There is a saying that the best classroom is at the feet of an elderly person, as they have so much wisdom to share. We were reflecting recently on what advice our residents would give to their younger self.
Pearls of wisdom and the sayings we live by
See below some of the sage advice from our residents.
“Don’t give in….Keep pushing on” Margaret, 89
“Learn from your own mistakes” Peter 88
“Enjoy your life whilst you have it” Sheila 87
“Accept things as they are” Ray 91
You don’t stop having fun when you get old…You get old when you stop having fun
This is the sort of wisdom we love and our Heritage Manor company ethos.
We have been keeping happy and uplifted through lockdown with a huge array of activities. Our theme days are always much enjoyed and what better in the summer than a trip to the seaside: Costa del Newstead!
We filled a paddling pool with shells and made a sandpit. The sand and shells were from a beach in Wales. Residents dipped their toes in the water, whilst enjoying ice lollies and reminiscing about seaside holidays.
It was a particularly poignant day for our resident Vicky, who is visually impaired. She was thrilled to have the beach day experience and to feel the warm sand through her fingers again.
The following day the shells and sand were used to make 3D artwork entitled “My Perfect Beach”.
A little of what you fancy does you good!
We have regular baking sessions with residents, from chocolate making with lots of toppings, to making Welsh Cakes on a hot plate.
Afternoon teas and cheese and wine afternoons.
Pub and games afternoons with beer, shandy and dominoes. A few pork scratchings and peanuts – pub nibbles!
And of course our Tuck Shop trolley is a big hit with residents. Its fair to say we run our of Kit Kats every week!
Tuck shop! 
Cheese and wine
Together we are stronger
A challenge through lockdown has been to keep our residents in touch with their local community.
We took part on our sister homes Scarecrow Festival. We have such fun making our Happy Days scarecrow. And WE WON!!
We have been so thankful for the support of our local community through this COVID pandemic. All the well wishes and donations. We cant have a fundraiser involving people coming to our home, but local businesses are supporting our Residents’ Fund Autumn Raffle. Please do get in touch to buy your tickets!
We are fundraising to buy an iSandBOX. This is an augmented reality box. it has a projector which projects scenes onto sand which can be changed by someone moving the sand. There are many different scenes you can play out; creating oceans, islands, volcanoes. Interacting with the scenery, fish, mammals, dinosaurs, and playing games. It is perfect for sensory therapy.
We have raised £200 so far but need your help! Please donate through our GoFundMe page. https://www.gofundme.com/f/isandbox-for-newstead-nursing-home
Sing and dance like no-one is watching
Colette Nicholls visited us for a socially distanced singalong in the garden. We have also welcomed other outdoor entertainers and have regular Singing for Health and Happiness sessions with Roger. https://singingforhealthandhappiness.co.uk/
Music quizzes are always a good laugh with hits from Elvis to The Beatles, Judy Garland to Doris Day. Also exercise classes, to stretch and flex. A spot of dancing too – we are looking forward to the start of Strictly Come Dancing here!
Look forward to the future
Throughout the last few months our keen artists have been preparing their artwork for our Newstead Calendar 2020. This years theme is birds and we are delighted that our calendar is now on sale!
