NewsletterMay 2017

Issue 42

An Egg-cellent Easter At HicareEaster is traditionally a Christian festival which celebrates the rebirth and return of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion as described in the Bible. This tradition has evolved over time and today holds a lot of meaning to Christians and non-religious people alike. Secular activities include giving & receiving Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts, parades and wearing & making Easter bonnets, whilst Christians may also attend church for an Easter service.

Our residents all had an egg-citing time this Easter. Both Meadow’s Court and Spencefield Grange had a lot of Easter activities for residents to get involved with throughout the whole Easter weekend. Staff at both the homes worked hard to create the perfect atmosphere by decorating the homes with handmade Easter decorations. The residents enjoyed creating Easter bonnets together for a competition, this was won by Alma at Meadow’s Court.

Both homes also held Easter egg hunts where the residents, the staff and their families had fun hunting for Easter eggs around the homes. This was won by Donna at Meadow’s Court.

Spencefield Grange were joined by their local church, the Goodwood Evangelical, who gave an Easter service with hymns and readings celebrating the traditional values of Easter.

Hicare treated each resident and staff member to an Easter egg from the company Directors which was a delightful finale to the weekend. A lovely weekend for all!

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Quality Assurance Survey Results 2016/17

Hospitality Very Good

Helpfulness of Staff Very Good

Information Provided on Arrival Very Good

Atmosphere of the HomeVery Good

Cleanliness Very Good

General Condition of the Home Very Good

Security of Home Very Good

Hospitality & Service of StaffVery Good

Staff Response Call Very Good

Quality of Food Very Good

Entertainment Very Good

Quality of FurnishingsVery Good

Mother’s DayMothering Sunday is a day to celebrate our mothers. Traditionally, it was a Christian holiday where people were given the day off to visit their local (aka ‘Mother’) church. Children would pick flowers to display in the church and give to their own mothers. This eventually evolved into the modern tradition of spending Mothering Sunday with your mother and presenting them with a gift.

At Meadow’s Court and Spencefield Grange, our residents chose to make cards and decorations to display around the homes. Many of our residents are mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers so we hosted a tea and cake afternoon for our residents to enjoy with their families. The residents enjoyed a lovely afternoon spending time with their families, some of which travelled a long way to see their mother’s. Thank you all for coming and spending the day with us!

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Atmosphere of the HomeVery Good

Entertainment Very Good

Hicare Paints The Town Green!St Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious festival celebrating all things Irish and is held annually on 17th March. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is known for using his understanding of Irish culture to introduce Christianity to Ireland. Celebrations involve wearing green, parades and festivals. Some denominations of Christianity also visit church on this day and the lent restrictions on eating and drinking are lifted for the day.

Our staff and residents had an enjoyable time celebrating St Patrick’s Day this year. Our homes were metaphorically painted green by residents and staff members wearing their green clothing and shamrocks. Both Meadow’s Court and Spencefield Grange had a variety of games and activities with a St Patrick’s Day theme including bingo, hangman and arts and crafts.

Spencefield Grange were treated to a performance by the Shaun Burden School of Irish Dancing. Dancers of all ages performed traditional Irish dances for the residents and staff. The residents all really enjoyed the performances and were impressed with the girl’s fancy moves. Thanks to all the girls for a wonderful afternoon!

DID YOU KNOW?Dementia affects over

850,000 people in the UK

Let’s unite for Dementia Awareness Week, to spread understanding and raise awareness of dementia. For more information, please contact the home manager!

Meadow’s CourtWednesday 17th May

10.30am - 2.30pmDementia café at 2pm

Spencefield Grange Thursday 18th May

10am - 2.00pmDementia café at 11am

Hicare Homes invites you to raise awareness

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10 Years’ ServiceWe are very proud to announce that three of our longstanding employees have recently celebrated their ten years at Hicare. Ignes Furtado, Kerry Howkins and Krishna Patel of Meadow’s Court were presented by our Director, Sue Nanuwa with a certificate of appreciation as well as a gold watch. Yvonne Griffiths, manager of Meadow’s Court, said “These are three of my star employees, nothing is too much for them. They are a credit to the home”. Sue Nanuwa said, “As a director of Hicare, I couldn’t be prouder of Ignes, Kerry and Krishna. They are very hard working and always do their best for the residents!”

Well done Ignes, Kerry and Krishna and thank you for all you have done for our residents past and present. We hope you are with us for many more years to come!

Animal Therapy CareAnimal therapy is interacting with animals to improve emotional, social and cognitive functioning. There has been a lot of research into how interaction with animals can benefit people who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and findings have shown that animals can have a positive impact upon the lives of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease sufferers.

At Hicare, we recognise the importance of animal therapy and the benefits it has on our residents. We like to undertake as much animal therapy with as many residents as is possible. Meadow’s Court were recently visited by ‘Animals for Parties’ who brought along a variety of exotic animals for residents to pet and engage with. Commonly known by our residents as the “Animal man”, he visits the home regularly and always brings along the resident’s favourites. Sheila loved the bearded dragon and the snake was another favourite! A thoroughly, enjoyable day.

