We have made a number of changes in recent weeks to the activities programme and Amanda now runs a gardening club every Monday which has proved very popular. We have decided that the patio adjacent to the main lounge will be used to display all of the baskets and pots which have been planted so have a look when you are able to and see what green fingers our residents have. The Monday morning Bingo has been moved to a Wednesday.

 

We now have a resident’s meeting on a regular basis which Amanda hosts and in addition to this, we have started to include trips out to local pubs for lunch for some of our resident’s who are able to enjoy them.

 

We have a wide variety of activities on offer with something for every resident to enjoy and our aim is that people should feel included and enjoy themselves. Our activities co-ordinator Amanda is a member of The National Association of Activities Coordinators, is a qualified EXTEND teacher (exercise for the elderly and disabled), is dementia trained and has 10 years experience. 

 

Amanda offers aromatherapy hand massages in the main sitting room and social care therapy for the residents who are in bed which includes aromatherapy hand massages, poetry and short stories. On a Tuesday afternoon Fleur often comes along and plays the keyboard and sings.

  
We have a professional singer Sharron who comes in twice a week and has built up a very good relationship with our residents many of whom love to dance and sing along with her on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. She offers a wide range of music ranging from modern to old town music hall to country and western.

 

Our carers are making life diaries for Residents with beautiful photographs from the past and present which are really helping us to appreciate the rich and interesting lives that they have lead.

 

Specialist personalised signs for the bedroom doors will soon be put up and each bedroom will be provided with a memory box to hold personal items which are special to our residents.

 

Thursday morning is an activities morning especially for our residents in the unit. Activities include poetry, reading today's paper, short stories, hand massages and Fudge the dog visits. Residents in the continuing care unit are always welcome to attend activities in the main home if they are able to enjoy them.
 
On a Thursday afternoon Amanda runs a cookery session where the residents enjoy making cakes and puddings, some residents are keen bakers and others are keen to eat the result that afternoon.  This session often leads to lovely reminiscence conversations of cooking for the family and memories of helping mother as a child. Our residents usually decide what they want to make next time. Typically this is followed with some favourite poetry or a quiz.
 
Friday mornings begins with a visit from Fudge the dog and an exercise session. We have a parachute, maracas, jumping frogs and beach balls to mention just a few. This is a lovely social session which often ends up becoming quite a lively affair. We try to encourage our residents to remain as mobile as possible and we have plenty of room for people to enjoy the freedom of walking round the home.
 
We have a mini bus which goes out most days weather allowing. Trips include feeding the ducks at Buriton pond, enjoying the view from Butser Hill and other local beauty spots. The mini bus can also be used for individual residents to go shopping or visit the dentist etc.
  
We are not prescriptive when it comes to activities and residents can take part in as many or as few as they like. Some people enjoy taking a very active role where as others will just enjoy the fact that there is something going on and prefer to watch. One thing that all our residents enjoy is lots of company as many of the illnesses they suffer from can be very isolating and at times could make them feel lonely. All the staff at Wenham make plenty of time to sit and chat which results in a very warm and friendly atmosphere. Wenham Holt has been family owned and run for two generations and we are all constantly aiming to improve the environment for our resident's to enjoy.  

 

 We have once again had to apply to our inspectorate the Care Quality Commission for Registration due to a change in the law which came into being in April 2010. New essential standards of quality and safety have replaced the regulations under the Care Standards Act 2000 and associated National Minimum Standards, which will cease to exist on 30^th September 2010. We now have to Register under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2009 and the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 and to show that we are meeting the new standards in all of the Regulated activities which we provide. The changes to the legislation are also affecting the star rating system which will be withdrawn later this year. We are able to use our three stars until then and look forward to seeing what system if any is implemented to replace them.

 

The menu has been revised and now includes a very wide choice every day. In addition to the three week menu we will of course do anything we can to meet individual preferences where we can. Please speak to our weekday cook Tina or Norbert at the weekend about anything to do with the menu choices and any alternatives.

 

 

If you notice any maintenance issues when you visit such as a drawer stuck or broken or any furniture with a missing handle please tell a member of staff and it will be attended to. Also please let us know if you notice any other matters, which might need attention.

 

Internal and external re-decoration continues as usual and all rooms are decorated when they are empty. The porch has recently been repaired and the stonework painted.

We have had a spate of broken sockets recently, (one of the drawbacks of surface mounted boxes) and Carl is doing what he can to protect them by making wooden frames to fit around them.

 

A tree surgeon has been in to cut back overhanging branches along the west boundary adjacent to the Unit and he has also taken down a bough over the car park which was broken by the snow in January.

 

We have had to purchase a new tractor mower after the gearbox gave out on our other one, the new one is more powerful and has a wider cut so the stripes should look even better this year.

 

Sadly one of our chickens died a few weeks ago, seemingly of natural causes, we still have seven and they are laying well.

 

Please continue to park considerately and try to avoid parking on the grass verges. You can double park in the car park if there are no spaces available, as the majority of staff cars are not moved between 07.30 and 14.00 or between 14.00 and 19.30. If you do park in front of/behind another car and block it in we can easily ask you to move if the other car needs to get out before you are ready to leave. Please be careful when coming down the drive and keep your speed to 5 mph or less, also be extra observant when leaving in case anyone is coming in as you are exiting.

 

 

We are mid way through our fire safety training which all staff have to attend and have recently enjoyed a further session on ‘challenging behaviour’ by our external training provider. A number of our care assistants are working towards their level 3 NVQ in care and we are hoping to facilitate a similar course for our kitchen and domestic staff.

 

If any resident or their relatives would like to see their care plan please make an appointment with the nurse- in-charge. The care plans are now completely person centred and we are also compiling ‘life histories’ of residents so we will know more about them and their lives before they joined us. All care staff are taking part in this project and you can help by letting us have any snippets of information which you think could be used. Please ask to see the files when you visit if you would like to.

 

Please continue to make sure that clothes are clearly marked with the resident’s name. This makes it less likely that clothing will get mixed up in the laundry. Apologies if you find clothes in drawers or wardrobes you do not recognise this will happen from time to time.

 

If you have any questions, comments or queries about any aspect of the Home or the service we provide please ask to speak to either Rosemary or Dan or the nurse-in-charge who will be only too pleased to assist. We would rather you spoke to us initially so we can address your concern if we are able to without delay.