We are making great use of Hope, our wheelchair enabled minibus, with trips out weekly. We took residents Jo, Terry and Muriel for some retail therapy to The Range. They fell in love with the giant teddy!
Residents enjoyed a fabulous day out to The Malvern Theatre to listen to a dementia friendly concert. Just wonderful to listen to the live music. It was such a beautiful sunny day, we then headed to the park for a picnic lunch; delicious snacks and great company.
We also visited Worcester cathedral in Hope. Resident Bernice's husband used to be the vicar in Kempsey and Pat's father was a curate, so there was lots of interest in the trip. We spent two hours walking round and listening to the history of the Cathedral from a volunteer.
Back home, our Wednesday walking group is as popular as ever and residents love being out and about in the fresh air and seeing the autumn colours. A big thank you to all our volunteers who come and support our residents every week.
Also nothing better than a pamper day for our ladies and gents - relaxation and treats, lovely foot spas, soothing hand and foot massages, gentle facemasks, all enjoyed with a glass of Buck’s Fizz.
We did some cookery and made waffles with cherries and whipped cream. You can see from the faces it was very much enjoyed and the afternoon was a great success. And we have incorporating our dance sessions into our weekly activities. Great exercise, keeping mobile and nothing but joy!
Chef training
As part of our continual staff training the head chefs across our Heritage group came together for a fantastic day of training with Andy Cullum, better known as “The IDDSI Guy”. https://www.theiddsiguy.com/
The IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative) framework is a standardized global system that uses an 8-level continuum (0 to 7) to classify food textures and drink thicknesses for people with swallowing difficulties.
It is important for our chefs to ensure that the food they prepare meets the specific IDDDSI level for each resident, whilst keeping its flavour and appeal.
The session focused on gentler methods of cooking such as poaching, braising, stewing and steaming; all of which keep food tender and moist and enhance its flavour. The team discussed adapting recipes and shared ideas. Andy set up a discussion group so going forwards he could offer help and support and the team could share their recipe successes.
We are encouraging the team to share photos of any modified meals they serve to residents. A well-presented plate can make a real difference to how much someone enjoys their meal and how much they eat. Sharing photos is also a great way to celebrate skills, inspire each other and swap ideas across our homes.
A big thank you to Andy for such an engaging and practical day, to our Training Manager Charlie Bitchenor for organising the event and to all our head chefs for their enthusiasm and commitment to giving every resident a mealtime they can look forward to.
Coming up....
We are having a Halloween party on 29th October with fancy dress and prizes for the best costumes. Singer Ian is coming in and there will be a spooky themed buffet.