Making the season bright for our residents

 

Christmas plans can require some adjustment when you have a loved one who is a care home resident. At Willow Grange, we are here to help and support you as you navigate including your family members in that festive magic.

We arrange plenty of Christmas activities at Willow Grange to share the joy of Christmas with our residents. Please contact staff to discuss our activities schedule and when you may like to come and join us!

 

Decorations

Every year, we deck the halls at Willow Grange! Our communal areas become full of sparkling fairy lights. Our residents always enjoy helping decorate our Christmas trees, adding their own personal touches to the decor.

Let us know if you’d like to visit to help decorate your family member’s room. Perhaps you have some favourite pieces from their collection that you know they’d love to see daily over the season.

Some families like to bring in a Christmas card display holder. We can add any post your loved one receives to it so they can admire and look through it whenever they wish.

Why not gift your family member an advent calendar to help them countdown to Christmas throughout December? We’ll double-check that they stick to one door a day. We understand the temptation to eat chocolate calendars in one sitting!

 

Christmas Music

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the music! At Willow Grange, we especially value musical activities for our residents with dementia. Research shows that music can help trigger happy memories associated with the songs. For those with dementia, it is easier to remember older memories than newer ones. We include plenty of golden oldies in our festive singalongs to reflect this! We’d love to know your loved one’s favourite tunes so we can include them in the line-up.

In addition to enjoying some Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby classics, we hold a carol service for our residents. For many, Christmas carol services are an annual tradition, and we love to continue marking the season in such a way with the residents.

We always honour the religious practices of our residents. We’d love to discuss how we can help you mark the winter season with your family members to celebrate your religious traditions best.

 

Festive Feast

Delicious roast potatoes, tasty brussel sprouts and luxurious Christmas pudding: we put on a feast at Willow Grange! Our Christmas Day meal is always a highlight for residents, family and staff alike. Our excellent chefs put love and care into preparing a special meal for our whole community. You can enjoy your own meal at home knowing that your loved one will be eagerly tucking into their tasty food, too!

 

Visiting at Christmas

We understand that visiting family at Christmas can bring up some painful feelings, especially if your loved one is experiencing memory loss. We are here to support you as you come for a Christmas visit. Our staff are on hand to suggest things you can do when you visit.

What board games does your family member enjoy? Participate in healthy festive competition and play a round or two with them.

Residents always light up when they look through old photos. Browse the memories together and open some presents from family and friends.

Scheduling an online group video call with family and friends who are further away is always a fantastic way to create a special Christmas moment for everyone in the family.

If your family member has any unique personal Christmas traditions, facilitating these is a great way to connect with them. Do they always eat fruitcake made to a specific recipe? Or perhaps they routinely watch a nostalgic Christmas special of their favourite television show. Sharing these traditions with them is a lovely way to mark Christmas together.

 

Family Visit

 

Gift Ideas

Here are some gift ideas to inspire you as you shop for your loved one. These items make fantastic presents for those in care homes. We’d recommend using gift bags or loose wrapping paper so the presents are easier to open.

  • Soft pyjamas
  • A fluffy dressing down
  • Slippers
  • CDs and DVD sets of their favourites
  • Puzzles
  • Board games
  • Nice toiletries or perfume
  • Photo books filled with family pictures and memories
  • Framed photographs to display in their room
  • Monthly subscription to a magazine they love
  • Weekly or monthly subscription to a fresh flower bouquet delivery

 

 

About Willow Grange

Activities are not just for Christmas. We host thoughtfully planned, fun activities all year round for our residents to foster friendships, encourage exercise and look after mental health. Our activities include board games, yoga, painting, gardening and pet therapy.

All our residents can choose what facilities they would like to partake in. They can choose whether they would like to socialise or relax alone each day. We understand that everyone is different.

At Willow Grange, we pride ourselves in providing care that encourages our resident’s individuality and dignity. All our staff take our Residents Charter very seriously and work hard to provide the best specialist care possible, building relationships with and respecting every resident. We are specialists in dementia care and have quality facilities to aid our work.

If you have any questions about Christmas at Willow Grange or anything else we offer, please call us on 020 8399 8948. We would be delighted to help in any way we can.

 

Sources: https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/music-and-dementia-a-powerful-connector/