At Apple House care homes we strive to support residents to lead a healthy lifestyle and to be as independent as possible. We provide access to a programme promoting healthy living and wellbeing, with home cooked fresh food, regular exercise, and creative activities. This article outlines why it is important to give people with autism the opportunity to take part in creative activities and regular exercise.

Challenges for people with Autism

For people with autism, you may notice that they can have challenges in interacting in social situations as it can be overwhelming at times with direct verbal communication. We may not get a direct response or eye contact and we can wonder if we have been understood. So it may also be a struggle to build a relationship with them through words alone.

At times people with autism can have rigid mindsets as this may be their way of making sense of the world around them. So, therefore, change can be difficult as they feel reassured by a routine that gives them a sense of control. They may not always understand that a change in routine may be something beyond their carer’s or parents’ control. Such as the illness of a friend or a change in who supports them due to outside factors.  They may need help in regulating their emotions in response to these situations.

Sensory experiences

Jackie Edwards (2017) describes how people with autism may have difficulty making connections between their tactile, vestibular and proprioceptive sensory systems where they may be overactive or not active enough with how they interact with their environment.  For example, they may have a hypersensitivity to loud noise or bright light, may also be de-sensitised to tactile experiences. So, therefore, they would benefit from a sensory diet to improve sensory integration.

She advocates giving people with autism access to different sensory experiences to help improve concentration and attention. This in turn may help them to be able to regulate awareness of their surroundings more effectively as well as to help them relax and not feel overwhelmed, leading to increased socialisation and interaction, promoting less rigid thinking, creativity, and motor skills.

Benefits of exercise

At Summerwood we recognise the importance of exercise by helping our residents access their community, take part in physical exercises such as the gym and swimming, and helping with gardening, tending the vegetable patch etc.

According to Healy S, et al. (2018) research shows that for people with autism exercise can have a number of benefits:

• Reducing stereotypical behaviours or self-stimulating behaviours
• Improving social skills with sports that promote teamwork
• Helps to reduce weight gain or obesity
• Can increase a person’s attention as repetitive behaviours can decrease
• Exercise can reduce anxiety and improve the ability to regulate emotions, build resilience to anxiety-triggering situations
• Exercise can improve motor skills and coordination for people with autism

Benefits of creative activities

The creative arts is another important activity and we support individuals to participate in regular arts and music classes in the community and within Summerwood, their home.

Art can give a person a sense of control as they learn to adapt to the task in their own way. Drawing and painting can also help to improve and maintain fine motor skills. Creative arts can be an effective way to engage with the person in a non-pressurised way. Tactile art forms such as paint and clay also provide a sensory experience to fulfill the needs of the person to be able to balance their sensory experiences more effectively. Music can elicit interactive emotional responses and melodic rhythms can help them engage.

Arts and wellbeing

People with disabilities can be more vulnerable to mental health issues so we are aware that it is important to provide a way for people to communicate their emotions appropriately. Behaviours on the surface may arise due to an inability to verbally communicate how they feel. Behaviours thus can have a function so this highlights the importance of non-verbal communication and communication aids to help people communicate their needs.

For further assistance, creative arts therapy with a trained art therapist can be a way for a person to be able to express and/or regulate their emotions when words are difficult. It can also help to improve cognition and emotional regulation where the aim is to use the art materials or creative activity to access emotional wellbeing and to help a person learn to regulate their emotions and understand themselves within a safe and facilitating environment.

— By Andrew Wright, Support Worker, Summerwood Care Home, Hants (Previously Rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC).

References and further reading

Draycot, C. (2013) Educating Autism – Art and Creativity to Engage an Autistic Child in the Classroom. The Art of Autism: Connecting through the Arts. https://the-art-of-autism.com/educating-autism-art-and-creativity-to-engage-an-autistic-child-in-the-classroom/

Edwards, J. (2017) The benefits of multi-sensory environments. Autism Journey Blog.

Healy S (2018) The effect of physical activity interventions on youth with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis. Review article. Autism Research. 11(2) · April 2018.

Rudy, L.J (2017) How Does Art Therapy Help People With Autism? Very Well Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/art-therapy-for-autism-260054

Started in 2011 by the New Forest National Park Authority and New Forest District Council, PEDALL (previously called New Forest Inclusive Cycling) provides inclusive cycling in and around the beautiful New Forest and aims to make cycling available to anyone no matter what challenges they may face.

Specialist bikes are available with different seating positions, extra wheels and harnesses to provide support and stability. Led rides offer year-round sessions which are led by qualified teams offering traffic-free off-road cycling in the New Forest. What better way to see the New Forest than by bike, in the fresh pine-scented air, while improving fitness and enjoying that feel-good factor that comes with being outdoors amid stunning scenery.

We are grateful to have received kind permission to share with you this photo from one of the regular forest adventures of Summerwood.

“Access to gardens can enhance focus and attention, as well as reducing anxiety and boosting self-confidence. Additionally, the garden can be considered a dynamic environment offering diverse opportunities for learning.” –[‘Green Spaces – Outdoor Environments for Adults with Autism’ by Katie Gaudion and Chris McGinley.]

At Apple House care homes we know that our outdoor spaces are as vital as indoor space for those who reside at our services.  For many years we have actively encouraged residents to take ownership of their garden space, to use it in a way meaningful to them. Perhaps this year, even more than previously, we value our outdoor spaces, fresh air and the gentle exercise of gardening.

At Apple House care home, residents enjoy 100ft of garden and actively shop for plants, tend seasonal blooms, help with garden maintenance and enjoy sitting out with a cuppa to admire the results.  Redcroft, Little Amberwood and Summerwood care homes also rear and nurture their own hens, with Summerwood residents even designing and building a hen house.  Growing vegetables is the norm here: eating home grown organic veg and free range eggs is tremendously rewarding in itself as well as nutritiously beneficial.  

