Residents at Neale Court Care Home in North Hykeham 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 Becky Exton, 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 Neale Court Care Home enjoyed a camping themed day. Staff bought in a tent and set it up in the dining room with camp beds, chairs and even a BBQ. Chef Gary cooked sausages over the fire in the garden and served hotdog sausages for an authentic campfire lunch.
“We spoke to all the residents about their holidays and discussed their favourite trips. Several people had great fun talking about camping trips and funny disasters with the weather, so we decided to hold a camping theme day.” Said Wellbeing Coordinator Becky Bourke. “Everyone loved doing something different for the day, just sitting in the camping chairs with a cup of tea and marshmallows bought back lots of memories for people”.
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 Neale Court Care Home, contact Home Manager Becky Exton on 01522 682201 or email nealecourt@countrycourtcare.com.
