted RNIB and began working with them to create an …
Congratulations go to Redcroft for winning the Great Apple House Bake-Off! Our panel of judges, comprising residents and directors, had a very tough job choosing just one winner from the three beautiful cakes crafted by our staff teams as each home pitched against the other in a super-friendly competition. Apple House care home’s cake won the taste test! The sponge was moist and utterly scrummy. Decorated with delicate sugar daisies and cute bees, it was as pretty as it was delicious. Summerwood care home’s cake wowed us all. In the design of our logo –a plump green apple– and with …
From all of us at Apple House care homes, to all of you, we hope your Easter weekend has been peaceful and joyous. When the world about us seems fraught, with tragic news, and peace seems a distant hope, it is the small things we do together with those closest to us that remind us of the true meaning of hope and peace. Simple things like baking bring us together. With this in mind, our teams have worked hard to create little masterpieces of Springtime joy. Yes, the Great Apple House Bake Off is today! This afternoon the Easter Bunny …
Workshop for members of Ashley Baptist Church Last weekend we were pleased to be invited to hold a workshop at Ashley Baptist Church by the minister and members of the congregation. The team who work and live at our Summerwood care home enjoy a close relationship with the church and attend services and clubs there. The focus of the workshop was to deliver information on Understanding Behaviours That Can Challenge. The members and volunteers at the church wanted to gain additional understanding and to be better prepared for the activities and services they deliver. It was great to be able …
Making health and safety fun… “Care homes differ from other workplaces because they are not only places of work but are also homes for their residents. It is therefore important that they are pleasant places where the freedom and dignity of residents is respected, and where everyone’s health and safety is sensibly and effectively managed.” — HSE, Health and Safety in Care Homes, 2nd Edition. As a care home group we take health and safety seriously. This means keeping everyone safe, including staff and residents and people visiting our properties. However, we believe that everyone should be involved in keeping …
