Meaningful outdoor activities at are enjoyed at Weybourne Care Home

Pupils from St Paul's Academy returned this month to help Alan to harvest the crops

The team at Avante's Weybourne Care Home recognise the importance of person-centered care and stimulating activities for the residents and have created engaging and vibrant environments for residents living in the home.

This perspective is a positive step, moving away from the traditional institutional model of care and embracing a more holistic and person-centered approach.

The team at Weybourne understand the use of stimulating activities and how they can significantly benefit people with dementia by promoting cognitive function, enhancing emotional wellbeing, and in some cases, reducing agitation.

Activities are tailored around every resident taking into account their varying interests and abilities, and residents are supported to revisit their interests regularly.

Alan, who has lived at Weybourne for a few years, took an instant interest in gardening when he first moved into the home. On hearing from Alan that he was ‘not keen on being indoors and would far rather be doing something active outside’, the team at Weybourne looked at how to utilise Alan's time in a way that would interest him.

As part of their programme of meaningful outdoor activities, pupils were invited from St Paul's Academy to help Alan and other residents to plant seeds and bulbs in the raised flower beds. Since then, Alan and other residents have regularly tended to the raised flower beds and other garden jobs ensuring their plants were growing.

The pupils from the Academy returned this month to help Alan to harvest the crops! Alan was delighted to see what vegetables had grown and pulled out over 40 carrots and 20 onions!

The pupils commented how satisfying it was to see the fruits of their labour and to grow food for the residents to enjoy. Alan agreed, adding that he was pleased to have shown and taught the younger generation how to grow their own food, teaching them ‘an important life skill’ .

Once Alan and the pupils had picked the vegetables, they delivered the goods to Weybourne's kitchen staff who suggested a carrot cake (or two) was in order!