Shirley Williams has been a resident at Oakview Lodge Care & Nursing Home in Welwyn Garden City since 2021. Shirley has had a varied career including as an Activity Coordinator at a local care home. She loves to tell the staff team at Oakview Lodge all about her time in the role as an Activity Coordinator. ‘Shirley loves to help us organise activities for all our residents and it stems back to when she used to be an activity coordinator herself in another care home’ said Rachel Davies, Wellbeing Coordinator at Oakview Lodge.
Shirley was sadly made redundant from a previous job and her daughter, who was working as a carer in a care home at the time, suggested she joined the care home with her, ‘I thought I better do something after being made redundant and almost fell into the role as activity coordinator at St Andrews Care Home. The care home originally hired me for the kitchen because I knew what COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health) meant. I worked here for 4 years commented Shirley.
Shirley had many jobs before becoming an Activity Coordinator. She worked at her local Sainsbury’s supermarket where she particularly loved making the displays and meeting new people. Little did Shirley know that all of these skills would come in handy for her work within care home activities later down the line.
‘The thing I enjoyed most about being an Activity Coordinator was my one-to-ones with residents. They were all so interesting and unique. I could easily sit with them for hours finding out about their past’ commented Shirley Williams. ‘Another of my favourite memories was one lady who danced and danced every time we had music. She is like me now, the one who always gets everyone involved.’
‘My favourite activity to do with residents was music and movement as it always put a huge smile on their faces. I also enjoyed our coffee mornings as my residents enjoyed helping me to organise them and occasionally made cakes for it’ commented Shirley.
‘Shirley helps us in many ways at our home here at Oakview Lodge. She is always putting forward wonderful activity ideas like a ‘guess the baby competition’ and always helps us to get others in the mood for joining in’ commented Wellbeing Coordinator Rachel Davies ‘If Shirley has what she classes as a bad day and can’t join in physically due to her Parkinson’s Disease she always joins in the ways she can. Like shouting out answers for a quiz!’
‘Activities at Oakview help my Parkinson’s by keeping me busy so I don’t think about it as much. It’s too easy to sit and do nothing so it helps make the time pass’ commented Shirley.
Shirley Williams with Oakview Activity Coordinator Rachel Davies
Shirley leading activity session - Guess The Baby
‘Shirley enjoys our music-based activities like songs from Bon Jovi and from the 70’s. She’s not a big fan on crafts but always joins in no matter what. Shirley also really likes the gardening we do here. Shirley adds such a lovely atmosphere into our home, especially on the residential floor to get people taking part and to prevent loneliness’ commented activity coordinator Mihaela.
For more information about Oakview Lodge Care & Nursing Home, please contact the Home Manager Clare Twiss on 01707 375 345 or email clare.twiss@countrycourtcare.com.
