Residents at Abbey Grange Care & Nursing Home in Sheffield have been enjoying a month-long Staycation during July. Residents have had the opportunity to get involved with travel-based activities, reminiscing and international-themed days complete with special celebration menus.
“We want to bring a holiday feel to our care home.” Explained Kerry Peach, Home Manager. “Few of us will be jetting off anywhere exotic this year, so we thought we’d bring some holiday vibes to our home.”
Families of residents were asked to get involved by sending in photos of their loved one’s favourite holiday destinations in the UK or abroad. Staff and residents enjoyed reminiscing about their favourite holiday memories and travels to a variety of locations. They enjoyed lots of fond memories of seaside holidays, road trips, caravanning, walking and cycling. Some people never owned a passport, but others travelled the world, everyone had some wonderful stories to share.
Residents at Abbey Grange Care & Nursing Home enjoyed a beach themed day, complete with sand, seagulls, and even cockles and mussels. Staff turned the garden into a beach resort for the day and residents enjoyed traditional seaside games with fish and chips for lunch.
“We spoke to all the residents about their holidays and discussed their favourite trips. Several people had great fun talking about day trips to the seaside, including Skegness.” Said Wellbeing Coordinator Sharon. “Everyone loved doing something different for the day, our activities were designed to bring back fond childhood memories with songs, smells and tastes of the coast”.
The Staycation month has been a great talking point for residents and staff with reminiscing proven to be beneficial, especially for residents living with dementia. Talking about people’s life experiences helps build connections between residents and staff and is a great way for people to enjoy shared experiences. The initiative has sparked lots of great memories from looking at old photos together, whether with staff or during family visits to the care home. It has been a great way to get everyone involved in each person’s individual life history and get to know them better.
For more information about life at Abbey Grange Care & Nursing Home, contact Home Manager Kerry Peach on 0114 256 0046 or email abbeygrange@countrycourtcare.com.
