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Recent events
The end of another year and what a busy month we have had!
We attended the Christmas tea dance at HG Wells on 5th December. There was a good turnout and our residents had a great time.
On 6th December we welcomed Bisley cubs to Elmfield and they had a great time decorating our Christmas tree and spending time with our residents. The Cubs were awarded their badges whilst at Elmfield. It was a joy having them here and is something both parties get pleasure from. The Cub leaders are hoping to continue our relationship in the spring.
We have had a new addition this year to our collection of lit- up animals in the garden. We had light up penguins, polar bears, reindeers and sleigh, parcels and a beautiful new golden reindeer. They looked wonderful in the dark brightening up the garden.
On 7th December we had a fantastic afternoon with the Bisley school choir coming to Elmfield. The choir consisted of approx. 16 children and their tutor who brought his keyboard. They sang some lovely Christmas carols and all of our residents joined in with them.
On 12th December we had Tina from High Kicks and Heels performing her Christmas show. This was a mix of the classics and Christmas songs. The show was thoroughly enjoyed by all and once again everyone present was singing, dancing, waving flags and instruments.
On 18th December we welcomed Bisley church choir to the home. Andy Armitt was also present and it was lovely to have him and members of the congregation here. Our residents really enjoyed the carol service.
The same afternoon, a group of residents were escorted to Bisley School for their community tea afternoon. The feedback was very positive and those who went had a great time.
On 19th December a group of residents went across to Bisley Village Hall for their Christmas afternoon. They enjoyed socialising with members of the community, and had cake and mince pies. There was a raffle and the brass band performed.
On Christmas Day some of our residents went out with their relatives. Those who stayed at Elmfield enjoyed a three-course meal.
We had lots of family visitors throughout the day.
One of the local families who live on Church Lane even came to the home with a gift for each resident. This was extremely thoughtful of our neighbors and we were very grateful for their kindness.
All residents received a gift from the home specific to their needs or preferences.
We watched the Queen’s speech after lunch and several residents had 40 winks after such a filling lunch….
On 28th December we welcomed Graham to Elmfield as entertainer for the resident’s Christmas party. As always, he had everyone singing, dancing and enjoying the music. He sang a mix of golden oldies as well as the odd Christmas jingle thrown in with his playlist.
The year 4 children from Bisley school had their final visit in December. We have had such fun the four weeks that the children visited Elmfield and so did the children. We did all sorts of activities such as question and answers finding out about each other’s life experiences, decorating cakes, festive arts and crafts, exercises, games and coloring.
We look forward to the next year group coming to us in January.
A group of residents spent an afternoon making a gingerbread village. We had a big gingerbread house and smaller huts all with different iced patterns and decorations. Those who joined in had a great time and were very proud of their efforts.
Upcoming events
In January we will be welcoming the year 3 children from Bisley school. We will miss the group who came in November and December but are also looking forward to making more friends.
Towards the end of January, we will be able to resume our trips to the Hen & Chickens pub. The landlady is taking over the kitchen so we look forward to sampling her cuisine! We certainly missed our outings for pub lunches. Hopefully the weather will be warmer by then.
Our PAT dog Bailey has not been to see us for several weeks. It is looking likely that in the New Year our fortnightly visits will re-commence which is great news.
Staff and resident changes
We have sadly said goodbye to two of our new staff, Victoria and Suzanne who had a change in their circumstances.
Joanne Carter and Charley Teeder have both left full- time roles to join the bank staff team.
We have welcomed Samuel Perry to our team who has been doing a mix of days and nights. He will commence on days in January.
Sarah Daley will also be joining the full- time care team in January from the bank staff.
We have several new faces starting in January and February which we are looking forward, to including a new senior care assistant called Priya and two new night staff called Natalie and Judy.
Birthdays
December was another quiet month with no birthdays to celebrate.
Other news
Elmfield House have received our PIR questions from the CQC who inspect and regulate all care homes nationwide.
There are a series of questions which Niccii has to answer explaining and evidencing what is done at Elmfield.
It is expected that CQC will be visiting Elmfield in the near future.
It is general practice that an inspector may wish to speak to residents and relatives or visitors to Elmfield when they visit. Please do not be alarmed by this and they will always ask for consent before speaking to you.
We are changing lunch into two sittings in the dining room from January; one from 12-1pm, the second from 1-2pm so that the dining room is less crowded and that more staff can be around to assist and support our residents.
Everyone at Elmfield would like to wish all of our residents, relatives, visitors and friends of Elmfield a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you for your continued support and here’s to many more memories in 2019!
Employee of the month
December’s ‘Employee of the month’ was awarded to Sharon Heywood.
Sharon has notably improved in all areas of her job in recent months. She has been an asset in covering additional shifts and is consistent in her ways of working. Well done Sharon and keep up the great work!
Every quarter we have staff prizes up for grabs including an Indian/ Chinese/ pizza and chip shop meal for two. Staff nominate individuals who they feel have worked exceptionally hard over the past three months. Nominees with the most votes receive a prize and if there is a tie- break all nominated names go into a hat and are chosen at random.