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An Afternoon Of MusicResidents at Spencefield Grange were delighted to be visited by talented singer and pianist, Lincoln Noel. His visit was courtesy of the ‘Music in Hospitals’ charity who provide musical entertainment for people who are in in hospitals, care homes and hospices.

Lincoln performed a variety of songs from all eras which had residents singing and dancing along. Barbara requested some songs by her favourite singer Elvis whilst Ray, Eunice, Margaret and Sylvia all requested songs from the fifties and sixties.

A wonderful afternoon for all the residents, thank you Lincoln for such giving us such a fantastic time!

Care Home Open Day

CARINGCOMMUNITIES

We will be participating in Care Home Open Day 2017.Date: 16th June 2017 Time: 10am - 4pmThe idea behind the day is to encourage communities to visit our local care homes, connecting our residents and communities together. We want to dispel some of the myths about residential care; showing local people what excellent services are at the heart of our community.

We will have many fun activities and entertainment on the day for you to get involved in. Don't be shy! Come along and get involved!

A Romantic Affair At HicareValentine’s Day first became associated with romantic love in the 14th century by writer and poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, when the tradition of courtship and love flourished. However, St Valentine appeared centuries prior when he performed wedding ceremonies for soldiers that were forbidden to marry to their sweethearts.

Valentine’s Day was very special at Hicare Homes. Our staff and residents enjoyed making hand crafted displays and decorations which were used to adorn the homes. This helped everyone get into the spirit of the day and really set a romantic scene.

Our Activities Co-ordinators at both our homes, had prepared a variety of Valentine’s Day themed activities for residents to get involved with. Residents at both Meadow’s Court and Spencefield Grange enjoyed making Valentine’s Day cards for their significant others; a poignant occasion with some residents taking this opportunity to reminisce on their happy memories with their beloved spouses who couldn’t all be with us.

At Meadow’s Court, Christine and Doreen had a lot of fun making paper chains whilst Sheila and Jonathon enjoyed making glittery Valentine’s Day displays. Afterwards, all the residents settled down for a relaxing afternoon watching romantic films and snacking on delicious treats.

At Spencefield Grange, residents and staff played some Valentine’s Day themed games of bingo and hangman etc. They were then joined by talented musicians, Paul and Pamela, courtesy of ‘Music in Hospitals’ who performed some well-known hits from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s which our residents enjoyed singing and dancing along with. To finish off the day, we held a Valentine’s Day raffle where Elsie and Joy won a fantastic hamper full of goodies!

All of the residents, staff and their families really enjoyed themselves. A lovely, romantic day for us all!

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Pub LunchAt Hicare, we believe in offering our residents a variety of opportunities and activities to engage and we try to encourage an active social life.

Our residents at Meadow’s Court enjoyed a delicious meal and dessert at local pub, the Manor in Glen Parva. The residents all look forward to afternoons like this one and the Manor is one of their favourite pubs to visit. The residents all tucked into a fantastic lunch and dessert and enjoyed a glass of wine with their meal. The resident‘s happily enjoyed engaging with each other and other members of the community. A lovely day out for all!

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(Data taken from Quality Questionnaires received January 2016-2017)

We Are Very Proud Of Our QualityQuestionnaire Results...

Our Quality of Care was rated Excellent, Very Good or Good by 100% of Families/Friends of Residents.

100%

100% of Families/Friends of Residents would

recommend our services.

The Helpfulness of our staff was rated

Excellent, Very Good or Good by 100% of Families/Friends

of Residents.of Families/Friends of Residents rated our

Hospitality & ServicesExcellent, Very Good or Good.

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Member of:

Recent & Future Events of 2016/2017Events Diary

“For further information on events held at the homes, please contact our activities co-ordinators.

Please also confirm dates and times of the events scheduled with the home, prior to attending as they may be subject to change.”

Connect With Us

Bank Holiday MondaySpencefield Grange & Meadow’s Court

May

1st

Easter MondaySpencefield Grange & Meadow’s Court

Easter Sunday Spencefield Grange & Meadow’s Court

St Georges DaySpencefield Grange & Meadow’s Court

Pub LunchMeadow’s Court

Good Friday Spencefield Grange & Meadow’s Court

April

17th

April

14th

April16th

May3rd

Father’s DaySpencefield Grange &

Meadow’s Court

Spring Bank Holiday Spencefield Grange &

Meadow’s Court

Dementia Awareness Week Open DayMeadow’s Court

Care Home Open Day Spencefield Grange &

Meadow’s Court

June

16th

June

18th

May18th

May

29th

Dementia Awareness Week Open Day

Spencefield Grange

June26th

Eid al-FitrSpencefield Grange &

Meadow’s Court

April23rd

May

17th