Care Home Activities & Engagement

Care home activities is a term used to describe the meaningful occupation that is offered to an individual in a residential or respite care home setting.

Often referred to as engagement, the main focus for an individual participating in purposeful recreation is to enhance them as a ‘whole person’ – this means improvements to three key areas of their day-to-day life:

• Health
  
• Wellbeing
  
• Independence
  

Engagement and activities can vary in frequency and type, as well as the way it is delivered, and will be inspired by an individual’s preferences or social interests.

Engagement that positively flourishes an individual’s health and wellbeing is crucial for a provider who advocates for person-centred care. Therefore, it is important that activities and engagement resonate both high-quality and relevancy at all times. At B&M Care, we tailor our engagement to the individuals receiving care, and subsequently enjoy watching them flourish in each of our homes.

Quality Engagement and Wellbeing at B&M Care

B&M Care recognises that for a person to lead a fulfilling lifestyle, they need to participate in a programme of care home activities and engagement that is responsive and specific to them – one that reflects their life roles, culture, social interests, and pastimes.

In-line with the group’s Rose Model of Dementia Care, B&M Care fosters a vision where each of our homes provide an enriching lifestyle that empowers a person’s independence and individuality, whilst endorsing the notion of trying something new.

Carried out in both one-to-one and group settings, typical activities and engagement include:

• Arts & crafts
  
• Live entertainment
  
• Music therapy
  
• Pet therapy
  
• Reminiscence projects
• Themed events

In addition to the above, many of our homes boast a number of exceptional, on-site facilities where subsequent engagement is carried out. These include:

• Cinemas
  
• Gyms
  
• Spas
  
• Cafes
  
• Tea Rooms
  
• Games Rooms
  
• Lifestyle Suites
  

Engagement with the Wider Community

Further to the engagement in our homes, B&M Care facilitates a relationship with each of our respective communities through a number of visitation programmes. Whether it’s through garden centres and museums or football clubs, cafes and theatres, maintaining links beyond our living environments is extremely important.

As part of this group-wide commitment to stimulating interactions with the wider community, almost every one of our homes has nurtured positive relationships on an intergenerational spectrum. From nurseries and pre-schools to students at college and university, the value of bridging the generation gap and bringing together people from different generations continues to stimulate positive outcomes in those involved.

Activities and Engagement Backed by Insight

All engagement that is offered and participated in at B&M Care is recorded using our digital care plans. This information, coupled with other important factors such as dining & nutrition, care provided, and general observations, lends the home greater insight into an individual’s health and wellbeing. Ultimately, it helps provide valuable insight, allowing us to make significant improvements for the individual on a daily basis.

Dementia-Specific Engagement

Engagement is absolutely essential for an individual living with a dementia.

The most important aspect of this approach is to actively target a person’s dementia, as well as their symptoms, through engagement and care home activities that have positive and meaningful outcomes.

Dementia-specific engagement looks and feels inherently different to that carried out in a residential care setting: the focus here is to improve cognition, communication and coordination through activity that stimulates the senses, and focuses on enjoyment rather than achievement.

Engagement of this nature is facilitated in a home’s dedicated dementia suite; a vibrant hub characterised by both indoor and outdoor living, as well as design techniques such as dementia-approved colour schemes, signposting, and overall enablement. Instantly recognisable is how these environments celebrate life and those who live there: from handmade displays to bygone memorabilia, tools such as these are effective in encouraging an individual to pause and engage with their environment.

Cottages

Hand-built by B&M Care Chairman Bill Hughes, a number of our homes have had cottages installed in their respective outdoor living spaces. Framed by thatched roofing and a white picket fence, each cottage references a ‘crofters design’ commonly seen across our Chairman’s Galway homeland in Ireland.

Offering visitors an opportunity to step back into tradition, once inside, the cottage plays host to, as coined by Chesham Bois Manor Care Home, “a cosy feeling perfect for whiling away an afternoon”.

Used for both visiting loved ones and engagement alike, each cottage is fitted with a:

• Nostalgic interior
  
• Faux log burner
  
• Flat-screen television
• Surround-sound music system

Each of these cottages were born out of a concept, titled ‘Katie’s Cottage’: a fully-mobile design that is used for both resident and community engagement. Making appearances at events such as the annual Ashlyns Classic Car Show, thanks to her entertainment features, Katie has welcomed many a person onboard to learn more about B&M Care, the group’s Chairman, and the services each of our homes offer.

The Hideaway

B&M Care’s Hideaway is a unique concept that offers visiting residents 'a home away from a care home'.

Through extensive, tastefully adapted facilities and a warm, welcoming environment, The Hideaway provides opportunities for calm, relaxation, and meaningful recreation.

Overlooking an abundance of green space, The Hideaway offers ‘everything under one roof’:

• Lounge and breakout areas complete with authentic wood burning fireplaces
  
• A fully-equipped kitchen suitable for both cooking and baking
  
• Dining, craft and games rooms
• Extensive grounds complete with a dedicated greenhouse and a large raised gardening bed

In addition, The Hideaway benefits from an artificial sports lawn suitable for year-round pursuits which, in the near future, will see B&M Care host in-house tournaments, such as bowling and croquet, and invite local sports clubs to use for residents to subsequently watch courtesy of on-pitch seating around the sides.

Residents are transported to The Hideaway using B&M Care’s fleet of minibuses that operate across the group.

Reminiscence Museum

Characterised by interactive memorabilia and nostalgia, B&M Care has unveiled another group first – a Reminiscence Museum.

Curated by B&M Care Chairman Bill Hughes, the museum is a split-level attraction home to an extensive collection of objects from the past designed to evoke thought and positive reminiscence.

Open to residents visiting the adjacent Hideaway, the display includes:

• Cars
  
• Cameras
  
• Tools
  
• Toys
  
• Graphic prints
• Cash register, complete with notes and coinage

Visitors also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the museum’s technology area. From a 1950s radio and an 8-track speaker system – the time when music went mobile - to several projectors that document film through the ages, this is a rare opportunity to literally watch ‘time going by’.