Results-based activities such as these also foster a sense of ownership and achievement.

Sensory gardens incorporate textures, actions and movement, sounds, smells, colour.  At Summerwood care home in Hampshire, our registered manager, John, and residents created a sensory garden that blends all of the above.  We also offer garden space that is restful and calming, without additional sensory stimulation.

All of our services now have log cabins in their grounds. Redcroft care home, in Bournemouth, has a fabulous activities cabin nestled beside the hen house. Instead of slicing a path through the lawn to reach it, residents and staff planted a sensory path including lavenders, herbs such as thyme, rosemary and mint. Imagine the scents released as fingertips brush along the heads of the blooms and leaves as you walk to and from the cabin which again is fragrant with the scent of pine wood.  Texture is as import as scent and so there are fleshy, course foliage and soft silken leaves and tickly grasses.

While seasons and nature will continually change garden space, it’s important to us that we facilitate enjoyment of what is a wonderful commodity all year round.  The cabin enables residents to connect with their garden and to feel part of their outdoor space even in the winter.

We are ready for Spring, are you?

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 to reach out and bring fun and joy to each other.

Here are some of the fabulous paintings sent to Summerwood recently [shared with the kind permission of the nursery school manager; school identity protected].

— Jane Montrose, Managing Director.

We have been sending letters and videos to each other and keeping in contact, brightening up each others’ days through this tough time. We have also received pictures and letters from the pre-school which has made our day! All at Summerwood get very excited making videos knowing the young ones will get that extra support and a learning outcome from it. We are hoping this summer that the pandemic will die down and we can have visits face-to-face and enjoy picnics together, and many more visits to plan ahead.

— Paige Boddington, Deputy Manager, Summerwood.

Note: The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes.

Everyone had a great time in a socially distanced manner!” — John Caslake, Registered Manager, Summerwood.

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 little sugar people circling the cake, it was so creative we were all speechless!

However, it was an Easter cake contest and Redcroft care home’s fabulous two-tiered masterpiece really was unsurpassed. With sugar bunnies having fun in chocolate ‘dirt’ and a carrot cake and chocolate/caramel centre, it simply had to win. As the bake-off was a friendly inter-team event it was fitting that the prize should be a night out for the winning team. In addition Redcroft wins a donation to be made in the home’s name to the Dorset Cancer Care Foundation, helping local families in their fight against cancer.

Thanks go to Redcroft for hosting the party which followed the cake judging, and to Apple House and Summerwood for their contributions to food and fun. With a number of games, many of which were hand-made by individuals living at Redcroft, all enjoyed an afternoon of great fun in the garden and patio.

Carly’s nomination was supported by family members of the individuals she supports and you can see from the newspaper article above just how highly valued Carly’s contribution is to their loved one’s care.

Jane Montrose, Managing Director of Apple House care homes, said, ‘Do we seem just a little bit proud of Carly? WE ARE BEYOND PROUD! For Carly, this is so deserved. She always goes above and beyond and so I am not surprised to learn of yet another occasion when Carly has prioritised the needs of those she supports and their families above her own personal obligations.  Carly is one hundred percent focused on each individual and her pro-active approach has been rightfully highlighted. Good luck Carly!’

Carly will be attending the awards ceremony and lunch this Thursday, 15th November, cheered on by Romaine Lawson, Director of Operations.

Daily Echo Editor Andy Martin said, ‘We are delighted to be hosting these very special awards for the second year. The dedication of all those involved in caring for others, whether they be professionally trained or informal or family carers is amazing and these awards are a tribute to them and all they do. Where on earth would we be without them? We heard some wonderful and inspiring stories in last year’s awards. I know it will be the same this year.’

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I was thinking about what to talk about on our company blog. I could have written something funny or about an interest that I have.  But instead I thought I would share something.

I have a brother who is four years older than me who has a learning disability.  Since I was a little girl I have always been very protective towards him.

I have worked in care for over 30 years now, and so I have seen almost all there is to see from the care provider’s perspective.

Recently I have found myself having to stand up for my brother once again.  It has helped that I have the knowledge of how things are done from a care provider’s side.

This has made me stop and think!

We provide care for residents to the best of our ability and I think we all do an excellent job.  But, there is something very special about the support of family, especially a parent.

Sometimes we [carers] need to remember even more how precious those we support are to their families.

Sit back and reflect on how difficult it is to hand over the care of that person to complete strangers.

Families often find it difficult and feel guilty that they are unable to provide the care themselves. So, when you have contact with a family member that seems overly anxious or seems to be asking for the impossible, bear in mind:

How would you cope with handing over the life of a family member to people you don’t know?

How do we help promote confidence in us and what we do as a provider?

— Pam, Support Worker, Summerwood care home, Hants.

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Huge thanks to Pam for sharing such a heartfelt and insightful post with thoughts which are deeply personal to her and so valid. In fact, what Pam eludes to is that we, as a provider of care, are in a hugely privileged and responsible position of trust.  Trust between the family, the individual and us. We consider that trust to be a circle which must never be broken.

Trust underpins the essence of care.

Families are our partners, and we theirs.  We joined John’s Campaign (click HERE to read a Guardian newspaper article on their success) to deepen our commitment to the loved ones of those we support, and were delighted to be featured in their blog.  Please take a moment with a cuppa to read our post: Family Friendly, What Does it Mean? where we share ways in which we encourage and nurture close partnerships with families.

‘No-one knows an individual as well as those closest to them.’

— Jane Montrose, Managing Director, Apple House care homes.

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